Warnock: "It's a cracking test for us!"

Neil Warnock held a pre-match press conference at the Vale Resort on Friday morning ahead of the Bluebirds' trip to Teesside to face Middlesbrough.

Having slipped to defeat last time out against Birmingham City, the Gaffer called for a response at the Riverside to maintain the Bluebirds' lofty position in the Sky Bet Championship table.

"When you don't play well, you know yourself really," said the Bluebirds' boss. "The only way is to get back on that training ground and work hard. We know what a tough league it is. You're not going to get everything week in, week out. It's how you react to it.

"It's a cracking test for us - I'm looking forward to it. It's a nice stadium. I know where we are in the league but we're still classed as underdogs, I would imagine. It's nice for the lads to go there with probably a little bit less pressure. I think we're more ready for it as well."

When asked whether he would be likely to make any changes to his side this weekend, Neil responded: "You look at the opposition and how they play, to work out how you feel the best way is to try and get a result.

"I don't panic about changes for the sake of it, but there are one or two lads really busting a gut to get in the team. It has been very good this week in terms of competition and there have been some real cracking performances on the training pitch."

Watch Neil Warnock's press conference in full on iFollow Cardiff City above...