Cardiff City 1996–97 football season
| 1996–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Samesh Kumar |
| Manager | Phil Neal/Russell Osman/Kenny Hibbitt |
| Football League Third Division | 7th |
| FA Cup | 2nd round |
| League Cup | 1st round |
| Auto Windscreens Shield | 2nd round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Steve White (13) All: Steve White (14) |
| Highest home attendance | 6,144 (v Fulham, 9 November 1996) |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,667 (v Darlington, 15 October 1996) |
| Average home league attendance | 3,594 |
| ← 1995–961997–98 → | |
The 1996–97 season was Cardiff City F.C.'s 70th season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Three, then the fourth tier of English football, finishing seventh, before being beaten 4–2 on aggregate by Northampton Town in the play-offs.
The season saw Cardiff sack two managers during the course of the year. Phil Neal continued in his role from the previous season before leaving the club, taking the role of assistant manager at Manchester City, and was replaced by Russell Osman. However Osman himself lasted just five matches and was replaced by Kenny Hibbitt, the man who had made way for Phil Neal the previous season.
Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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First team squad.
League standings
Main article: 1996–97 Football League § Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 62 | 58 | +4 | 71 | Qualification for the Third Division play-offs |
| 6 | Chester City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 70 | |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 69 | |
| 8 | Colchester United | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 62 | 51 | +11 | 68 | |
| 9 | Lincoln City | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 70 | 69 | +1 | 66 |
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
Results by round
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | W | L | W | W | L | W | D | L | L | W | W | W | D | D | W | L | W | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | W | W | L | W | D | W | W | W | L | D | L | W | D | D | W | D | L | W | L |
| Position | ~ | 7 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Fixtures and results
Third Division
Scarborough v Cardiff City| 17 August 1996 (1996-08-17) 1 | Scarborough | 0–0 | Cardiff City | Scarborough |
| Stadium: Athletic Ground Attendance: 2,455 |
| 24 August 1996 (1996-08-24) 2 | Cardiff City | 1–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Jeff Eckhardt  43' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,897 |
| 27 August 1996 (1996-08-27) 3 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Wigan Athletic | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | 34' Graeme Jones 81' Ian Kilford |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,845 |
| 31 August 1996 (1996-08-31) 4 | Cambridge United | 0–2 | Cardiff City | Cambridge |
| 9', 37' Steve White |
Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 2,478 |
| 7 September 1996 (1996-09-07) 5 | Cardiff City | 2–1 | Exeter City | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Steve White 13', 68' |
21' (pen.) Mark Chamberlain |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,659 |
| 10 September 1996 (1996-09-10) 6 | Torquay United | 2–0 | Cardiff City | Torquay |
| Jon Gittens 24' Jamie Ndah 45' |
Stadium: Plainmoor Attendance: 2,041 |
| 14 September 1996 (1996-09-14) 7 | Scunthorpe United | 0–1 | Cardiff City | Scunthorpe |
| 47' Craig Middleton |
Stadium: Old Show Ground Attendance: 2,121 |
| 21 September 1996 (1996-09-21) 8 | Cardiff City | 2–2 | Northampton Town | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Tony Philliskirk 18' Craig Middleton 83' |
87' Mark Cooper 89' (pen.) Roy Hunter |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 4,124 |
| 28 September 1996 (1996-09-28) 9 | Lincoln City | 2–0 | Cardiff City | Lincoln |
| Colin Alcide 18' John Taylor 87' |
Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 2,925 |
| 12 October 1996 (1996-10-12) 10 | Cardiff City | 1–2 | Barnet | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Craig Middleton 26' |
17' Gary Brazil 86' Sean Devine |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,879 |
| 15 October 1996 (1996-10-15) 11 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Darlington | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Carl Dale 3' Steve White 41' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 1,667 |
| 19 October 1996 (1996-10-19) 12 | Carlisle United | 0–2 | Cardiff City | Carlisle |
| 49' Carl Dale 81' Jason Fowler |
Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 4,972 |
| 26 October 1996 (1996-10-26) 13 | Cardiff City | 3–0 | Leyton Orient | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Steve White 22' (pen.) Jimmy Gardner 28'Carl Dale 36' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,647 |
| 29 October 1996 (1996-10-29) 14 | Hull City | 1–1 | Cardiff City | Hull |
| Kenny Gilbert 79' |
15' Craig Middleton |
Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 2,775 |
| 2 November 1996 (1996-11-02) 15 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Cardiff City | Colchester |
| Karl Duguid 18' |
57' (pen.) Steve White |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,213 Referee: Rob Harris (Oxfordshire) |
| 5 November 1996 (1996-11-05) 16 | Cardiff City | 2–1 | Rochdale | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Mickey Bennett 45' Jeff Eckhardt 67' |
52' Steve Whitehall |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,835 |
| 9 November 1996 (1996-11-09) 17 | Cardiff City | 1–2 | Fulham | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Steve White 89' |
1' Mike Conroy 34' (pen.) Mark Blake |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 6,144 |
| 23 November 1996 (1996-11-23) 18 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Hereford United | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Steve White 55', 75' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,904 |
| 26 November 1996 (1996-11-26) 19 | Chester City | 0–1 | Cardiff City | Chester |
| 85' Scott Young |
Stadium: Deva Stadium Attendance: 1,540 |
| 30 November 1996 (1996-11-30) 20 | Leyton Orient | 3–0 | Cardiff City | Leyton Orient |
| Carl Griffiths 34' Scott McGleish 57'Andy Arnott 64' |
Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 4,512 |
| 3 December 1996 (1996-12-03) 21 | Cardiff City | 1–3 | Swansea City | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Steve White 45' |
11' Kwame Ampadu 37' Steve Jones 86' Dai Thomas |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,721 |
| 21 December 1996 (1996-12-21) 22 | Cardiff City | 1–2 | Mansfield Town | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Jeff Eckhardt 25' |
49', 58' Mark Sale |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,238 |
| 26 December 1996 (1996-12-26) 23 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Torquay United | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Deon Burton 38', 77' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,651 |
| 28 December 1996 (1996-12-28) 24 | Exeter City | 2–0 | Cardiff City | Exeter |
| Noel Blake 39' Darren Rowbotham 55' |
Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 3,585 |
| 1 January 1997 (1997-01-01) 25 | Northampton Town | 4–0 | Cardiff City | Northampton |
| 15:00 | Ray Warburton 16' Lee Jarman 42' (o.g.)Mark Cooper 54'Neil Grayson 89' |
 47' Jeff Eckhardt |
Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 4,416 |
| 11 January 1997 (1997-01-11) 26 | Cardiff City | 1–3 | Lincoln City | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Jason Fowler 11' |
18' Phil Stant 51' (o.g.) Jason Perry 67' Gareth Ainsworth |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,033 |
| 18 January 1997 (1997-01-18) 27 | Rochdale | 1–0 | Cardiff City | Rochdale |
| Mark Leonard 7' |
Stadium: Spotland Attendance: 1,704 Referee: Uriah Rennie (Sheffield) |
| 25 January 1997 (1997-01-25) 28 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Hull City | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Simon Haworth 34' Jeff Eckhardt 75' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,328 |
| 31 January 1997 (1997-01-31) 29 | Fulham | 1–4 | Cardiff City | Fulham |
| Jeff Eckhardt 55' (o.g.) |
29' Jason Fowler 46', 85' Steve White 51' Simon Haworth |
Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 6,459 |
| 8 February 1997 (1997-02-08) 30 | Cardiff City | 1–2 | Colchester United | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Simon Haworth 90' |
6' Tony Adcock 20' Steve Whitton |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,912 Referee: Gurnum Singh |
| 11 February 1997 (1997-02-11) 31 | Hartlepool United | 2–3 | Cardiff City | Hartlepool |
| Chris Beech 51', 57' |
32' Jason Fowler 67' Jeff Eckhardt 78' Gareth Stoker |
Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 1,120 |
| 16 February 1997 (1997-02-16) 32 | Hereford United | 1–1 | Cardiff City | Hereford |
| Adrian Foster 31' |
36' Gareth Stoker |
Stadium: Edgar Street Attendance: 5,137 |
| 22 February 1997 (1997-02-22) 33 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Hartlepool United | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Simon Haworth 21' Gareth Davies 35' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,971 |
| 2 March 1997 (1997-03-02) 34 | Swansea City | 0–1 | Cardiff City | Swansea |
| 18' Simon Haworth |
Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 4,430 |
| 8 March 1997 (1997-03-08) 35 | Mansfield Town | 1–3 | Cardiff City | Mansfield |
| Warren Hackett 54' |
28' Simon Haworth 64' Gareth Stoker 76' Carl Dale |
Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 2,569 |
| 14 March 1997 (1997-03-14) 36 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Doncaster Rovers | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | 7' Darren Moore 62' Darren Utley |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 5,347 |
| 18 March 1997 (1997-03-18) 37 | Cardiff City | 1–1 | Scarborough | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Gareth Davies 57' |
60' Craig Midgley |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,823 |
| 22 March 1997 (1997-03-22) 38 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2–0 | Cardiff City | Brighton |
| Paul McDonald 16' (pen.) Ian Baird 44' |
Stadium: Goldstone Ground Attendance: 9,683 |
| 31 March 1997 (1997-03-31) 39 | Wigan Athletic | 0–1 | Cardiff City | Wigan |
| 56' Simon Haworth |
Stadium: Springfield Park (Wigan) Attendance: 4,634 |
| 5 April 1997 (1997-04-05) 40 | Cardiff City | 0–0 | Cambridge United | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,410 |
| 8 April 1997 (1997-04-08) 41 | Doncaster Rovers | 3–3 | Cardiff City | Doncaster |
| Darren Moore 75' John Schofield 80'Ian Gore 89' |
32', 88' Simon Haworth 60' Jason Fowler |
Stadium: Belle Vue Attendance: 1,989 |
| 12 April 1997 (1997-04-12) 42 | Cardiff City | 1–0 | Chester City | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Carl Dale 34' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 4,079 |
| 15 April 1997 (1997-04-15) 43 | Cardiff City | 0–0 | Scunthorpe United | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 4,442 |
| 19 April 1997 (1997-04-19) 44 | Barnet | 3–1 | Cardiff City | Chipping Barnet |
| Dean Samuels 24' Shaun Gale 59'Craig Middleton 69' (o.g.) |
85' Carl Dale |
Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 2,497 |
| 26 April 1997 (1997-04-26) 45 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Carlisle United | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Carl Dale 20' (pen.) Kevin Lloyd 37' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 5,104 |
| 3 May 1997 (1997-05-03) 46 | Darlington | 2–1 | Cardiff City | Darlington |
| Carl Shutt 47' Darren Roberts 78' |
77' Carl Dale |
Stadium: Feethams Attendance: 3,686 |
Source
Third Division Play Offs
Cardiff City v Northampton Town| 11 May 1997 (1997-05-11) Semi Final (First leg) | Cardiff City | 0–1 | Northampton Town | Cardiff |
| 12:00 | 70' Mark Cooper 77' Sean Parrish |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 11,369 Referee: John Kirby (Sheffield) |
| 14 May 1997 (1997-05-14) Semi Final (Second leg) | Northampton Town | 3–2 | Cardiff City | Northampton |
| 19:45 | Ian Sampson 23' Ray Warburton 68'John Gayle 77' |
25' Jeff Eckhardt 36' Jason Fowler 90' Simon Haworth |
Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 7,302 Referee: Uriah Rennie (Sheffield) |
League Cup
Cardiff City v Northampton Town| 20 August 1996 (1996-08-20) Round 1 (First leg) | Cardiff City | 1–0 | Northampton Town | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Carl Dale 54' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,294 |
| 2 September 1996 (1996-09-02) Round 1 (Second leg) | Northampton Town | 2–0 (2–1 agg.) | Cardiff City | Northampton |
| 19:45 | 21' Mark Cooper Christian Lee 62', 78' |
Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 3,567 |
FA Cup
Cardiff City v Hendon| 16 November 1996 (1996-11-16) Round 1 | Cardiff City | 2–0 | Hendon | Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Steve White 31' Craig Middleton 88' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,592 |
| 7 December 1996 (1996-12-07) Round 2 | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Gillingham | Cardiff |
| 18:00 | 18' Iffy Onoura 66' Andy Hessenthaler |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 3,474 |
Auto Windscreens Shield
Gillingham v Cardiff City| 10 December 1996 (1996-12-10) Round 1 | Gillingham | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Cardiff City | Gillingham |
| Lenny Piper 50' |
90' Jeff Eckhardt 112' Carl Dale |
Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 1,193 |
| 14 January 1997 (1997-01-14) Round 2 | Cardiff City | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) | Exeter City | Cardiff |
| 19:30 | Carl Dale 89' |
74' Darren Rowbotham |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 793 Referee: Mick Pierce (Portsmouth) |
See also
References
- "All Cardiff City football club players: 1997". 11v11. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ "Cardiff City 1996-97 results". Cardiff City Forum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- "Cardiff City football club match record: 1997". 11v11. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
Bibliography
- Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive Cardiff City F.C. Tony Brown. ISBN 1-899-46817-X.
- Crooks, John (1992). Cardiff City Football Club: Official History of the Bluebirds. Yore Publications. ISBN 0-9513321-8-X.
- Rollin, Jack, ed. (1997). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997-98. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0-7472-7738-9.
- "Football Club History Database – Cardiff City".
- Welsh Football Data Archive
| Cardiff City F.C. seasons | |
|---|---|