Slade eyes Prem push for Cardiff

RUSSELL SLADE hopes he will get the backing he wants to help Cardiff become promotion challengers next season.

The Cardiff boss saw his side sign off the campaign with a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest and is already plotting to strengthen his squad this summer.

“We have a growing unity and togetherness within this group, we want to maintain that and also kick on and strengthen the squad in the summer,” said Slade.

“Hopefully we will get the financial backing to do that, so that we can build again next season.”

Cardiff triumphed thanks to first-half goals from Joe Ralls and Eoin Doyle, with Forest only pulling one back in injury time through Dexter Blackstock after the 76th-minute sending-off of keeper Cardiff David Marshall for a headbutt on Jamaal Lascelles.

Slade added: “It was a very good win and a very good performance, we moved the ball well, which we have done away from home – and the fact that the pressure was off us might have helped.”

Forest manager Dougie Freedman felt his side had given themselves too much work to do as they got off to a shocking start, finding themselves two goals down after 24 minutes.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb and we have a lot of work to do over the summer,” said Freedman.

“I want to thank fans for their support, because their backing gave us some urgency and momentum in the final 20 minutes, which we needed.

“We had the chances to get something, we did not put those away – but the most disappointing thing was for us to go 2-0 down so early in the game.”