REPORT: CARDIFF 2-0 WOLVES

The Bluebirds kicked off following a touching minute’s applause for loyal Cardiff City and Wales fan Gareth Seville, who sadly passed away earlier this week.

Once the match commenced, it was Wolves who had the first chance inside three minutes as Welsh international David Edwards missed the target from the edge of the box. David Marshall then had to be on his toes to smother the ball as Edwards took a heavy touch after running clear.

City did soon begin to venture into the Wolves half and created two chances before the twenty minute mark. Fábio’s rasping effort was first blocked by Wanderers skipper Richard Stearman, before Joe Mason’s side-footed shot from the angle was parried clear by Carl Ikeme.

The game was opening up in the Welsh capital as chances began to fall both ways. Edwards was again the man to threaten for the visitors as he failed to divert a low cross goalwards, before Kenwyne Jones’s thundering shot was deflected over. From the resulting corner the Bluebirds thought they were ahead too, but the referee spotted an infringement before Mason hit the net.

Kenny Jackett’s men spurned a golden opportunity to take a lead into half time on forty minutes. City were slow to react to a quickly taken Wanderers corner, and after the ball was dinked into the far post, the unmarked Kortney Hause headed over Marshall’s bar.

However, it was the Bluebirds who would lead at the interval, courtesy of their returning number nine. When Fábio lofted a ball into the box Jones, starting for the first time this season, got there ahead of the onrushing Ikeme to place his header into the corner.

As the heavens opened at the start of the second period, Russell Slade was forced to bring off his goal-scorer, as Jones picked up an injury in the Wolves box.

Sammy Ameobi was the man to replace him, and he made an instant impact at Cardiff City Stadium. The loanee front man forced a corner with his direct running down the left channel, and when Lee Peltier headed down Peter Whittingham’s delivery, Ameobi fired a right-footed, deflected effort past Ikeme for 2-0.

The Bluebirds were now playing with real confidence and could have increased their lead in superb style when Ameobi waltzed past two Wolves defenders. In search of his second, the striker curled another right-footed effort goalwards, but this time just past the far post.

It was to make little bearing on the result though. While Benik Afobe and the newly introduced Nouha Dicko looked lively at the other end, City could have hit a third when Mason was thwarted by Ikeme late on. Nevertheless, the Bluebirds held firm to continue their unbeaten run and notch their first League victory of the campaign.

Cardiff City: Marshall, Peltier, Connolly, Morrison, Fábio (Manga 88), Pilkington, Whittingham, Dikgacoi, Ralls, Mason, Jones (Ameobi 57). Subs Not Used: Moore, Gunnarsson, Noone, Revell, Doyle.

Wolves: Ikeme, Iorfa, Stearman, Ebanks-Landell, Hause, Van La Parra, McDonald (Henry 62), Coady, Edwards, Ojo (Dicko 62), Afobe. Subs Not Used: Martínez, Doherty, Golbourne, Enobakhare, Price.