After jumping from 5th to 4th without a game last weekend, Cardiff City returned to 5th spot tonight as, once again, they didn't play. However while results of surrounding teams favoured them last week, it was a different story this time.
The one positive was leaders Wolves losing for the second week running. The one-time runaway leaders and, seemingly, promotion certainties are currently in freefall. They remain top but it's now only 1 win in 9 Championship games since Xmas and the pack have closed in. Indeed, City are now 12 points behind them but have 4 games in hand - Cardiff's next match is at Molineux next week. Win there and, truly, anything is possible.
However, there were few other favours. Nottingham Forest were as negative as they recently were at Ninian Park and fell 2-0 to Birmingham, Preston leapfrogged City by being functional to overcome Norwich while Bristol City (now 7 wins in 8) and Burnley (win mentioned above) are now 1 point behind Cardiff.
Dave Jones' boys now have 2 to 4 games in hand on everyone near them. If won, they will go top of the Championship but that's a very tall order and you can't help thinking a fixture backlog that now sees tham facing their final 17 league games in 68 days will tell sooner or later.
Monday night's F.A. Cup replay menas City aren't in action in a busy midweek programme while their next Championship game is next Sunday by which time every other side would have played. It's not inconceiveable that Cardiff could be as low as 10th before they next kick a ball ... albeit with 4 to 6 games in ahdn on everyone but they need to make them count, that's the hard bit!
P GD PTS
1 Wolverhampton 33 21 63
2 Birmingham 32 12 60
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3 Reading 31 32 59
4 Preston 33 5 53
5 Cardiff 29 15 51
6 Sheff Utd 32 14 51
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7 Bristol City 32 6 50
8 Burnley 32 1 50
9 Swansea 31 13 48
10 QPR 31 4 47
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