Cardiff City extended their Championship winning run to four matches with a 2-0 triumph over Rotherham United in the Welsh capital.
By Glen Williams
It was a tough watch at times, and the Millers made it difficult for them, but Kion Etete popped up in the second half with a well-taken header before Perry Ng struck at the death to earn the Bluebirds all three points and, importantly, keep that positive momentum rolling.
The Bluebirds, historically, tend to struggle when so-called lesser teams come to Cardiff and this was no different. Rotherham sat in and made Cardiff try to crack them open, which was easier said than done.
But make no mistake, Cardiff were the better of the two sides in the first half, with Rotherham not even registering a single shot on target and employing a tactic of lobbing the ball up to Jordan Hugill in the hope of winning second balls. Cardiff, by contrast, mixed up their game well by trying to play through, over and around the Millers, with mixed results.
There was an early blow for Cardiff when Yakou Meite, who had the first chance of the game when he spun and shot from near the penalty spot after a good Karlan Grant run and cross only to see it blocked, had to be substituted after tweaking his hamstring. It disrupted the Bluebirds' flow for a short while, but Cardiff continued to be the team in the ascendancy.
The other big opportunity before the break came by virtue of some wonderful defending from Dimitrios Goutas, who stole the ball off Hugill just inside Rotherham's half before fellow Greek Manolis Siopis slid through a clever ball for Ryan Wintle. The midfielder hit one low and towards the far corner, but goalkeeper Viktor Johansson got down well to deny him. But in truth it was a drab and disjointed first half of football and both sides needed to improve after the break if they had any designs on walking away with all three points.
The Bluebirds did, however, start the second half with a bit more verve and creativity and it soon told. Grant had threatened to do something special throughout the first half but he finally produced the goods when he delivered a dangerous cross on to Etete's head and the striker outmuscled Cohen Bramall before nodding home.
Cardiff should have made it two just after the hour mark when Ollie Tanner started a breakaway move down the right before finding Grant on the opposite flank. Grant returned the favour with a low cross, but Tanner's shot on the half volley whistled narrowly wide of the post.
Cardiff had to weather some late pressure from the Millers as they threw bodies forward in search of an equaliser. Indeed, substitute Arvin Appiah offered up a scare for the hosts when he cut inside and whipped a shot on goal, only to see it rise inches over the cross bar.
But that was about as much as Rotherham gave all afternoon. The visitors were poor, all things considered, but it could have been a banana skin for the Bluebirds. Thankfully, for Cardiff, the nervous tension slowly building was relieved when Ng popped up in the box in the 87th minute to hammer home after Etete's previous shot had been blocked.
It will be viewed as a job very well done for the Bluebirds, who leap up until the play-off places with nine games already under their belts. It's still early days, of course, but all things seem to be pointing in the right direction.
Cardiff City XI: Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, McGuinness, Collins; Siopis (Adams 87), Wintle, Ralls (Robinson 79); Meite (Tanner 18), Etete, Grant (Ugbo 87).
Subs: Runarsson, Romeo, Sawyers, Panzo, R. Colwill.
Rotherham United XI: Johansson; Lembikisa, Bramall, Blackett; Onyedinma, Clucas (Peltier 72), Rathbone, Tiehi, Revan (Appiah 72); Green (Kelly 87); Hugill (Nombe 67).
Subs: Phillips, Eaves, McGuckin.
Attendance: 20,136.
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