Bluebirds close to cloud nine
CARDIFF are only five wins away from a return to the Premier League, but manager Neil Warnock is not feeling the weight of expectation.
The Bluebirds are also just one victory from a club record nine-in-a-row thanks to goals from Kenneth Zohore, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Callum Paterson.
Struggling Burton were given first-half hope with a Darren Bent goal, but it was not enough to stop Warnock from edging closer to another record-breaking promotion.
“I’m not too bothered about records,” said Warnock. “I’m just going to enjoy it.
“We’re in a fantastic position so lets enjoy it, we don’t feel the pressure.
“The lads are getting stronger. It’s a decent squad and with right games to go we have to hang in and do our best.
“We knew it would be difficult against Burton. Everyone expected us to win and that’s the most difficult thing in football.
“Having conceded an equalispath er, it was crucial to score next and we managed to get that goal just before half-time.
“It could have been more, but some of the decisions baffled me.”
Jamie Allen and Liam Boyce combined twice in the opening five minutes but could not catch Cardiff cold.
The Scottish striker failed to convert a pair of pin-point crosses from the Brewers midfielder, and they were made to pay after 16 minutes.
Junior Hoilett controlled Joe Bennett’s pinpoint ball and charged past John Brayford.
The Canadian international had four to pick from but found Zohore, who volleyed past Stephen Bywater to score his fourth goal in six matches.
The visitors spoilt the Cardiff party six minutes later. Boyce slipped a through ball into the of Lloyd Dyer, who raced in-behind and whipped a ball to the far post for Bent to tap it in.
The Bluebirds struck a killer blow in the first minute of added time to get their noses infront again.
Zohore flicked the ball on for Mendez-Laing to charge towards goal, and, when Bywater failed to meet him, he blasted the ball emphatically into the roof of the net.
Sean Morrison had a secondhalf header ruled out for a push on Bywater but Cardiff made sure they would be going 12 games unbeaten after 64 minutes.
Hoilett glided past Brayford and fired the ball across goal. The chance looked to have gone when it ricocheted off Craig Bryson, but Paterson pounced to score his ninth of the season.
Warnock takes his Cardiff side to his former club Sheffield United on Monday knowing they need a maximum of five wins to go up.
Burton manager Nigel Clough said: “We’re down in terms of our mood. When you're losing games, that's what it is.
“Anybody who’s seen us for the last eight weeks and the majority of the season that's been the same story. We can’t put the ball in the back of the net. We haven’t done it all season.
“I thought in the first 15 minutes it was the first time Cardiff got into our penalty area when they scored.
“We had two or three very good situations ourselves. Liam Boyce had one cleared off the line, Luke Murphy’s had a shot that just went wide and a header when he’s gone in on the goalkeeper.”