by Mark Denham, from Cardiff City Stadium

Snapshot

Cardiff held on to a third minute Jay Bothroyd strike to secure their first double over Middlesbrough since 1967/68.

Bothroyd capitalised on a superb Darcy Blake chip into the area which Gabor Gyepes nodded down for the incoming striker to poke home. City had much of the better of the opening twenty minutes but as the half continued, Boro came more and more into the game. City were aggressive and determined though, especially in midfield and as the half-time whistle sounded, they were good for their lead.

Boro arguably had the better of the second half and even had a goal disallowed on the hour mark after Leroy Lita was adjudged to have handled prior to David Wheater's nod past David Marshall. City had to soak up some enormous Boro pressure but held out for the win and almost doubled their lead in injury time when Blake struck the bar.

Chronological Report

City started the game brightly, Ross McCormack earning them a free-kick inside three minutes on the left hand side. The delivery from the free-kick was poor but resulted in a corner and from that corner, Darcy Blake's lofted chip allowed Jay Bothroyd to slide in at the far post to knock home Gabor Gyepes' prodded pass.

GOAL: CARDIFF CITY 1-0 MIDDLESBROUGH (Bothroyd, 3mins).

City continued to pile the pressure on in the opening ten minutes, Adam Matthews seeing plenty of the ball down the right flank and delivering well to the front men when called upon. Blake was also holding his own in the centre of the park, denying a ragged looking Boro any time on the ball.

After a frantic opening fifteen minutes for the visitors, their passes soon began to find intended targets as City sat deeper in their own half. But Cardiff looked ever dangerous on the break, Gavin Rae at one stage almost playing Bothroyd through before last man Taylor alleviated the danger.

Michael Chopra had half a chance to double the Bluebirds' lead on twenty-five minutes after finding space in between Boro's central defensive pair of David Wheater and Steve McManus. Chopra looked to catch the retreating Danny Coyne off his line, but the former Welsh international was back quick enough to deny the striker.

Whereas Boro's back-line looked stretched, City's defensive quartet looked assured and solid. That was until the twenty-ninth minute, when miscommunication between Anthony Gerrard and Matthews almost allowed Jeremie Aliadiere through. Fortunately for City, under pressure from Gerrard, the winger blasted over.

The Bluebirds were showing great commitment and determination, winning the fifty-fifty challenges and chasing seemingly hopeless balls to keep the pressure on Boro. Chances at either end were proving few and far to come by, though an intriguing midfield battle was being played out between the two promotion chasing teams.

Some great interplay between Chopra and McCormack on the left of the Boro area almost resulted in a City second. McCormack lifted the ball towards the far post towards Chris Burke, but the Scot couldn't out jump a desperately retreating Taylor.

City continued to press, Chopra linking well with wingers either side of him, McCormack and Burke. Bothroyd almost got his second of the game on thirty-eight minutes after nipping inside Wheater, but the striker couldn't quite get enough purchase on a perfect Matthews pass.

Substitution Middlesbrough: Chris Killen on for Jeremie Aliadiere (40 mins).

City thought they had won a penalty on the stroke of half time. Burke beat three Boro defenders only to be brought down inside the area by Taylor - referee Deadman thought otherwise though and showed the midfielder a yellow card for what he perceived to be simulation.

HALF TIME: CARDIFF CITY 1-0 MIDDLESBROUGH

City looked for an early second goal straight from the kick-off and almost found it through Rae. Burke beat his man down the right hand side before delivering a measured cross, Rae sneaking in front of McManus only to head wide of Coyne's near post.

But Boro should have equalised on forty-eight minutes. Taylor delivered another superb ball from the left hand side towards the City near post, Leroy Lita finding space in front of Gerrard only to put a bullet header just over David Marshall's crossbar.

Substitution Middlesbrough: Rhys Williams on for Willo Flood (52 mins).

Burke ran directly at the heart of the Boro defence on fifty-four minutes, beating four men before being out-muscled inside the area and forced to poke a stubbed effort on goal towards Coyne. But it initiated a period of play for City in which they looked to get at Boro's shaky back four, Blake's thirty-range volley just before the hour mark the best of the efforts.

Boro thought they had equalised on the hour mark after Wheater steered a superb Barry Robson free kick past a stranded Marshall. But the referee's assistant deemed Lita to have handled the ball in flight and booked not only the striker, but the irate Robson for dissent. Gordon Strachan also had a stern talking to from referee Deadman.

Middlesbrough started to dominate the game after the disallowed goal, finding City sitting deeper than they had been earlier in the game. Lita found space for a snapshot inside the area on sixty-five minutes but Marshall was equal to it and blocked well down to his right.

Gerrard came close with a near post header with just over ten minutes to go, connecting with a Burke cross deep on the right. It was City's first chance for a while inside the Boro area as the visitors continued to threaten an equaliser. Robson struck a volley at Marshall from the very next attack and the returning Scottish 'keeper got down well to make a superb reflex save and keep the score the same.

Boro continued to press and on eighty minutes substitute Chris Killen was denied a tremendous goal by an even better Marshall save over the bar. An increasingly irate Strachan seemed to imply that the striker had been pushed in flight, but his protest was to no avail. Marshall was again forced into a dramatic save moments later, this time tipping over a Gary O'Neil free kick from thirty-five yards out.

In the closing stages the game became incredibly open and City's 1-0 lead looked increasingly fragile. The fourth official signalled there would be a minimum of four minutes of stoppage time and Tony Capaldi replaced McCormack with City defending a Boro long throw from deep on the left flank.

With seconds remaining, Chopra freed Burke down the right flank. Burke cut inside and played the ball into the path of the on-rushing Blake, his effort smashing the bar from eighteen yards out.

But City held onto their lead for a priceless victory against fellow Play-Off hopefuls. It was a hard fought result but one that when considering the level of determination shown by Cardiff from back to front, they more than deserved.

FULL TIME: CARDIFF CITY 1-0 MIDDLESBROUGH