1996–97 Cardiff City F.C. season

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. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player -- GK  ENG Tony Elliott -- GK  WAL Pat Mountain -- GK  WAL Steve Williams -- DF  WAL Lee Baddeley -- DF  WAL Gareth Davies -- DF  ENG Jeff Eckhardt -- DF  ENG Hayden Fleming -- DF  WAL Lee Jarman -- DF  WAL Kevin Lloyd -- DF  WAL Jason Perry -- DF  WAL Lee Phillips -- DF  ENG Ian Rodgerson -- DF  ENG Jimmy Rollo -- DF  ENG Andy Scott -- DF  WAL Scott Young -- MF  ENG Mickey Bennett

No. Pos. Nation Player -- MF  ENG Stacy Coldicott -- MF  ENG Jason Fowler -- MF  SCO Jimmy Gardner -- MF  SCO Ray McStay -- MF  WAL Jamie Michael -- MF  ENG Craig Middleton -- MF  EIR Keith O'Halloran -- MF  ENG Gareth Stoker -- MF  ENG Paul Ware -- FW  WAL Carl Dale -- FW  ENG Steve Flack -- FW  WAL Simon Haworth -- FW  ENG Scott Partridge -- FW  ENG Tony Philliskirk -- FW  ENG Steve White

First team squad. ^[1]

League standings

Results by round

Fixtures and results

Third Division

Cardiff City v Brighton & Hove Albion

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

Cardiff City v Wigan Athletic

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

Cambridge United v Cardiff City

31 August 1996 (1996-08-31) 4	Cambridge United	0–2	Cardiff City	Cambridge
			9', 37' Steve White	Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 2,478

Cardiff City v Exeter City

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

Torquay United v Cardiff City

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

Scunthorpe United v Cardiff City

14 September 1996 (1996-09-14) 7	Scunthorpe United	0–1	Cardiff City	Scunthorpe
			47' Craig Middleton	Stadium: Old Show Ground Attendance: 2,121

Cardiff City v Northampton Town

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

Lincoln City v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Barnet

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

Cardiff City v Darlington

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

Carlisle United v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Leyton Orient

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

Hull City v Cardiff City

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

Colchester United v Cardiff City

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)

Cardiff City v Rochdale

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

Cardiff City v Fulham

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

Cardiff City v Hereford United

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

Chester City v Cardiff City

26 November 1996 (1996-11-26) 19	Chester City	0–1	Cardiff City	Chester
			85' Scott Young	Stadium: Deva Stadium Attendance: 1,540

Leyton Orient v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Swansea City

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

Cardiff City v Mansfield Town

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

Cardiff City v Torquay United

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

Exeter City v Cardiff City

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

Northampton Town v Cardiff City

1 January 1997 (1997-01-01) 25	Northampton Town	4–0	Cardiff City	Northampton
15:00	Ray Warburton 16' Lee Jarman 42' (og) Mark Cooper 54' Neil Grayson 89'		47' Jeff Eckhardt	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 4,416

Cardiff City v Lincoln City

11 January 1997 (1997-01-11) 26	Cardiff City	1–3	Lincoln City	Cardiff
15:00	Jason Fowler 11'		18' Phil Stant 51' (og) Jason Perry 67' Gareth Ainsworth	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,033

Rochdale v Cardiff City

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)

Cardiff City v Hull City

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

Fulham v Cardiff City

31 January 1997 (1997-01-31) 29	Fulham	1–4	Cardiff City	Fulham
	Jeff Eckhardt 55' (og)		29' Jason Fowler 46', 85' Steve White 51' Simon Haworth	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 6,459

Cardiff City v Colchester United

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

Hartlepool United v Cardiff City

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

Hereford United v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Hartlepool United

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

Swansea City v Cardiff City

2 March 1997 (1997-03-02) 34	Swansea City	0–1	Cardiff City	Swansea
			18' Simon Haworth	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 4,430

Mansfield Town v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Doncaster Rovers

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

Cardiff City v Scarborough

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

Brighton & Hove Albion v Cardiff City

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

Wigan Athletic v Cardiff City

31 March 1997 (1997-03-31) 39	Wigan Athletic	0–1	Cardiff City	Wigan
			56' Simon Haworth	Stadium: Springfield Park (Wigan) Attendance: 4,634

Doncaster Rovers v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Chester City

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

Barnet v Cardiff City

19 April 1997 (1997-04-19) 44	Barnet	3–1	Cardiff City	Chipping Barnet
	Dean Samuels 24' Shaun Gale 59' Craig Middleton 69' (og)		85' Carl Dale	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 2,497

Cardiff City v Carlisle United

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

Darlington v Cardiff City

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 ^{[3] [4]}

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)

Northampton Town v Cardiff City

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

Northampton Town v Cardiff City

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

Cardiff City v Gillingham

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

Cardiff City v Exeter City

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

• List of Cardiff City F.C. seasons

References

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