Neil Warnock is sending a Bluebirds under-23 team to play Southern League Hereford FC on Wednesday, July 26 (7.45pm).
This will be a low-key pre-season friendly at Edgar Street, but more than 40 years ago 35,549 spectators turned out when Cardiff City entertained Hereford United in a Third Division match.
Cardiff were second in the table, just behind leaders Hereford, and the Welsh club won 2-0 thanks to goals from Alan Campbell and Doug Livermore.
Manager Jimmy Andrews’ team had won 1-0 at rivals Crystal Palace in their previous match, Adrian Alston scoring the winner, and Malcolm Allison, who was in charge at the London club, couldn’t resist having a dig at Cardiff.
There had been an attendance of 25,000-plus at Selhurst Park and Allison predicted Cardiff would not come near Palace for support.
After all, Cardiff’s previous home fixture, against Preston, had attracted only 12,447 people, but Bluebirds fans turned out in force when Hereford visited South Wales.
The attendance at Ninian Park was the biggest since a match against eventual League champions Spurs in 1961.
Cardiff’s line-up against Hereford in 1976 was: Ron Healey, Phil Dwyer, Freddie Petard, Alan Campbell, Mike England, Albert Armour, Peter Sayer (Gil Reece), Doug Livermore, Tony Evans, Adrian Alston, Willie Anderson.
Today, Hereford FC, formed after the old United club was wound up three years ago, are newly promoted to the Southern League Premier Division, the seventh tier of football in England, and are intent on going up again in 2017-18.
Peter Beadle and assistant manager Steve Jenkins, a former Cardiff City full-back, are in charge, while their squad includes ex-Bluebirds players Ryan Green, Brad Williams and Keyon Reffell. The three played only one first team fixture between them with Green featuring in a Football Trophy tie against Exeter.
Hereford will be challenged by Merthyr Town in the chase for Southern League promotion and the Bulls have signed goalkeeper Oliver Davies and Reffell from last season’s Martyrs team.
Cardiff’s first team are at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday, July 25 (7pm) and that ensures they will send mainly under-23 players to Hereford, who have 1,000 season ticket holders for the coming season.
The Bluebirds made the fixture at Edgar Street on their official website, but it does not replace the cancelled friendly against Portsmouth.
That was scheduled for July 28 and called off when the clubs were drawn against each other in the League Cup.
Manager Warnock is still trying to find new opposition for that date.
Cardiff City first team and u-23 pre-season schedule:
July
Friday 14: Taff’s Well (away 7pm, Rhiw Ddar)
Monday 17: Cardiff City v AFC Tavistock (7pm, Langsford Park)
Wednesday 19: Cardiff City v Bodmin Town (7pm, Priory Park)
Thursday 20: Cardiff City u-23 v AFC St. Austell (7pm, Poltair Park)
Friday 21: Cardiff City v Plymouth Argyle (7pm, Home Park)
Saturday 22: Cardiff City u-23 v Bideford (2pm, The Sports Ground)
Tuesday 25: Cardiff City v Shrewsbury Town (7pm, Greenhous Meadow)
Wednesday 26: Cardiff City u-23 v Hereford (7.45pm, Edgar Street)
Friday 28/Saturday 29: To be arranged (home, Cardiff City Stadium)
