But rival a thaw
dium under the Friday night lights isn’t likely to evoke the same sort of placid emotions as an end-of-season dinner.
That new-found friendship could face a serious test once again with both sides fighting for Premier League points this time around.
What will happen next?
Naturally, many of the questions for both managers at their pre-match press conferences centred around the encounter and whether Nuno had learned British football etiquette in the way Warnock suggested he should.
“I haven’t a clue. You’ll have to ask him,” Warnock said.
“I have enough problems! That’s gone now. You move on. We’re always learning and we’re always open to criticism. It’s always easier to tell people where they’re going wrong from afar, than doing things on the touchline.
“It’s a ruthless industry but we’re very lucky to be in it.”
Warnock was also doubtful about whether his team would be awarded a penalty in the Premier League, let alone the two they were given by Mike Dean the last time the sides met.
With both the Yorkshireman and Nuno likely to wear their hearts on their sleeves tonight – and both under pressure after losing their previous match – every decision made by this week’s official Andre Marriner will be scrutinised.
Don’t be surprised if they slip back into their old ways and that fierce rivalry is reignited.
Whether they remain friendly with each other or not, it will surely be a feisty affair under the CCS lights with Cardiff and Wolves having followed similar paths, yet taken very different approaches, in recent years.
As these teams and managers have proven in the past, anything can happen once the whistle sounds.
WHO IS THE REFEREE?