Tomlin strike seals comeback for Cardiff

LONDON: Two goals in the last 10 minutes saw high-flying Cardiff come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Reading in a thrilling Championship clash on Monday.

Lee Tomlin chose a good time to score his first goal for the club, hooking the ball home in time added on to pull the Welsh side level.

The draw, which ends a fivematch winning run, sees Malaysianowned Cardiff remain second but four points adrift of leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Their comeback, though, went unseen at least from the dugout by veteran manager Neil Warnock as he was sent off midway though the second-half.

It is the second time the irascible 69-year-old has been dismissed at Reading having been given his marching orders in 2006 when he was Sheffield United boss.

However, Warnock — who came out of retirement last October when Caridff were 23rd in the second tier — will have been ecstatic by the character shown by his players in his absence.

“It just proves our character,” Tomlin told Sky Sports.

The first half could not have been worse for Cardiff as first Callum Paterson, who was only recalled to the starting line-up because of injury to Danny Ward, headed into his own net.

Then four minutes from the end of the first-half they went 2-0 down — it was only the third time this season they have conceded more than one goal — as Gambian international winger Modou Barrow struck.

His shot from outside the area took a deflection off Joe Bennett to wrong foot Neil Etheridge for his sixth goal of the campaign.

Cardiff pressed hard in the second half and fully deserved a share of the spoils.

Bennett made amends for his earlier blemish by rifling home a fine right-footed volley from inside the area to give the visitors some hope seven minutes from time.

Tomlin — who had come on as a substitute — then steered the ball home from close range.

There was still time for Reading to launch one more attack and they came within a whisker of stealing the three points as Paul McShane rose to meet a cross only for his header to come back off the post.