WASTEFUL CITY LET DONS OFF HOOK
Slade’s boys fail to find finish...
RUSSELL Slade admits Cardiff will have to be more ruthless if they are going to mount a charge for a play-off spot.
The Bluebirds wasted a host of second-half chances as they were held by struggling MK Dons.
New loan signing Tom Lawrence from Leicester City hit the post in the first half but the home side were guilty of blowing a hatful of chances after the break.
Cardiff could have moved within two points of the top six with a win but once again failed to back up a good result from the previous week.
They haven’t won back-to-back games in the Championship since September and it is derailing their promotion push.
Slade said: “It was really frustrating. We had a couple of chances that came back off the post and some that went narrowly wide. But we know it’s all about results at this stage.
“We did more than enough to get the three points but we need to improve our finishing.
“As a group we were hoping to get back-to-back wins but it wasn’t to be.
“We know we still have a good chance of reaching the top six.
“We have lost goals from the team with players being out injured and leaving the club so we are looking at the players coming in to get them for us.”
Slade put Lawrence straight into his starting XI and the Wales international was heavily involved early on.
But Jake Forster-Caskey gave the home side a scare after ten minutes when he curled a superb free-kick just over the bar.
A poor first half finally came to life in the final few minutes when Lawrence met Peter Whittingham’s cross from the right with a glancing header that came back off the post.
Stuart O’Keefe brought a superb save out of Dons goalkeeper David Martin and Whittingham went close from distance but it remained goalless at the break.
O’Keefe should have scored less than 60 seconds into the second period but fired straight at Martin from close-range.
Bluebirds left-back Scott Malone tested Martin with a shot from the edge of the box and Lawrence went close with a low drive after beating two defenders but Cardiff were lacking a cutting edge. Anthony Pilkington was another player guilty of wasting chances.
Former Bluebird Nicky Maynard should have made his old side pay when he blasted over from eight yards.
Cardiff went in search of a winner in the final ten minutes but once again Martin was on hand to deny Pilkington with a smart stop with his feet.
Joe Walsh could have won it at the death for the visitors but he thumped a header wide.
The draw keeps the Dons one place and two points above the relegation zone and Dons boss Karl Robinson paid tribute to his players.
He said: “We fought tooth and nail to get the game on and I am so pleased we did.We rode our luck a bit at times and David Martin made some outstanding saves but I’m proud of the boys.
“It’s our eighth clean sheet of the season and is a performance we can build on.
“My players are over-achieving, I make no excuses. We deserve to be where we are in the league but not to be in the bottom three at this stage of the season is a big achievement.
“All I ask of my players is that they give their all every week, I know performances are going to go up and down but I can’t fault their commitment.”