Steve Morison thanks West Brom after Jordan Hugill nets debut goal for Cardiff

Posted Monday, January 31, 2022 by PA

Cardiff manager Steve Morison thanked West Brom boss Valerien Ismael for letting Jordan Hugill go after the striker fired the Bluebirds to victory over Nottingham Forest.

Hugill, who scored inside six minutes of Cardiff’s 2-1 Sky Bet Championship victory, only had one training session with his new colleagues on Saturday after joining on loan for the rest of the campaign.

The Norwich striker spent the first half of the season on loan at West Brom, where he made seven Championship starts and scored once.

Morison said: “That’s why I brought him in the building. Thankfully, the manager at West Brom didn’t fancy him anymore.

“Jordan is an excellent Championship player. People get caught up in the stats when it comes to goals.

“He’s always performed well in a two, scored a lot of goals. He does all the horrible stuff goalscorers don’t like doing.

“You don’t play at the clubs he’s been at if you’re not a very good footballer. He just needs a little bit of love.”

Cardiff had not won in six previous Championship attempts and started the day only three points clear of the relegation zone.

But Morison was delighted with a performance that also saw a debut for another loan signing, Alfie Doughty, who has joined from Stoke.

He said: “It was a complete performance. The boys are buzzing because we haven’t been far away.

“We had four (January) signings and two back from loans.

“We’ve been reliant on the academy players and they’ve never been in this position before.

“They needed help and it allows them the chance to grow at the right pace and right speed.”

Forest boss Steve Cooper has been keen to add to his attack in the transfer window and that ambition will be of even greater priority now following an injury to Lewis Grabban.

Top scorer Grabban was forced off in the closing stages after sustaining a nasty ankle injury.

Asked about the severity of Grabban’s injury, Cooper said: “We’re not sure yet. He’s in a boot and in quite a bit of pain.

“We’ll get him scanned in the next 12 to 24 hours and see how he is. But he’s not in great shape.

“We’ve been looking at attacking players for a while and this has added to the conversation.”

Cooper, who felt Forest were to blame for their downfall due to poor defending and not being clinical in the final third, insists Wales winger Brennan Johnson will not move on deadline day amid strong interest from Premier League side Brentford.

He said: “I think if something was going to happen, with any of the boys leaving that we don’t want to, it would be further down the line than anything is at the moment.

“So I think he (Johnson) will stay.”