A good workout out for Town but Cardiff showed how to finish
Shrewsbury Town first half: Mark Halstead, Joe Riley, Mat Sadler, Gary Deegan, Olly Lancashire, Ryan McGivern, Shaun Whalley, Abu Ogogo, AJ Leitch-Smith, Louis Dodds, Andy Mangan.Shrewsbury Town second half: Callum Burton, Trialist, Olly Lancashire, Ryan McGivern (Dom Smith, 78), Junior Brown, Richie Wellens, Jim O’Brien, Antoni Sarcevic, Ian Black, Tyrone Barnett, Trialist.
Subs: Callum Burton, Junior Brown, Trialist, Trialist, Ian Black, Antoni Sarcevic, Richie Wellens, Tyrone Barnett, Jim O’Brien, Ethan Jones, Dom Smith, Kaiman Anderson, Callum Grogan.
Cardiff City: David Marshall, Semi Ajayi, Bruno Ecuele Manga, Matthew Connolly, Fabio, Declan John, Peter Whittingham, Stuart O’Keefe, Lex Immers, Anthony Pilkington, Frederic Gounongbe.
Subs: Ben Wilson, Simon Moore, Theo Wharton, Jordan Blaise, Tom James, David Tutonda, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Tom Adeyemi, Matthew Kennedy, Kadeem Harris, Craig Noone, Kenneth Zohore, Rollin Menayese, Robbie Patten, Tommy O’Sullivan.
Goals: Anthony Pilkington, 26; Frederic Gounongbe, 32; Tom James, 69; Kenneth Zohore, 71;
Referee: Steve Martin
Attendance: 1123 (193 from Cardiff)
Micky Mellon handed starts to six of his summer signings as his new look Shrewsbury Town side got their public pre-season programme kick started at home to Championship side Cardiff City.
The game got underway in a real pre-season atmosphere with a sparse crowd populating the three open stands at Greenhous Meadow. The visitors from South Wales were happy to keep the ball and created the first half chance after four minutes when Anthony Pilkington glanced a header a couple of yards wide of Mark Halstead’s post.
The Bluebirds came close again in the seventh minute when Frederic Gounongbe’s knock-down found Stuart O’Keefe. However, under pressure from Joe Riley, O’Keefe sliced his effort well wide when really he should have tested Halstead.
Town got their first sight of the Cardiff goal after quarter of an hour. Good pressing from Louis Dodds force a throw in which Shaun Whalley quickly delivered back to the ex-PortVale man. He cleverly found Whalley again despite having his shirt tugged and Whalley fizzed in a cross-cum-shot which forced David Marshall to parry the ball behind for a corner.
Marshall was forced into another save in the 25th minute. Dodds dispossessed Fabio and the Brazilian was left with no option but to bring him down. And Mangan lined up the free-kick from fully 30 yards but Marshall was able to collect comfortably at his near post.
Cardiff then went ahead a minute later with a spectacular goal. Anthony Pilkington picked the ball up on the left and cut inside both Abu Ogogo and Shaun Whalley before unleashing a curling right-footed shot from 20 yards which beat Mark Halstead and nestled in the top corner.
The Bluebirds should have doubled their lead a couple of minutes later. O’Keefe did well to find Declan John who cut inside just inside the box but he blazed wildly over the bar with just Halstead to beat.
The Championship side did double their lead just after the half hour mark from a set piece. Peter Whittingham swung in a corner from the left and Gounongbe met the ball with a powerful header which found the bottom corner of the net.
AJ Leitch-Smith had a chance to cut the deficit in the 42 minute. Dodds again was the creator with a pinpoint pass finding his former Port Vale teammate in space in the area. Leitch-Smith connected with a header but couldn’t get enough on it to beat Marshall at his near post.
Town had another good chance a minute later and were only denied by a deflection off their own man. A good cross by Joe Riley was cleared but only to Leitch-Smith who found Dodds. He cleverly teed the ball up for a volley which looked goal bound until it hit Mangan and went wide.
Half-time: Shrewsbury Town 0-2 Cardiff City
Town started the second half by making nine changes with only Olly Lancashire and Ryan McGivern coming out for the second period. Antoni Sarcevic and Jim O’Brien were two more of Micky Mellon’s new signings on display. Two trialists also came on for Town at the break. Cardiff carried on with the same team.
The new look Town side were lively in the opening stages of the second half with Tyrone Barnett and a trialist striker linking nicely. The trialist had a half chance after a knock down from Barnett but he dragged his shot well wide. Ian Black was also pulled up for a late challenge within the first couple of minutes of the half.
Cardiff missed a good chance to extend their lead just short of the hour. Gounongbe broke the offside trap and cut the ball back for Pilkington who blazed over the bar via a deflection. The resulting corner was scrambled behind for another set piece which came to nothing.
On the hour mark, the Bluebirds changed their entire eleven. Players including Simon Moore, Kagisho Dikgacoi and Craig Noone came on for the last half hour.
Cardiff extended their lead after 69 minutes. The Bluebirds won a soft free kick after Jim O’Brien was adjudged to have pulled back Craig Noone. He then swung in the set piece from the angle with his left foot and it was glanced into the bottom corner past the helpless Callum Burton by Tom James.
It was four just two minutes later after a backpass to Burton was closed down and the clearance ricocheted off Kenneth Zohore who was left with a simple tap in from on the line.
Town almost pulled one back in the 79th minute when a cross from the right found Tyrone Barnett eight yards out. He planted a header towards goal but it was acrobatically kept out by Simon Moore in the Bluebirds goal.
Full-time: Shrewsbury Town 0-4 Cardiff City