Bluebirds manager Dave Jones was quick to praise his players after Wednesday night's 4-3 penalty shootout win over Leicester City.

The victory means Cardiff will face Blackpool at Wembley in the Championship Play-Off final on May 22 for a shot at reaching the Premier League.

Referring to the Bluebirds' spirit in coming back from 3-1 down on the night to force extra time, Dave said: "I've nothing but admiration for my players. They stuck at it and have a 'never say die' attitude. We needed that today.

"It's a sad way to lose but a fantastic way to win. Im just glad I'm on the winning side. I've been on the losing side in the past though and I know how my mate (Nigel Pearson) is feeling.

"David Marshall will deservedly take the plaudits after tonight following two superb saves, but all my lads were fantastic out there over the course of the game. Everybody wanted to take a penalty at the end too and that showed a lot of bottle."

But the manager was quick to calm the excitement and focus on the bigger picture. Turning to the prospect of facing Blackpool in the final, he said: "It's an emotional time for everyone involved with this football club, but we now have to steady the ship and look towards the final.

"We've got another tough one coming up and we'll bring the lads back down to earth when they're back in for training on Friday."