Dai Sport are spending the week in Cornwall and Devon with Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City. Here is the third part of our Devon and Cornwall pre-season diary. Watch out for part four tomorrow.
Neil Warnock loves a pre-season trip to Cornwall. Over the years Warnock has led Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Leeds United and Cardiff City to his adopted home in preparation for a new season.
This evening (Wednesday), the Bluebird return to Bodmin after winning 3-1 at Priory Park a year ago.
While fellow Premier League clubs fly off around the World, Warnock prefers to base his players close to his home at Stoke Climsland.
“It’s a beautiful area and the hospitality is always second to none,” says Warnock. “I love it
“I don’t believe in going to Sweden or Finland or even further for pre-season – give me Cornwall anytime.
“Clubs down here play the right type of football. They are not going to kick you to death.
“I do a great job for the Cornish tourist board every time I bring a team here.
Priory Park, Bodmin. Pic: Bodmin FC.“Bodmin’s Priory Park is ideal. The facilities are good and the playing surface is excellent.”
This evening’s fixture will be the ninth time manager Warnock has visited Bodmin over the last 18 years. His teams have scored 50 goals during those fixtures and conceded two.
The story so far
JULY 26, 2000
Bodmin Town 0, Sheffield United 8
United, who included their Cornish starlet Wayne Quinn in their side, dominated proceedings against Jewson South Western League opposition.
Marcus Bent (2), Curtis Woodhouse (2), Paul Devlin, Robert Ford, Michael Brown and former Republic of Ireland striker David Kelly scored.
July 23, 2001
Bodmin Town 0, Sheffield United 9
Goals from England international Phil Jagielka (2), Paul Devlin (2), Patrick Suffo (2), Paul Peschisolido, Carl Asaba and Nick Montgomery.
July 22, 2002
Bodmin Town 0, Sheffield United 8
Midfield player Michael Tonge led the charge with four goals, two in each half. Jagielka, Asaba, Iffy Onuora and Peter Ndlovu completed the scoring.
July 21, 2004
Bodmin Town 0, Sheffield United 1
The only goal was scored by striker Jonathan Forte, who headed home at the far post from Andy Liddell’s cross in the second half.
Liddell and Barry Hayles hit a post for the visitors, who dominated for large periods.
July 23, 2008
Bodmin 1, Crystal Palace 4
Warnock returned to Priory Park four years later with his new team, Crystal Palace, and Bodmin led 1-0 at half-time.
Former Plymouth Argyle striker Danny O’Hagan headed in from 12 yards after 21 minutes.
Victor Moses led the recovery, creating chances for Palace with Johannes Ertl, Carl Fletcher and James Dayton (2) hit the target.
July 14, 2010
Bodmin Town 0, Queens Park Rangers 6
Hogan Ephram (2), Jamie Mackie (2), Andre Germen and Josh Parker fired the goals.
July 22, 2011
Bodmin Town 0, Queens Park Rangers 7
Warnock was back at Priory Park seven years ago as a Premier League manager having guided QPR to promotion from the Championship.
Matt Connolly, now in Cardiff’s squad, was among the QPR scorers along with Tommy Smith and Hedar Helguson, who both later joined the Bluebirds.
Connolly, Danny Webber (2), Petter Vaagan Moen, Smith (2) and Heidar Helguson were the marksmen.
Warnock paid tribute to Bodmin Town and their facilities after the match.
July 25, 2012
Bodmin Town 0, Leeds United 4
More than 3,000 spectators were ar Priory Park for this one.
Luke Varney, Andy Gray, former Cardiff striker Ross McCormack and Aiden White were urge scorers.
July 19, 2017
Bodmin Town 1, Cardiff City 3
French ace Loic Damour scored twice and Danish sizzler Kenneth Zohore was also on target.
Bodmin’s Ben Watson netted a consolation penalty goal for Bodmin.
Teams, Bodmin Town FC: Painter, Timmonds, Rundle, Ash (capt), Simmonds, Brokenshire, Colwell, Matthews, Watson, Evans, Kelly. Subs: Clifford, McPhee, S Gilbert, M Gilbert, D Gilbert.
Cardiff City FC: Etheridge, Peltier (Morrison 79), Bennett, Bamba, Halford, Gunnarsson (Ralls 45), Damour (Manga 85), Mendez-Laing (Connolly 45), Kennedy, Tomlin (Zohore 45), Ward.
Priory Park is a fifth stadium for Bodmin Town, who take on the Bluebirds in Cornwall this evening.
They started at Cooksland on then Liskeard Road, moved to Coldharbour Lane and then to Barn Park before returning to Cooksland.
Westmeath was the next stop, where they shared with St Lawrence’s Hospital FC and the cricket club, before the novel to their current ground soon after the Second World War.
Bodmin were South West Peninsula League Premier champions two years ago and their manager is Darren Gilbert, who took the job more than a decade ago.
The former Liskeard, Saltash, St Blazey and Launceston player steered Bodmin to their own version of the Triple Crown in 2012 and 2013, winning the League title, Senior Cup and Throgmorton Cup.
Notts County sent a scout to St Austell’s Poltair Park ground when the Cornish club played Cardiff City’s under-23 team.
He was there to assess Lee Tomlin, Anthony Pilkington and Rhys Healey. The first two are available for permanent moves, while Healey could go out on loan.
The scout scribbled down notes throughout the first half, lost a little interest when Tomlin and Pilkington were taken off at half-time and then headed off when Healey was replaced just before the hour.
There were flashes of real quality from Tomlin, who is a joy to watch when he is in his best creative mood. If only he could improve his fitness a touch the 29-year-old could have four or five years of football delight.
The experienced Pilkington led the attack, playing alongside Healey, and worked hard with Tomlin playing a little deeper and providing passes and crosses.
Healey made his mark with two goals and both were beautifully taken, a crisp long range strike after the chance was set up by Tomlin and Pilkington plus a lob which left the goalkeeper helpless.
There is evidence of a far better team ethic within Cardiff City’s under-23 squad this season.
Coaches Jarred Harvey and Andy Legg have worked hard to increase the ‘togetherness’ factor and their week-long, four-game stay in Cornwall is ideal.
Pilkington, Tomlin, Healey and goalkeeper Lee Camp have all played their part this week, joining in the group and accepting their role with good grace. Camp was at St Austell with the under-23s even though he wasn’t involved on the pitch with Brian Murphy, who completed 90 minutes in a 4-2 win, and Matthew Hall on duty.
New boys Ryan Pryce (from TNS), Hall (from Bangor City), Brayden Stewart (from Bangor) and former Fulham teenager Dan Martin, a Kent-born right-back, have all slotted in seamlessly.
Pryce, for me, has been outstanding, a 20-year-old former Shrewsbury Town full-back from Telford who had a trial at Middlesbrough last year.
Cardiff’s under-23 team, who have won at Truro City and St Austell so far, play Porthleven on Thursday evening and complete their pre-season tour against Liskeard on Saturday afternoon.
Pre-season diary part two
