Former Cardiff City star – we would stick the fingers up at them

Jay Bothroyd was one of those players.  If he was playing for you you would love him, if he was playing against you, you would hate him.   And if he was playing against you for your local rivals then you would hate him even more.

OK hate may probably be a play up on the words but you know what I mean on occasions like this and we all know the intensity of a South Wales derby where bragging rights are at stake and – in the case of next week once again – the potential chance for history to be created.

Cardiff City and Swansea City will meet in the capital in just over a week’s time with the Swans looking to add to their comprehensive 3-0 win in SA1 back in October and take away the honour of being the first side ever to do the league double.

It still seems incredible that a statistic like that exists after more than 100 years of rivalry but its true and whilst many players – on both sides – have tried none are yet to succeed which just adds an edge to a rivalry that barely needs it at the best of times.

Bothroyd is of course one of those players who carries the legend status in Cardiff although he never managed to score a goal in the fixture itself he looks back with fondness a day at the Liberty Stadium in February 2011 where a late Craig Bellamy goal settled the fixture and denied the Swans at that point the chance to create that elusive first double.

And whilst the Swans may have had the last laugh thanks to promotion just over three months later it was a fixture that Bothroyd looked back on with great fondness as he explained to Ultimate Champions.

As with many things talked about it in a player’s retirement speeches we expect some levels of embellishment of a story somewhere but Bothroyd said “Swansea, that was an amazing game. That goes under the radar, that derby. We would go and stay in Swansea and fans would set fire alarms off in the hotel so we wouldn’t get any sleep and we would come out in our dressing gowns and stuff!

“That was how it was. We played there and I remember it is so daunting to go there, but as a player you have to embrace that pressure. But one tackle and the fans are up, shouting, screaming, managers are arguing. That’s what you get in the Championship.

“I didn’t score against Swansea, but Craig Bellamy scored right at the end and we won and it was like amazing. We were all celebrating at the end, even when you get on the coach their fans are all giving you abuse and you are just sticking your fingers up and enticing them!”

The game at the Cardiff City Stadium is on April 2nd with a 3pm kick off.