Etheridge, Cardiff relegated

Battling relegation for almost the entire season, Cardiff City and its goalkeeper, Filipino international Neil Etheridge, couldn’t avoid the drop after yet another heartbreaking defeat on the penultimate week of the English Premier League season.

Etheridge could do little to stop the Bluebirds from absorbing a 2-3 loss to Crystal Palace at Cardiff Stadium last Saturday, which paved the way for their relegation to the second-tier English Championship next season.

Cardiff actually had an outside chance of avoiding the drop with Brighton owning a tougher fixture list to end the season, but the Bluebirds faltered with their fourth loss in the last five games, which meant they failed to erase a four-point gap with only a match against Manchester United remaining in their schedule.

“It’s a really sad day for us all and everyone involved at the club,” said Etheridge. “Throughout the season, everyone at the club and every player gave everything so this is extremely hard to take.”