Pilkington back for Bodmin warm-up

CARDIFF City’s players entered unfamiliar surroundings for their clash against AFC Tavistock on Monday night, and the Bluebirds face an even more lowly outfit in Bodmin Town tonight (7pm), if only marginally.

South West Peninsula League champions Tavistock finished two places above third-placed Bodmin in the 2016/17 table, with Neil Warnock’s men expecting another healthy victory in their third pre-season encounter, the second of this South West tour.

Bodmin, nicknamed the Black and Ambers, are managed by Darren Gilbert and will hope to provide a stern test to the Bluebirds’ improving fitness levels.

Warnock’s troops beat the Lambs 7-2 following a 1-0 victory over Taff ’s Well last Friday in which Anthony Pilkington scored the only goal.

And Pilkington could be in line to return to the Bluebirds’ side, while Jazz Richards could make his pre-season debut.

The Irish international hobbled off after just 14 minutes against Taff’s Well, with Warnock admitting afterwards that he was feeling “stiffness” and the substitution was just as a precaution.

The 29-year-old has travelled with the Cardiff squad to Devon and Cornwall and could feature at Priory Park tonight. Richards was named among the Cardiff substitutes at Tavistock, but didn’t come on.

Otherwise, the Bodmin game will offer another chance for international duo Kenneth Zohore and Aron Gunnarsson to get more first team minutes under their belt.