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August 25, 2024
Ollie Tanner was injured when an advertising board fell on him during goal celebrations in Sunday’s South Wales derby. This prompted Cardiff City to inquire about the security setup at rival Swansea City’s stadium.
Tanner assisted fellow substitute Callum Robinson in tying the score at one goal in the 79th minute, but the winger sustained injuries in the ensuing celebrations when supporters from Cardiff behind the goal charged at the players, and the barriers gave way.
Omer Riza, the coach of Cardiff’s first squad, stated: “You’re looking around and saying, ‘Potentially should there be more security around the pitch?’ So fans can’t come towards the advertisement signs. That’s a heavy sign that fell down there, and Ollie’s got a big cut on his leg.”
After the Bluebirds manager was sent off during stoppage time, Riza filled in for Erol Bulut in the post-match media duties. He continued “[Ollie is] OK, he continued and carried on, but he had to go off the pitch for 30 seconds and that could have hurt us in that period. All things we can look at to improve.”
The incident occurred 24 hours after supporters poured onto the Selhurst Park field during West Ham’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, trapping a ballboy beneath an advertising board. Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek, two visiting players, had to aid the youngster.
Luke Williams, the manager of Swansea, thinks that safety measures around pitch perimeters will need to be examined following the previous weekend’s events. “It’s something that has to be looked at by security officers of all clubs because there was an incident at the West Ham game as well,” Williams said.
Williams added on the collapsing advertising board: “I’m also happy that it goes over and you don’t hit something solid. There was a boy at Bath City [Alex Fletcher] who hit a brick wall around the edge of the pitch and ended in hospital with a serious head injury. The fact that it goes over is safer.”
After a collision with Swansea substitute Kyle Naughton in the fifth of the final seven minutes of play, Bulut was dismissed. “We think it’s a bit harsh. He was pulled on the pitch by Naughton, and the player put his hands on him,” said Riza. “To get a red card there is quite harsh, and I think he will appeal.”
Before Robinson’s equalizer, Swansea had led thanks to a tap-in from Liam Cullen in the tenth minute. It looked set to win six of the seven derby matches. “It’s a changing room like we’ve lost,” Williams said. “We didn’t continue to control the game properly and put pressure on Cardiff.”
When Robinson threw the ball at Swansea’s Ben Cabango in the seventh minute of this match in October 2022, he was sent off, which allowed Cardiff to lose 2-0. Eleven minutes later, the 29-year-old swept home Tanner’s cross to make up for that insane moment.
After some clever build-up play put Brazilian winger Ronald in space, Cullen poked home the goal for the home team. The Swansea striker had the easiest of finishes when Cardiff keeper Ethan Horvath pushed his shot back into play.
Since moving behind closed doors in March 2021, Cardiff had not enjoyed a derby victory in front of a Swansea crowd since February 2011. On Sunday, the Bluebirds found it challenging to match Swansea’s early fluidity, with Matt Grimes controlling matters in midfield.
The visitors’ disjointed performance was to be expected, considering five new summer signings were among the starters, including center-back Jesper Daland, who was thrown straight into the lineup after his midweek transfer from Cercle Brugge.
Horvath was forced to tip away a threatening cross from Josh Tymon. Ronald missed a golden opportunity from Josh Key’s delivery.
In the early moments of the second half, Ronald squandered two chances, blazing over the bar and failing to find the unmarked Cullen. In search of an attacking spark, Cardiff turned to their bench, bringing on Wales international Rubin Colwill and Tanner, who had scored in the Bluebirds’ derby win last September.
The substitutions paid off brilliantly as Colwill and Tanner combined to set up Robinson, who ended a 14-game scoreless streak and secured Cardiff’s first point of the season. The goal ignited celebrations in the away end, ultimately overshadowing the match’s outcome.
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