Cardiff’s playoff charge halted by ex-manager Warnock

Both teams were hoping for a win in order to cement their respective play off pushes but instead both kept in the race by playing out an uneventful draw at the Riverside. Cardiff had won the previous six games and had made it into the top 6 prior to kick off whilst Boro both started and finished the match in 9th. The draw and other results dropped Cardiff back down the table and into 8th, two points off Bournemouth in 6th.

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Boro started the game on the front foot and shadowed what was to come for the visitors with two early shots both of which were blocked. The first shot on target however came for Cardiff. Harry Wilson struck a free kick from range and forced Bettinelli into a good save.

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The rest of the second half continued in the same was as the first few minutes with many of the changes falling to Boro. This was the case until Cardiff earned a throw in around 20 yards from the corner flag. Will Vaulks channelled his inner Rory Delap and launched the ball into a dangerous area which, for the 5th time this season, was headed home by Cardiff captain Sean Morrison.

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The second half started in the same manner as the first with Boro earning an early corner and more free kicks. Joe Bennett was the first to receive punishment with these constant fouls after hacking down ex bluebird Mendez-Lang. Mendez-Lang was probably the only player in the stadium glad of the lack of ground noise as he was facing the team from which he was sacked earlier in the season following a second suspension for cocaine use.

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Cardiff, determined to hold onto their lead made three of their permitted five changes in a six-minute spell between the 61st and 67th minute, before Boro finally made two attacking changes of their own 5 minutes later. These failed to work, and Warnock decided to roll the dice again with another double substitution with ten minutes remaining.

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The constant pressure finally paid off for Boro who, thanks to an incredibly lucky deflection from Morrison’s clearance, managed to find a deserved equaliser with eight minutes remaining. Cardiff, despite knowing only a win would keep them in the top half of the table continued to sit back and looked happy to get away with just a point.

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A spell of three corners in as many minutes showed the attacking intent of the home team but they could not quite find a breakthrough. The game ended 1-1 and Cardiff will have felt lucky to keep their undefeated run under new manager Mick McCarthy intact. Boro will likely look back at this match as two point dropped and will hope this does not come back to haunt them later in the season should they be in the play off race in a months’ time.

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Man of the Match: Curtis Nelson – Solid as the left sided centre back, could do nothing to prevent the goal but made plenty of blocks prior to it to help prevent a complete turnaround in result.