Starting XI
1) Mark Manley
2) David Manley
3) Carl French
4) Matthew Rowley
5) Russell Palmer
6) Luke Haggert
7) Gareth Fundalski
8) Craig Palfrey
9) Andy Kingman
10) Steve Roche
11) Carl Manley

Report by special guest reporter Richard Schuchardt

Cardiff Northern kept up their winning run after the Christmas break with a convincing win over Kings Castle. It was not a classic performance but they were never really in any trouble.

Northern took the lead early on in the match through Steve who scored a from a direct free kick which looped over the wall and past the stranded keeper. This settled the team down but an awful tackle by a Kings Castle player on Luke turned the game sour. The tackle was late and from behind and the snap of his bone could be heard from the touchline. The game was stopped for about 15 minutes while the ambulance arrived. When word came back from the hospital it was revealed that Luke has broken his leg in two places and the Kings Castle player got away with only a yellow card.

When play resumed Ross Gunter was introduced for Luke. Ross got stuck in straightaway and Northern were back on the attack. Steve scored another goal when quick thinking by Carl Manley allowed Steve a free header from Carl's pinpoint corner. The lead was extended by the most unusual of sources. Dave Manley moved forward from defence and when Ross' shot was blocked by the keeper and spun into the air it was nudged in from 6 inches by David's chest. There was a little bit of debate as to whether the ball was going in anyway but no one dared spoil Manley's moment of pleasure at his first competitive goal in 4 years.  There was only one more goal scored in the first half when another Carl Manley cross and was converted by Gareth Fundalski after he moved from the left wing to centre forward.

The second half started off with more attacking pressure from Northern. Steve scored his hat trick with a scrappy goal after good work by Carl Manley led to an attempted chip from David Manley.  The keeper could only push the ball upwards and despite Fundalski blocking the original effort the ball was eventually forced over the line.  Northern then introduced Barrie Willacott so that he could have a run out at the expense of Andy Kingman.  Carl French was pushed into midfield and instantly added to the score line when his shot deflected off a defender into the roof of the net. 

The next change in the game was to take off David Manley and introduce Richard Schuchardt. Matthew Rowley then decided to show us why life is never dull when he is defending. For no reason at all he decided to push over a King Castle forward in the penalty area. The penalty was converted at the second time of asking and that led to a period of Kings Castle attacking. Richard Schuchardt got booked for pulling down an attacker on the edge of the box but that was the nearest the opposition got to troubling Mark Manley again.

The game was wrapped up with Cardiff Northern earning a penalty which was duly converted by Carl Manley. Overall a convincing win but maybe not the performance that would have been expected from an in form Northern team. The game will be remember for the injury to Luke and the fact that the ambulance men struggled to pull him along on the stretcher! 

Subs: Ross Gunter, Barrie Willacott, Richard Schuchardt
Scorers: Steve Roche 3, Gareth Fundalski, David Manley, Carl French, Carl Manley
MOM: Russell Palmer

* Match Reports represent the opinion of the author and in no way represent the opinions of CNFC.