In Bluebirds’ flight towards the top
Carson; Baird, Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Huddlestone, Ledley, Weimann (Russell 57th), Johnson, Vydra; Nugent (Martin 72nd) spark when he stung the hands of Allan McGregor after linking up with Junior Hoilett down the left flank.
He saw another shot sail over the crossbar just before the break as a lacklustre first half came to a close.
But the deadlock was finally broken 12 minutes into the second period thanks to Cardiff captain Bamba.
Tomlin found himself in space and swung an inch-perfect cross on to the head of Pilkington, who flicked the ball on. Bamba was the first to sense danger and was smart enough to go goal-side of Ola Aina and power his header past McGregor to send Cardiff into the lead.
Cardiff had won all 11 matches in which they had scored the first goal and they never looked like surrendering their hard-fought advantage.
Hull did have an opportunity to even things up ASTON VILLA: Johnstone; Elmohamady, Chester, Jedinak, Taylor; Snodgrass, Whelan (Hogan 66th), Hourihane, Onomah, Grealish; Adomah but defender Ondrej Mazuch only found the gloves of Etheridge after substitute Jarrod Bowen’s effort was blocked.
The Bluebirds held on to continue their march towards the Premier League thanks to Championship veterans Warnock and Bamba.
Warnock was full of praise for his captain afterwards. “I wouldn’t swap him for anybody in the Premier League or the Championship, he’s a colossus,” he said.
“It was nice to see the goal go in. Big Sol has been close a few times in the last couple of weeks. It’s a great platform when you’ve got a spine like that.”
Looking at the impact of his first-timers, he coudn’t be more complimentary.
“I take my hat off to Pilkington. He’s not played all season, he’s been training really hard, I put him in and he never let me down. It was Tomlin’s Andreas Weimann L Probert first start as well. He’s working really hard and he contributed superbly today.
“I thought we deserved it, and when you’re up there you just have to get your wings, it doesn’t matter how you do it.
“When you think we’ve got four or five of our first-team players coming back in the next few weeks it’s given us that incentive today.
“It’s as good a three points as we’ll ever get in the circumstances today.
“These kind of games are won by small margins. I don’t think we should worry about anybody else, but we won’t get carried away.”
(KO 3pm unless stated)
PREMIER LEAGUE
WDDDdL .......................... Brighton Watford .................................. DLLWLL DWWLWW ......................... Burnley Tottenham Hotspur ............... DLLWLD
(5:30pm)
DWWLWW ....................... Leicester Man Utd ............................... LWLLWW
(7:45pm)
WdWWWW ..................... Man City AFC Bournemouth ............... LLWWdD LDWLWD .................. Southampton Huddersfield ............................. dLLLLL LWLDLW ................................ Stoke West Brom ............................. LDLLDL WLLLdW .......................... Swansea Crystal Palace .......................... LLLLdd LWLLDW ....................... West Ham Newcastle .............................. LDLLDL
Arsenal v Liverpool (Friday 7:45pm), Everton v Chelsea (12:30pm)
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
WWLWWd ..................... Aston Villa Sheff Utd .............................. WLWLWL
(5:30pm)
LWDWDW ............................. Bolton Cardiff ................................. LWLWWD WWLWLW ............................ Derby Millwall .................................... LdLDLd DDLDWW ........................... Fulham Bar nsley ............................... WDWDLL WLLLWD .............................. Leeds Hull ........................................ DDWLdD dDLLdW ........... Preston North End Nottm Forest .......................... LLWLLL LWWLDL ................................ QPR Bristol City ........................ WWWdWW LWLdWD .......................... Reading Burton Albion ......................... ddLWDL LWDWdD ....................... Sheff Wed Middlesbrough ..................... DLWWLL LDLDDL ....................... Sunderland Birmingham ............................. LLLLDL WWWWWd ........... Wolverhampton Ipswich ................................. WLDLWL
Norwich v Brentford (Friday 7:45pm)
SKY BET LEAGUE ONE
LLWDLW ............... AFC Wimbledon Bradford ............................ WWLWWW WLLLWW ................. Bristol Rovers Doncaster ............................ WWdLDL WLDWDL .......................... Charlton Blackpool ............................. WDLLWd DDLLLW ....................... Oxford Utd Wigan .................................. LWDWWD DLWWLW ................. Peterborough Bury ...................................... LLDDdW DDWLWW ....................... Plymouth Oldham ................................. DDLdLW DWWDWD ....................... Rochdale Walsall ................................ LDWLWW WLWLLL ....................... Rotherham Milton Keynes Dons ............. LLWWDL DWWWWL .................. Scunthorpe Southend ............................... WLLDLL WWWLLW ................... Shrewsbury Portsmouth .......................... LLWWLW
Fleetwood Town v Gillingham (Friday 7pm), Northampton v Blackburn (2pm)
SKY BET LEAGUE TWO
LWWDDW ........ Accrington Stanley Crawley Town ......................... WddLLD dDDLLW .............................. Barnet Cheltenham ......................... WLDWLD LWLdWW ....................... Colchester Port Vale .............................. LWWDLD WWLWLL ............................. Crewe Swindon ............................. WWWWLL WLWWDD ................. Forest Green Carlisle ................................ WDWLDD LWWWWD ............................. Luton Grimsby ............................... WWdLLW LDWWDW ...................... Mansfield Morecambe ............................ LWLdDL WLDLWD .............. Newport County Lincoln City .......................... WLLWLW LWWWWW ................ Notts County Cambridge Utd ........................ ddLdLL WWDDWd ..................... Stevenage Chesterfield ........................... WLLDDL LDWWLD .............................. Yeovil Exeter ..................................... dDLLDL
Coventry v Wycombe (Friday 7:45pm) LADBROKES SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP
DWDLWL ............................... Celtic Aberdeen ........................... WWDWLW LLWWLD ........................ Hibernian Ross County .......................... LWdLdL WLWLLD ...................... Motherwell Dundee .................................. DLLLWL DDLWWL ............................. Partick Hamilton ............................... DLLWWD DWLdLL ..................... St Johnstone Hearts ................................... LWDLWL
Kilmarnock v Rangers (12:30pm) LADBROKES SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP
WLLWWD ..................... Dumbar ton Falkirk .................................. WDWLLL WLWLWW .................. Dundee Utd Livingston ............................. WLWLWL WLWDDL .................... Dunfermline Brechin ................................... LLLWLL WLDLWL ............................ Morton Inverness CT ......................... LLdWdd
Queen of South v St Mirren Brighton, Southampton, Fulham, Sunderland, Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury, Mansfield, Newport County, Partick, Dumbarton
Man City, Stoke, West Ham, Aston Villa, Derby, Leeds, Reading, Wolverhampton, Charlton, Peterborough
Tottenham, Man Utd, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Nottm Forest, Bristol City