Two second-half Jimmy Bullard goals saw the Blues to a superb victory at Cardiff in front of the Sky cameras. Town had been very much second best in the opening period but once Bullard’s brilliant 67th minute strike had put them in front the Blues were always in control and the on-loan Hull man sealed it on 86 with a deflected freekick.

Boss Paul Jewell decided to stick with the side and subs which played well but lost 2-0 at home to Portsmouth last week. Former Blues loanee Stephen Bywater made his debut for the Bluebirds having joined on loan from Jewell’s former club Derby yesterday, while ex-Canary Craig Bellamy skippered the home side.

On another dreadful Championship pitch, there were a couple of early scares for the Blues when Carlos Edwards sold Márton Fülöp short with a pass back and then a poor Damien Delaney clearance flew into the air but the danger was averted on both occasions.

The Irish defender made an important block from Jay Bothroyd in the sixth minute after Bellamy had done well to cut the ball back from the left.

Town’s first chance came a minute later when former Swansea man Jason Scotland laid the ball wide to former Bluebird Mark Kennedy, whose low cross just evaded the Blues Trinidadian striker and Lee Martin.

The Welsh side were close to going in front in the ninth minute when Fülöp was unable to hold on to Peter Whittingham’s edge of the area strike, but the Hungarian keeper redeemed himself by blocking former Town target Michael Chopra’s rebound, the ball squirming away across the six-yard box before being put behind.

Blues skipper David Norris scuffed a 15th minute shot from a promising position inside the area after a Martin freekick on the right had caused problems for the home defence, then Kennedy was on hand to get across to dispossess Bellamy as the Bluebirds looked to launch a swift counter-attack.

Cardiff had the ball in the Town net in the 20th minute when Dekel Keinan headed home Whittingham’s freekick on the right, but fortunately for the Blues the defender had strayed offside. A minute later, Bellamy shot well over with the home side continuing to have the better of it.

Bothroyd hit a strike straight at Fülöp on 23 after Norris had given away possession with the Blues showing few signs of playing the football which should have seen them comfortably ahead in the first half against Portsmouth last week.

Cardiff keeper Bywater was unable to hold on to Jimmy Bullard’s 28th minute 25-yard freekick, but managed to regain control of the ball despite Lee Martin’s close attention.

On 29 Darren O’Dea replaced the limping Mark Kennedy, who received a warm round of applause from his old fans.

The Town goal continued to come under threat and in the 32nd minute Fülöp might have got his fingers to a well-struck Whittingham freekick which hit the underside of the bar before bouncing out. Town were more than a touch fortunate not to be behind.

Moments later, Arsenal loanee Emmanuel Thomas held off Edwards and broke into the area but Fülöp was out quickly to tip his shot wide after it had caught the desperately diving McAuley on the way through.

Town’s midfield had struggled to impose themselves on the game and as the half reached its final 10 minutes Martin switched to the wide left position and Wickham to the right.

Bothroyd’s 41st minute shot deflected over, then as the first period moved into one minute of injury time, Fülöp was out quickly to head away from Chopra, then the Hungarian stopped Emmanual-Thomas’s shot with his foot after a powerful run in from the left. The half’s final action saw Whittingham shoot wide.

Town were lucky not to be behind at the break, having been dominated for most of the half with the home side in control for the most part and creating a number of decent opportunities. Town’s central midfield three were as quiet as in any game under Paul Jewell, while Martin and Wickham had only occasionally threatened down the flanks and Scotland had rarely been involved.

At the back, McAuley and Delaney had put in their usual share of blocks and important challenges, with Bellamy, Bothroyd and Chopra a threat throughout. Márton Fülöp had more than earned his corn with a number of saves.

The home side continued to threaten in the early stages of the season period, Fülöp punching a corner away from under his bar in the opening minute.

Town thought they should have been awarded a penalty in the 50th minute when Lee Martin was clearly tripped inside the area by Keinan. A spotkick looked certain but bizarrely referee Tony Bates instead brought the play back for an earlier incident to allow Mark Hudson to receive treatment after an aerial clash with Scotland before giving a drop ball, much to the annoyance of Martin, Norris and in particular Leadbitter.

Fülöp again thwarted Emmanuel-Thomas in the 53rd minute, the Gunners’ loanee’s shot squeezing under the Town keeper keeper but just — and somewhat fortunately - bouncing over the bar. From the corner, a loose ball fell to Chopra but Fülöp was again well placed and blocked.

Town had been much more of a threat in the second period and in the 56th minute a promising Blues attack was ended by sliding challenges from Keinan on Scotland and then from Hudson on Wickham as they looked to get in shots.

Bullard’s 63rd minute strike deflected wide for the Blues, then Chopra stabbed over from a tight angle on the left for the Welshmen with the visitors edging the second period.

And in the 67th minute they went in front. Wickham cleared to Scotland who battled with the Cardiff centre-halves before the ball ran loose to Jimmy Bullard. The midfielder took the ball to his right before unleashing an unstoppable shot which flew past Bywater for his second goal for the Blues, his first — similarly as spectacular - having been scored against the same keeper at Derby last month.

Two minutes later, Bellamy was sent away on the left and hit a low shot which Fülöp palmed away. The Cardiff skipper got to the rebound first and laid the ball back to Chopra, whose effort flew into the stands.

But Town were continuing to have far more of the ball than they had in the first half with Bullard by now running the game. Cardiff were looking a pale shadow of the side which had threatened so often in the first half with their fans becoming increasingly fractious. On 76 Martin was booked for a foul on McNaughton.

Edwards hit a low shot through to Bywater on 81, then with six minutes remaining Tamás Priskin replaced Scotland, who had enjoyed a battle with the Cardiff centre-halves, which, given his role in the goal, the ex-Swansea man will feel he ultimately won.

A minute after coming on Priskin won the freekick which led to Town and Jimmy Bullard’s second goal of the game. The on-loan Hull man’s 25-yard strike caught Stephen McPhail in the wall and arced under Bywater’s bar.

Cardiff threw on big striker Jon Parkin for the final three minutes but it was Bullard who would come closest to scoring prior to three minutes of injury time, the 32-year-old lashing a shot from a tight angle on the left but on this occasion Bywater, who must be sick of the sight of the Town midfielder, was able to save. Civelli replaced Wickham, who had earlier aggravated his ankle injury, for the final few moments.

Norris wasn’t far from getting on the end of a Civelli cross from the left with the home side now looking like a well-beaten team.

Referee Bates’s whistle went soon afterwards to confirm an excellent away victory for the Blues, who had looked a different side after the break.

Town had very much been second best in the first period but, much like the Blues a week ago, Cardiff were made to rue their profligacy in the second half when Paul Jewell’s side were a different proposition.

Jimmy Bullard will get the plaudits for the goals and for taking the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half, but the Blues - who were also denied a penalty - wouldn’t have been in a position for their second half fightback had Márton Fülöp not been in top form in the first.

The win sees the Blues remain in 14th in the table, 11 points from the relegation places and 12 points from the play-offs.

Town: Fülöp, Edwards, Kennedy (O’Dea 29), McAuley, Delaney, Leadbitter, Bullard, Norris, Martin, Wickham (Civelli 90), Scotland (Priskin 85). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Peters, Drury, Smith.

Cardiff: Bywater, McNaughton, Quinn (Blake 85), Hudson, Keinan, Whittingham, McPhail, Emmanuel-Thomas (Burke 80), Chopra (Parkin 87), Bellamy, Bothroyd. Unused: Brown, Naylor, Rae, Gyepes. Referee: Tony Bates (Staffordshire). Att: 21,347.

Photo: Action Images

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