Port Vale 0-0 Cardiff City: Bluebirds cling on for a point despite poor display
Cardiff City managed to hang on for a point despite being thoroughly outplayed by Port Vale in their first away game of the campaign.
The Valiants will be desperately disappointed not to have claimed all three points after a dominant display from the home side. By contrast, City looked a totally different side to the one which dazzled at home on the weekend in the win over Peterborough United.
The Bluebirds lost their physical battles and showed a desperate lack of quality in the final third. But managed, somehow, to cling on to a goalless draw. It's a performance which will likely leave Brian Barry-Murphy scratching his head. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.
It's four points from the opening two League One matches for the Bluebirds, which they may have taken before a ball was kicked, but the performance will be disappointing - especially to the 2,000-plus City fans in attendance in the Potteries.
Debutant Nathan Trott was given the nod between the sticks just a day after putting pen to paper on a loan deal from FC Copenhagen, while skipper Calum Chambers was handed his first outing of the season at centre-back after serving his one-match suspension in the Peterborough United win.
Slight changes - Chris Willock was also preferred to Cian Ashford on the wing - but largely still a youthful City side to take on the Valiants. However, the start of the match was a complete contrast to the home tie we saw last weekend.
Port Vale dominated proceedings from early on. City's midfield and defence were bullied in one-v-one situations, while Yousef Salech could barely get his foot on the ball.
The service from City's wingers - Ollie Tanner and Willock - was also sorely lacking, while Vale's