Probably both, but it's possible that a combination of end-of-season malaise and on-the-beach-already-itis left Ethan with zero protection on goals 1-3 and he gave up himself not long after
From the highlights, it looks as if Ethan was (yet again) let down by his "defence". He could have done better on the penalty by not going so early, but he was left utterly exposed on the first and last goals and the other two were excellently-placed shots
Preseason is underway, and we may have a battle on our hands ... Alnwick, who had been starting in goal when Horvath arrived last season but got hurt and never returned to the lineup iirc, is starting today, Horvath on the bench, against a team from South Africa.
At most, it means very little and it probably means nothing at all. This time last year, fan boards saw Alnwick as one of the few silver linings in a distinctly "meh" squad. A number of poor performances in the autumn were followed by winter howlers and he was benched for 5 games in late November. By the time Ethan arrived, he'd regained his place but also been downgraded to "cleanest dirty shirt" status and the fans were hoping for a distinct upgrade. The almost immediate consensus was that the club had secured that by some distance. Alnwick has a lot to prove to claim #1 status. In addition, Cardiff essentially took over Ethan's Forest contract, salary and all, and slapped 3.5 seasons on it while Alnwick's deal expires in June. His salary is also reportedly about 2/3 of Ethan's. No way Cardiff are going to drop Ethan in pre-season. More likely, they want to give his rival a shop window so he can find another club. In any case, Alnwick started the game but early pre-season games see a lot of and sometimes complete rotation at half-time. If Ethan comes on at the half, it means absolutely nothing.
Horvath did come on at HT, as Casper reported, 0-0 then, so Alnwick clean sheet, but finished 1-1, Cardiff failing to hold the lead. Advantage ... Alnwick!
If his salary is 2/3 that of Ethan, our guy has a long leash and he'd have to be very poor to get benched, even if Alnwick stays.
🔢 Our starting lineup as the #Bluebirds conclude the Austrian tour against @HerthaBSC!💙 @chriswillock and @CalumChambers95 are both named in the matchday squad for the first time since signing for City!#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/VXQaRclZjR— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) July 25, 2024 Starting a friendly this time, against Hertha Berlin. Commence un-panicking about his status.
Finally nice to see him in a decent league with a club both committed and confident in his abilities.
And the walls come crashing down - Alnwick starts, Turner on the bench, Horvath not in the squad. Cardiff City v Reading.
There's a thread somewhere on BigSoccer one can read with a lot of posts about Ethan Horvath and his current situation. I'd link to it, but...
That's the other Matt Turner who is also a goalkeeper, the Welsh one. He's only 22 and still in the reserve team for the most part. I know, I know, woosh!
Ethan got the start in the season opener against Sunderland so it looks as if he's the designated #1 for the season. Losing 1-0 in injury time but match reports put the goal down to bad defending only. Ethan did make one 2nd half save on a one-on-one that the local newspaper describes as an "unreal save with his feet".
Highlights from the game yesterday. As mentioned, the first goal was down to bad defending. In theory, Ethan could have been more aggressive and cleaned the striker out, but the ball would likely have gone loose in the area and he'd have risked injury and/or a booking, possibly worse. The save with his feet really was as good as advertised. It starts at 1.00
Not involved in today's early-round EFL Cup action v Bristol ... Alnwick starts; Turner backs him up.
I would read anything into Horvath not being on the team sheet for the leagues cup match. If I did read anything, it would make me feel even more secure he is the clubs No. 1.