We need to be ruthless – Harris

NEIL Harris has urged his Cardiff City side to be ‘ruthless’ and ‘kick other play-off contenders in the teeth’ as the race for the top-six reaches crunch point.

Blackburn Rovers come to Cardiff City Stadium tonight and only a win will keep them in the play-off race.

Harris’ Bluebirds put paid to Bristol City’s Premier League aspirations last weekend, securing a 1-0 victory at Ashton Gate which ultimately cost Lee Johnson his job.

The City boss, of course, said he took no joy from seeing another manager lose his job, but his side went into the Severnside derby with victory in mind and a convincing display across the border ensured his side came away with the goods.

Now, though, Harris, whose side have earned 10 points from a possible 12 since football restarted, has Blackburn Rovers in his crosshairs and his message is clear and simple: Go for the jugular.

“Blackburn have to come and beat us tomorrow night, if not, they’ve got no chance,” Harris said of the play-off race. “I think it’s tough for teams below Swansea and Millwall, definitely. When we came back from lockdown we were two points adrift, we are now three points clear with a better goal difference. So, we have progressed nicely but there is a long way to go. The picture can change in just one set of results. That’s why you can only focus on the next game, more so than ever. Everyone realises it is literally one game at a time.

“It’s down to us to keep kicking other teams in the teeth by winning games.

“Because that’s what they are looking for at the moment... they are looking for us not to win to give them a crumb of hope.

“Every time we win a game, another team gets seen off below us. As ruthless as that might sound, that’s how I see it.

“I just want to keep winning games and pushing teams out of it.”

The Bluebirds enjoy a three-point cushion above seventh-placed Derby

County at the moment, but with a string of unenviable fixtures ahead, Harris knows his side must keep his foot on the gas.

One positive heading into the clash with Rovers is that in-form striker Robert Glatzel is back in contention, having missed out on the weekend owing to a head injury he sustained against Charlton last week.

And while Harris said City have a relatively clean bill of health heading into the match, Greg Cunningham and Isaac Vassell aside, he revealed Lee Tomlin’s recovery might not be as straightforward as meets the eye.

While Tomlin, who didn’t train last Friday due to a hip problem before having to settle for a place on the bench against Bristol City the following day, will again be in contention for the fixture with Rovers, Harris said the player’s return to action has had to be managed a lot more closely than some might think.

“He is available now because we are managing him as we go,” Harris added. “He is still not 100 percent fit and it’s a lot more complex than just thinking it’s a time issue. It’s a lot more complex.

“You will see and understand more as time goes on.

“I am happy to manage Lee day by day and week by week at the moment, getting him on the pitch as often as possible is absolutely vital for us. Whether it’s 60 or 70 minutes or 30 minutes, Lee has a huge part to play for us.”

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