by Dylan James
CARDIFF City boss Neil Harris praised substitute Lee Tomlin for making the difference as his stunning free-kick sealed the win at home.
The Bluebirds ran out 2-1 victors against West Brom, with Harris’ men knocking the Baggies off top spot thanks to Tomlin’s incredible goal.
After a quite abysmal first half, the second 45 minutes was crying out for a hero, and Lee Tomlin was that man.
The substitute made his mark on the 75thminute, floating a remarkable curling effort into the upper left of the goal to grab all three points at Cardiff City Stadium.
After the game, Harris was quick to heap the praise on the hero of the day, and explained that the 31 year old wasn’t even fully fit.
‘’Tommo has not trained for the last four days, even until this morning he wasn’t in the squad at all. He did a little bit of work on his own yesterday, not in the training group. He’s been carrying a knock for a few weeks, we’ve nursed him through.’’
Having the option of bringing on the former Bristol City man was a luxury according to Harris, who explained the free kick was a “moment of magic’’.
‘’Being able to bring a player of Lee’s quality off the bench is great for me and he showed his real class as well.’’
Harris suggested that cup games and a lack of depth in the squad had pushed Tomlin into selection.
‘’We keep getting replays in cup games, which makes it difficult!’’ he said.
‘’We are a little bit light on numbers, he put himself forward, I obviously always want to involve him. Was it a risk to go with him? Well sometimes you get to a stage in the season where you need to take a risk.’’
Tomlin’s influence on the players and fans alike was vital according to Harris, who explained that bringing on the forward was guaranteed to lift the spirits in the stadium.
‘’I felt around the hour mark we needed to lift the crowd, the stadium, the players. It was an important moment.’’
After that victory, Cardiff City sit within five points of the play-offs. West Brom, however, dropped to second place, after Leeds secured another three points, at home to Millwall.
