Bluebirds stinging in the rain
JOE RALLS opened the floodgates for Cardiff with a cracking opening goal – and after that the dam burst over Preston.
Ralls turned on the tap for the Bluebirds in the 69th minute before watching Daniel Johnson give Preston hope with an equaliser four minutes later.
But back came Cardiff to wash their hopes away and leave boss Neil Harris feeling flush.
First came a super strike by super sub Nathaniel Mendez-laing followed by a goal bang on full-time from fellow sub Robert Glatzel.
As he scored, the heavens opened again on the appropriately named Deepdale – leaving poor Preston knowing that it never rains but it pours as Cardiff leapfrogged them into play-off contention.
Preston were unlucky when Scott Sinclair wriggled free in the Cardiff penalty area and was clipped by Will Vaulks.
Ref Oliver Langford waved away penalty claims despite replays showing a clear touch on the attacker.
But in the end, Cardiff showed their quality and composure to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
First, Sinclair’s deceptive effort from 25 yards almost found the corner of the net, with Alex Smithies forced to make a smart, fingertip stop.
Then Cardiff took control to end their hoodoo at a ground where
Bluebirds boss Neil Harris said: “I was impressed most with the character we showed. I wasn’t worried about a performance after last week, because playing
Leeds took care of itself.
What I wanted to see
PRESTON they have a woeful record. Ralls climbed above Darnell Fisher to head in Dion Sanderson’s cross then Junior Hoilett blazed a good chance over the bar moments later.
Preston soon levelled when Johnson gobbled up the rebound after Sean Morrison had blocked Alan Browne’s shot – and the game might have gone either way at that point.
But it was Cardiff who got the vital goal via Mendez-laing in the 82nd minute. The winger broke down the right side, combined with Lee Tomlin, and swept past Preston’s static defence before beating keeper Declan Rudd.
Preston threw on three subs in a bid to retrieve something with
CARDIFF
was a reaction and I got it. “The good thing is that after last season when Cardiff went up, a lot of those players are used to the pressure – they are used to every game counting at this stage of the
season. We are certainly making progress now.
“Sometimes it takes time for a manager to get his ideas across and for the players to buy into what you want. But that’s happening now.”
David Nugent firing over with a huge chance to level before Cardiffborn defender Andrew Hughes headed straight at Smithies.
But when German striker Glatzel struck with a deflected shot which wrong-footed Rudd, it was all over.
The goals by Cardiff ’s two subs took the Bluebirds’ tally for the season to 15 off the bench – the most in the Championship.
Lilywhites manager Alex Neil said: “This was a tough one to take. I don’t think there was that much in it, really, but we need to try and be more clinical and stop making mistakes at the wrong time.”