Cardiff City host high-flying Huddersfield this weekend and will be looking to recover from back-to-back defeats following their initial bounce under Neil Warnock. One of the players who contributed to Warnock’s revival was Junior Hoilett. Josh Thomas assesses the contribution of a player who very recently seemed to have fallen by the wayside.
Young talents have come and gone. Young talents have brought us joy. Young talents are fearless. Young talents have a nothing to lose attitude. Young talents can be the next big thing one minute, while in the next they can disappear from the game and be found without a club.
Junior Hoilett – the 26-year-old Canadian international – said this after signing for Cardiff City, “I’m here to hopefully bring some more creativity and goals. I can’t wait to get started.”
Since joining as a free agent on October 10, Hoilett has gone on to cement himself in the starting team and shown why he was once tipped by FIFA in 2012 as one of 13 young players to look out for.
It seems to be a promising start to his career with Cardiff City for a player who came to prominence playing week-in and week-out in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers. At the time he was receiving plaudits from both the press and public.
He was known for his impressive goals and his terrifying pace, immense power and close ball skills. When Blackburn were relegated at the end of the 2011/12, he turned down a new contract and was viewed by many as one of the first players from that Rovers team who would go back to the Premier League.
That duly happened and he signed for Queens Park Rangers. His initial time with QPR was seen as a success but after suffering relegation for a second time – and for the second year running – a strong season followed. In the 2014 Championship play-off final, his awareness allowed him to capitalise on poor defending and he assisted the winning goal.
Hoilett was back where he made his name. But once again his stay in the top flight was a short one and after one season he was back playing in the Championship. Injuries played a major part in limiting him to just 22 appearances during that season in the Premier League. But by the time the next season came along, he came back stronger and began to show glimpses of the promise he had achieved during his time at Ewood Park.
It was during this time he picked up his first cap for the Canadian national team, which was soon followed by more international honours, taking his current total to 10 caps for his country.
Despite that breakthrough, at the end of last season he was released with no-one willing to take a chance on him due to his ongoing injuries and wage demands. It was a low point for a player who at one stage in his career looked as though he would have top teams queuing up for his signature.
Hoilett was now out of the game and facing an uncertain future. He must have wondered whether he could get back to the exciting talent he once was. But having been linked with a move to South Wales during the summer with Swansea City, he eventually signed for Cardiff City.
The man who rescued him was Neil Warnock, one of his former managers at QPR. Hoilett made his debut against rivals Bristol City in the Sevenside derby as Warnock oversaw his first game as Bluebirds boss.
Warnock said at the time, “He’s a player who will help bring the best out of those around him.”
And he did just that as he helped the Bluebirds to a 2-1 victory with an impressive and resilient display.
Throughout the last few weeks, the more game time Hoilett has been given, the more dangerous he looks. He has shown in five matches under Warnock that the club have found a neglected gem of a player.
Fans are in for a real treat as he is a player who excites. He has been flying down the wing with his confidence restored and now that the Championship season is resuming after the international break, Cardiff supporters can look forward to Hoilett continuing to bring another dimension to the side – one that was badly missing.
Entering his prime years, he can now show other clubs what they have missed out on. He may be a free transfer but he could prove to be one of the best bargain buys of the year and continue to be an asset for Cardiff City.
