Currently sitting 8th in the Championship table, Cardiff City have made a solid start to the season. Despite their current position, eyebrows are being raised about the lack of fire-power within The Bluebirds ranks. With Kenwyne Jones, Federico Macheda and Joe Mason the three main strikers in Russell Slade’s plans, fans are still not convinced.
However, with 5 goals so far this season, Joe Mason looks like a new signing for The Bluebirds, after long stints out of the side due to injury and concurrent loan spells which have seen him fall down the pecking order. Now firmly cemented in the first team, Mason has impressed so far this season, becoming Cardiff’s top-scorer and firing them within two points of the play-off spots.
Signing from Plymouth Argyle in 2011, Mason made 80 appearances for Cardiff before having three consecutive loan spells at Bolton Wanderers to try and regain his goalscoring form. Now being back in the goalscoring frame, Mason is slowly becoming more and more of a fan favourite in South Wales.
After his famous goal against Liverpool in the League Cup Final in 2012, Mason started sliding down the striker list. During The Bluebirds Premier League season, he was on-loan at Bolton and didn’t experience of the glitz and glamour of the big stage and found himself back in the side once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his duties. Since then, the 24-year old has given more than enough eye-catching performances to assure fans that his goalscoring record can reach double figures this season after just 17 goals in 80 appearances previously.
Subject to a five million pound bid on deadline day from Wolves, Slade made sure Mason didn’t leave, and is now reaping the benefits. Fans were split when the news came that Cardiff had rejected that huge sum, however based off Mason’s performances so far this season the Cardiff City faithful can hopefully see the reasoning behind the decision.
Costing just £250k, Mason has already been labeled as a bargain and one of Malky Mackay’s better investments. Slade will be hoping that Mason can fire his side into the play-off places and maybe even automatic promotion spots. His performances so far this season are similar to those of Jay Bothroyd and Michael Chopra, who both scored 20+ goals in the season which saw The Bluebirds defeated in the play-off final against Blackpool in 2010.Having spent significantly less than any of their promotion rivals, there is no pressure on The Bluebirds, and in particular Mason, to perform against the likes of David Nugent and Matěj Vydra..
The real test will be once all of Cardiff’s four main strikers are fit however. Federico Macheda has been ruled out for a further seven to eight weeks after going under the knife a few weeks ago, and deadline day signing Idriss Saadi is still two weeks away from full match fitness. This is giving Mason and Jones almost guaranteed starting places for the next few weeks at least. Once competition for places starts to become more prominent, Mason will be under pressure to perform and this will answer the question that has been on everyone’s minds. Is Joe Mason the answer to Cardiff City’s goalscoring problems?
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