Report: Chris Nokes

Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of giants Manchester United showed the future for Cardiff City is very bright indeed.

A sunny Saturday morning at the picturesque Treforest was the setting for a result for Cardiff that will go down in the Academy history books as Geraint Twose's men stormed to a 5-1 victory over the mighty Manchester United.

It didn't seem as this result would be realistic after a strong opening period for Manchester United. Two minutes in and a Manchester shot had to be saved and held by Cardiff 'keeper Josh Herring as the boys from Old Trafford looked to establish a firm footing in the match.

A well struck free kick for United provided another warning shot for Cardiff and sure enough midway through the first half Manchester took the lead through the Portuguese striker Brandao. His flick on at the near post ended up beating Herring and nestled in the far corner.

Man Utd were then denied a second goal five minutes from the end of the first half as an excellent finish in the bottom left hand corner was ruled out for offside.

Half Time: Cardiff 0-1 Man Utd

Cardiff started the second half as a completely different side as they began to show the cutting edge that Manchester United could not match. Two close range headers from two corners signalled Cardiff's intentions and the Cardiff midfield, orchestrated by the excellent Jack Carlisle, began their high tempo style of play.

This encouraged an end-to-end type of game and this is what followed with a great chance for Cardiff when a one-on-one with the United goalkeeper ended up going just wide. This was followed by an excellent block from defender Bradley Middleton which prevented a dangerous United shot.

Then came the breakthrough. Jon Brown, mastered his way through the static Manchester defence to slotted home past 'keeper Ben Amos. The floodgates were now open and the Bluebirds started to dominate the game with Amos being forced to make two good saves within five minutes.

Super sub Rees Kelleher then reacted first to a loose ball and poked the ball in the net from close range. As Cardiff took the lead confidence grew and Cardiff's second half performance became more outstanding with chance after chance being created for the Bluebirds' front men.

With United on the back foot Cardiff searched for that two goal gap and finally achieved it on 80 minutes with a penalty. Manchester defender Cameron Stewart upended Jon Brown in the area and Jack Carlisle was more than happy to step up and calmly slot home from the spot. With United's morale severely weakened by the third goal, Cardiff took advantage with a fourth goal from big centre-half Bradley Middleton. The impressive captain Middleton headed the ball firmly in the net from a corner to well and truly seal the result for Cardiff.

The icing on the cake was provided by Bluebirds striker James Upcott as he scrambled the ball over the line to really humble the Premiership giants. As the final whistle blew a tremendous roar emerged from the 300+ crowd and the Cardiff players themselves as the result was consigned to the history books. The second half performance was a joy to behold and coach Geraint Twose has obviously built a strongly willed and strongly talented side who are eager to impress.

Full Time: Cardiff 5-1 Man Utd

Cardiff Coach Geraint Twose: "That result is down to belief. We prepared as well as we could, watching DVD's and practising set plays, but that means nothing without belief. Also, that win is for the whole squad including the lads with injuries and the lads who didn't get on.

"I would also like to say a big thank you to the people who turned up. It means so much for these young lads and it really makes a difference."

Man of the Match: Jack Carlisle - Ran the midfield with an imposing performance and remained super cool to score the penalty.

Manchester United: Woods, McCormack, Dudgeon, Moffatt (Ajose, 42), James, Derbyshire, Eikrem, Bryan, Norwood (Potts, 70), Stewart, Brandao (Curran, 77).
Subs not used: Gill, Bulmer.