WHITTS: SOUTH COAST PATIENCE PAYS

Peter Whittingham hailed the character of his teammates which saw Cardiff City take maximum points on the road at Southampton on Saturday, admitting after the final whistle that Saints pressure made life difficult in the closing stages.

"It’s an unbelievable win. We were hanging on a bit at the end, but it’s great to get three points,” he said. “I’m really happy with the result. I thought we looked solid and didn’t allow them to get in the pockets in behind us. It was always going to be tough as they are a great team with some unbelievable players, but we stayed patient and it was a fantastic strike from Juan.

“We knew it was going to be hard. As said they are a good team and were playing at home, so were always going to see more of the ball and have more possession. It meant we had to remain calm and take our chances when they came, which we did.

“The last ten minutes, they had so much of the ball, they were putting it in our box and it was about how we defended. The boys defended really well and the win is a big confidence boost. We’ve worked hard as a team and were united to be honest. We were sold, compact and were able to capitalise with a sucker punch.

"It was a must-win today. We felt like, if we didn't get three points, it would leave us a little but out in the cold. But it was a great result for us and to get three points was unbelievable as we needed to bring a few more back into it. It was up to us to get the win, we got the three points, and it does make teams look over their shoulders a little bit."

Whitts also noted his appreciation for Ole Gunnar Solskjær after the long-serving midfielder had been reinstated in the starting eleven by the City boss, saying, "He brings an air of calmness to be honest. On the ball, he wants us to play the right way. He wants us to play football. But it's about how we fight as well and, towards the end, it was going to be about how we fought and if we could hang on. We did and it's a great result for him, for us, and for the fans.

“It's going to take a lot of fight in the run-in. There are no easy wins in the Premier League and it would be nice to follow up with another one on Saturday, which would really open things right up. Back-to-back wins would be huge and it's about how we prepare this week.”