City auto-promotion hopes, they think it's all over ... it is now

Cardiff City's fading hopes of clinching a Top 2 spot have all bar disappeared over the horizon as 2nd place Birmingham City beat leaders Wolves 2-0 in a Monday night game despite playing almost an hour with 10 men when it was 0-0.

The whole Championship chasing pack wanted a Wolves win and hopes were boosted as the Brummies were down to 10 men following an horrific Lee Carsley two footed studs out challenge on Chris Iwelumo but that seemed to galvanise the 10 men and affect Wolves who were lost their striker having started the night with Ebanks-Blake and Kightley.

A crucial goal came on half-time from ex-Bluebird Cameron Jerome but equally attributable to terrible, weak goalkeeping by Welshman Wayne Hennessy and in a poor 2nd period where Wolves made no chances against the lesser men, Garry O'Connor profited from another defensive gaffe.

It's a result that leaves Cardiff City 11 points away from automoatic promotion - as far awa as we have been fior a long time - and those 2 games in hand would only half the gap even if they were won. Looks too tall an order with just 7 games to go.

Cardiff face Derby on Wednesday hoping for 3 points to close the gap but, more pertinently, to help seal their position in the play-offs.

	Team	P	GD	PTS
1	Wolverhampton	41	22	77
2	Birmingham	41	16	75
3	Reading	40	30	69
4	Sheff Utd	40	23	69
5	Burnley	41	8	66
6	Cardiff	39	15	64
7	Preston	41	3	62
8	Swansea	41	11	59
9	Bristol City	41	6	59