Bruno Ecuele Manga’s 18th minute goal saw Cardiff City to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at the Cardiff City Stadium. The defender nodded home Peter Whittingham’s corner at the near post with Town rarely seriously threatening to find a reply.

Daryl Murphy, Cole Skuse and Luke Hyam returned to the Town side with Brett Pitman and Jonathan Douglas dropping to the bench, while Kevin Foley, who was suffering with bruised ribs after the Bolton game, wasn’t in the 18.

Michael Crowe, who was called back from his loan spell at Braintree earlier in the week, was also amongst the subs with second-choice keeper Dean Gerken unwell.

Cardiff were without their first-choice keeper David Marshall due to a virus and Simon Moore started in his place. Former Blues academy schoolboy Stuart O’Keefe was named in the Bluebirds’ midfield.

The Blues started with Murphy and Sears as a front two with Kevin Bru and Ben Pringle in narrow roles on the right and left respectively of a four-man midfield.

Town were again in their orange third kit, while keeper Bartosz Bialkowski was asked by the referee to change from his green shirt to a yellow one before kick-off - leaving him in the unfortunate combination of a yellow shirt and green shorts - with Cardiff stand-in keeper Moore also wearing green.

Sears struck the game’s first shot in the fifth minute after he battled for a Murphy flick-on. Moore blocked the strike not overly confidently but claimed the loose ball.

On eight Skuse blocked from O’Keefe on the edge of the box but it was the Blues who had made the better start to the game.

There was a scare for Cardiff keeper Moore in the 16th minute when he failed to hold on to Pringle’s corner from the left. The ball was stabbed out to Bru but the Mauritius international was unable to get to it and committed a foul as he looked to do so.

Two minutes later the home side went in front via their first significant attempt of the game.

Whittingham sent over a corner from the left and the unmarked Manga met it at the near post and directed his header past Bialkowski.

After the goal the game returned to its previous pattern of the Blues taking the game to Cardiff. On 23 Christophe Berra headed Pringle’s right-sided corner wide at the far post when the Scotland international clearly thought he might have hit the target.

Soon after, Cardiff had a spell of pressure after Town were unable to clear from a corner, but Murphy then won a flag-kick at the other end, which was returned to Pringle, who sent over a dangerous cross just beyond his team-mates in the area.

Following a spell of Town possession on the right, Murphy headed a Luke Chambers cross wide in the 35th minute.

A minute later, Whittingham whipped in a dangerous freekick from deep on the left which Murphy just managed to divert away from Matthew Connolly in space behind him.

The Blues continued to press and on 40 Moore was forced to punch when under pressure after the home defence had repeatedly failed to clear following a Pringle freekick deep on the left. Soon after, the keeper claimed from Murphy from a Pringle corner on the right.

The Blues were unable to threaten in one minute of added on time and went in at the break rather harshly 1-0 down.

Town had been on top for much of a not hugely enthralling half, however, without overly testing Cardiff deputy keeper Moore, aside from Sears’s early strike and one or two crosses.

While the Blues hadn’t made enough of their set pieces - they had won six corners as well as a couple of freekicks in dangerous areas - the home side had only really presented any threat from theirs, most notably Whittingham’s corner which led to the goal.

Town switched Bru for Brett Pitman ahead of the start of the second half with Sears moving to right midfield.

Neither side created anything of note until the 56th minute when Bialkowski sent the Blues away on a counter-attack following a Cardiff corner.

Pitman flicked on Hyam’s cross from the right to Pringle, who screwed his shot into the side-netting from a decent position on the left of the area.

Town weren’t too far away from an equaliser in the 59th minute when Sears was allowed to reach a long ball from the left. The striker steered the ball past the advancing Moore, but Scott Malone cleared from inside the six-yard box.

The Blues were starting to look more threatening and a minute later Pitman struck a shot from distance which deflected wide.

Town kept the ball for long spells but without creating a further opening, then on 66 Malone broke away for Cardiff after exchanging passes with Lex Immers and hit a shot which flew not too far over Bialkowski’s crossbar.

Three minutes later, Whittingham curled a low 20-yard freekick to Bialkowski’s right, which the keeper claimed comfortably.

Luke Varney replaced Pringle in the 72nd minute, while Whittingham limped off for the home side and Aron Gunnarsson took over.

Sears, now on the left, saw a shot blocked after he cut into the area after exchanging passes with Jonas Knudsen following a corner then Bialkowski tipped Anthony Pilkington’s looping header over from Joe Ralls’s corner on the right.

From the subsequent flag-kick the former Canary went close again, Tommy Smith perhaps getting a touch on the ball just prior to the Irish international connecting with a volley which flew well into the stand behind the goal.

Moore allowed a Sears freekick from the left to slip through his hands and out of play on 79, then five minutes later Murphy shot over from the right with the Blues still unable to create a clear-cut opening.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles took over from Smith for the final two and a half minutes as the Blues continued to look in vain for the equaliser.

Town continued to push during four minutes of injury time - Sears saw an effort blocked during a goalmouth scramble - but, as for most of the rest of the half, rather unconvincingly and referee Andrew Madley’s whistle confirmed the Blues’ defeat.

Having gone in behind after the first half, Town had a lot of the ball after the break but largely huffed and puffed and were unable find a way through a solid Cardiff defence.

The Blues probably deserved something from the game on the balance of play but created too few clear-cut opportunities, while the home side took their one real chance, which from a Town perspective was very preventable.

The defeat and results elsewhere see the Blues stay eighth but now four points behind Sheffield Wednesday - who won 3-0 at Nottingham Forest - in sixth, although still with a game in hand.

That match is Blackburn’s visit to Portman Road on Tuesday with Rotherham - who came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Derby today - in Suffolk next Saturday.

Cardiff: Moore, Peltier, Connolly, Manga, Malone, Noone, O’Keefe, Ralls, Whittingham (Gunnarsson 73), Pilkington (c) (Dikgacoi 83), Immers. Unused: Wilson, Morrison, Ameobi, Zahore.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith (Maitland-Niles 88), Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Hyam, Bru (Pitman 46), Pringle (Varney 72), Sears, Murphy. Unused: Crowe, Digby, Tabb, Douglas. Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire). Att: 15,175.

Photo: Action Images

prebsa added 20:04 - Mar 12 Shame no one else agrees with you is it essex57. Get out you laughing stock.
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nix290 added 20:20 - Mar 12 Oh god. Here we go. "McCarthy out" and all that drivel. The people on here need to think back about 4 years and see the state we were in. It's pathetic.
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blues1 added 20:58 - Mar 12 Can I just put a point here. When, like last week, we play decent football and win, no-one says nething about the lack of investment in January, but every time we lose a game, that's the reason why? Ridiculous. Don't think there's one town fan who doesn't think we need to spend some money but to use that as the reason we've lost games is just too simple. Ask derby fans right now if spending big has helped over them win more games. Theyvecone about 1 game in their last 10 games, is it? And also remember, it was mccarthys decision not to spend as he happy with the squad he has. Hi nly 1person to blame. And nix, despite ur point about our previous position it's time to get a manager who'll let players play, not curb their natural game to fit in with his draconian tactics

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Bob7881 added 21:03 - Mar 12 I thouught the Duncan years were the worst i had witnessed however the last 3 Managers and the current have surpassed all of that and if im honest under Macarthy the football is by far the worst ive watched in 45 years. an honest assesment of this season is the current batch of players assembled have done well to finish in the top half of the table despite the tactics.

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Kirbmeister added 21:05 - Mar 12 McCarthy out brigade are back with a vengeance following a defeat after three unbeaten games where they were silent. We're ordinary - mid table, we'll win a couple and lose a couple - that's the way it is i'm afraid.
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wayway added 21:08 - Mar 12 The post on here always say we are doing well on a low budget, well why for F..k sake ARE we on a low budget. What did Evans PLC buy the club for? What are their aims? It has been my opinion over the last 2 seasons that they are just using I T F C as a tax loss. Is it not now time for some clarity of their intentions for the club or are we just going to drift even further down with this boring dinosaur of a manager and players (Digby, Coke etc) who would struggle to get a game in the Vanarama league. The fans deserve to know what is happening NOW. Is it not time to put up or sell up?

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westernblue added 21:11 - Mar 12 Just back from match. MM's comments were a travesty. His team is going nowhere. Those of us there didn't boo (not one of us) but there was almost silence at the end - certainly Chambers at least was quick to see that. McCarthy of course ignored the fans - why change tack after 90 minutes of cynical anti-football! The game? There was never a pretence of playing from the back. The keeper for God's sake was our only real playmaker. Sears and Murphy tried, but almost impossible without service - as Pitman and Vardy found. The back four are a nervous joke, and seem to be strangers to the game of football. (The goal by the way was a carbon copy of the Bristol fiasco). To his credit - a lot of the load was placed on him in the second half, Skuse, just back from injury, made a fair fist of it, and while he was on Pringle did his best, though also with terrible ball, still to inject a bit of pace and urgency. But Hyam, what can I say. I saw him in a friendly at PSV when he had just come on the scene and there was real promise. Now, he is incapable, yes incapable, of executing a pass. What has happened? What is McCarthy doing to this team? All those of us who actually attend matches, and sometimes meet up with friends from other clubs, know that we are regarded as a joke. It's tough for football fans to walk away. But there may come a point when the likes of McCarthy taking the piss proves just too much and those of us who happen to like football are facing a horrible choice.

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Tractorboy1985 added 21:14 - Mar 12 Bart in yellow and green was enough for me 😷
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Minneapolis_ITFC added 21:17 - Mar 12 I seem to be getting conflicting reports regards today's game from various sources. Some say we played well at times and showed flair and creativity while others insist it was another lackluster display and for the most part, poor and ineffective. Whatever the case we see a loss at a promotion rival and further points lost in play-off endeavors. Maybe Cardiff wanted it more and had the greater motivation and desire today but fact remains, if we really ARE to be involved in the top six again this was another example of needing to get more reward from an opposition. We always say 'next time will be better' but really, we need to address what is going on NOW, not at a further point in time. Take no pleasure in saying it, but once again it would seem a case of not being good enough - consistent enough - to get out of the championship league. Attackers not contributing to their potential, (Murphy did great last year but we're in real need of a 20 + goal striker once again), the inability to take something from teams in a similar position (not to mention some unacceptable scores in recent games against those in and around the drop zone) : I'm trying to be more upbeat regards our end of season ambitions, but believe me it's difficult sometimes.

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tallguy6767 added 21:47 - Mar 12 Westernblue..great post!
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Dissboyitfc added 22:29 - Mar 12 nix290... i can also think back much further, 16 years ago for instance, so lets not think about the past, lets think about now. Now is nowhere good enough is it?
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Toronto_Tractor added 22:49 - Mar 12 Is it just me or does anyone else feel a romance blossoming between Prebsa and essex57? Definitely some tension. Maybe theres some history there? Good luck to you two ;-)
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SheptonMalletBlue added 22:51 - Mar 12 Its difficult to describe how you feel about watching a game like that today!! both teams were poor, but as a Town fan I feel let down by the team I support. It was dire!! No creativity, no desire!! Only one person is responsible for this ...Mcarthy!!! PLEASE, PLEASE GO!!!!
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PJH added 23:01 - Mar 12 Performance actually generally better than the win at Huddersfield and draw at Bolton but without the result. Murphy and Sear lively but eventually faded. Skuse pick of the midfield. Bart did not have much to do.
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Cakeman added 23:02 - Mar 12 Not at game as currently on hols but wifey and me kept up to date as the match wore on. Westernblue sums it all up nicely. It's sadly a familiar story of the last few games. i.e. Bart keeps the score down, the back four are suspect, midfield like Dads Army at Walmington-On-Sea, and the attackers now so devoid of service they do not know what to do with the ball on the rare occasion that they receive it on the deck! All in all very painful and predictable.

4

GiveusaWave added 23:09 - Mar 12 Not so concerned about the result. A 1-0 loss away at Cardiff is a respectable result. We are obviously going to win, lose and draw between now and the end of the season. More concerned by the mind-numbing football. Sure, it does grind out the odd result here and there. But there is a grave danger that we will lose a generation of young fans if we continue to play like this. So different to the Forest game where we stroked the ball around with precision (I feel Foley was a huge difference on that front). Another very good game from Bialkowski who commanded the defence superbly except for the one obvious mistake. Sears ran his heart out and we may well get a big transfer fee for both players at the end of the season. Pringle had a good game also. We are 8th in the league so it's a bit harsh to call McCarthy out. What we should be looking at is whether we can bring in a creative midfielder next season and sign up Foley for another year. Put in a bid for Pringle and bring him in down the left. This is a tough league and given our limited resources we are doing well from a results perspective. The hoofball is dire and it would be more entertaining to watch snail-racing on a Saturday afternoon, but somehow we are still in touch with the play-offs.

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prebsa added 23:12 - Mar 12 Toronto Tractor. I'm just fed up of him marking down everyone for posting their opinion and not explains well. And even when we loose if someone has one word negative he rips into them. I feel we are all entitled to our opinions and I just think people like him should be show the door. As do his other -530 marks! Must admit your post did make me laugh :) What was your opinions on the game?

0

Ipswich58 added 23:17 - Mar 12 The awful thing is fans are beginning not to care. Too much MM bull. Have followed ITFC for 40 years and this is by far worst most sterile side led by a manager whose sell by date expired on. 70s.
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warktheline added 23:36 - Mar 12 Transport me back to 1978..... Goodbye!
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Bert added 23:40 - Mar 12 Nobody would argue that the current team is good enough to be serious contenders for promotion but are we really as bad as many on here say ? The championship is full of sides who are inconsistent, bottom beats top and results not going to form. So,in that context we are nowhere near as dire as some believe. Remember that less than 0.5 % of attenders contribute to post match opinions which means that we read is not necessarily representative of opinion. Let's see some perspective please and some realism. A match player in midfield, a right back and a centre back who can track a player is all we need to be a consistent team next year.

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BanksterDebtSlave added 23:41 - Mar 12 Well to be fair things are a bit sketchy aren't they. We need at least one creative central mid player, our wide players are all on loan or injured on loan. We STILL need a right back! Berra, Chambers, Skuse, Douglas, Murphy, Foley etc...all 30+..... Ticket prices should be nearer £20 and season tickets correspondingly cheaper.....and you shouldn't need to take out a loan to get your child to be a mascot! I do not however blame McCarthy and believe him to be an excellent man manager. I am certain that he would happily manage a more attractive style of football given the resources to do so....he is though stubbornly loyal to a fault (especially to his captain who may or may not be better than Smith as a centre back) As I remember until the Reading result our football early doors was a lot more watchable. We need to hear from the money men and prey that we have some good youngsters coming through. I can vouch for 2 season ticket holders who will not be ' early birds ' and will need a lot of convincing actions in the closed season to spend money we can ill afford!! If we were to stumble into promotion I think I would be more worried than I already am....I will however continue to support the team on the pitch to the bitter end!! (this season anyway!)

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BanksterDebtSlave added 23:47 - Mar 12 P.S. On a lighter note .......Bluefeast I'm not sure you're cut out for poetry and prebsa v Essex 57......really!!
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Dissboyitfc added 23:48 - Mar 12 Bert... yes a very strange and competitive league, but yes the hoofball is that atrocious.
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BanksterDebtSlave added 23:51 - Mar 12 P.P.S.....we really weren't that good against Forest either.....but the people I sit with often think we're watching a different game to many others!
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prebsa added 00:02 - Mar 13 BanksterDebtSlave. You make some really good points there! I recon there will be a lot of people not taking the early bird offer which is a real shame because we really need to get behind the team at home if we want PR to be like it was last year. And yes I know I'm clearly the easy winner in the battle ;) But in all seriousness I'm just sticking up for myself sorry if that upsets you as it wasent intended that way. But good post!

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