by Mark Denham from Cardiff City Stadium

Snapshot: The Bluebirds could only take a point on Saturday against a Blackpool side who did more than enough to win the game themselves.

City started very brightly, much of their attacking play going through Josh Magennis making his first Cardiff start. The Bluebirds took the lead on nine minutes through Captain Mark Hudson and with this it seemed City would go on to dominate the game.

But on the half hour mark, Magennis was forced off through injury with what later proved to be a fractured fibula. Blackpool began to come in to the game following the striker's departure and going in to half-time could have found themselves level.

The visitors didn't have long to wait to be on level terms after coming out for the second half. Some suspect City defending saw the back four part, allowing Charlie Adam to breeze through and strike past a helpless David Marshall.

As the game went on it was Blackpool who seemed the more likely to take the points. Ben Burgess had two great opportunities to win it for the Seasiders who pressed City in to defending for their lives. The game finished 1-1 and in fairness, City should perhaps feel fortunate that they came out of the fixture with a point.

Chronological Report: One of the few fixtures not to fall foul to the big freeze on Saturday kicked off as scheduled at Cardiff City Stadium, the Bluebirds kicking off from left to right against Blackpool attacking the Canton End. City looked to attack early on, Josh Magennis seeing plenty of the ball in attack on his first competitive start. Blackpool however, looked organised in defence, despite their publicised defensive crisis.

City took the lead in the ninth minute of play from a well-worked set piece. Chris Burke was tripped on the right hand touchline by Charlie Adam allowing Peter Whittingham to bend a free-kick in to the area; the ball evaded the entire Blackpool defence including goalkeeper Paul Rachubka, allowing captain Mark Hudson to nod home at the far post.

GOAL: CARDIFF CITY 1-0 BLACKPOOL (Hudson, 9).

Blackpool threatened to crumble following the goal, almost allowing Ross McCormack to score an immediate second through some more woeful defending. But the visitors held out, and stabilised as the half pressed towards the quarter of an hour mark, finding joy in the middle of the park on occasions where the Cardiff midfield were found wanting.

The visitors' first half -chance came after twenty-two minutes following some neat interplay between Keith Southern and David Vaughan. Charlie Adam played Southern through, allowing his midfield partner to slide Vaughan in to the penalty area on the right hand side; Vaughan shot well, though his effort was blocked effectively by the retreating Anthony Gerrard.

City won a corner on the twenty-five minute mark and indirectly from it, Magennis came as close as he could without scoring. The big centre forward caused havoc inside the area and with a well placed header struck the bar with Rachubka beaten.

Magennis continued to be the focal point of this game, consistently outwitting centre-backs Butler and Baptiste to allow those around him to prosper. A marvellous leap and nod down for McCormack allowed the Scot to swivel and lob Rachubka, his effort dipping just the wrong side of the crossbar.

Unfortunately for Magennis, his game came to a premature end just after the hour mark after challenging for a fifty-fifty ball. Warren Feeney replaced Magennis after returning to the City squad following his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the week.

Substitution Cardiff City: Warren Feeney on for Josh Magennis (34 mins).

Alex Baptiste saw his header pushed away by Marshall on thirty-five minutes with Blackpool unfortunate not equalise from a well worked corner. Moments later, Peter Whittingham saw his thirty-yard free-kick curl just wide of Rachubka's upright with the 'keeper flailing. City looked capable of sealing up this game, but the visitors continued to look able to pull it back in their favour and twice came close through Keith Southern and Gary Taylor-Fletcher.

The game had changed following the departure of Magennis, though Warren Feeney did well to play the holding striker role as the game as the game drew towards half-time. City were winning, perhaps they should have been by more.

HALF TIME: CARDIFF CITY 1-0 BLACKPOOL

The Bluebirds couldn't have had a worse start to the second half, conceding inside the opening minute to Blackpool's Charlie Adam. The Bluebirds' defence seemed to part in the middle with indecision, Adam having the easiest of strolls through the middle to slot home past Marshall.

GOAL: CARDIFF CITY 1-1 BLACKPOOL (Adam, 46).

Substitution Cardiff City: Adam Matthews for Chris Burke (52 mins).

Blackpool had the bit between their teeth and a thirty-yard Neal Eardley free-kick came close to giving the visitors an advantage that earlier in the game they never looked like getting. Marshall did well to push the effort over the bar, though the Seasiders were starting to dominate.

Out of nowhere, City hit the post. Adam Matthews picked the ball up on the far right before cutting inside and striking low and hard towards goal. Rachubka was beaten, though Matthews' effort rebounded for a throw deep in Blackpool territory. But the Seasiders continued to boss the game, Ben Burgess having two opportunities inside the penalty area in quick succession with which he should have done better.

A neat midfield move on sixty-eight minutes led to McCormack testing Rachubka with a stinging low effort. City began to play with more urgency as the half progressed, packing the midfield more and looking to break from deep. It continued to be an enthralling game which either side could snatch.

Hudson thought he had scored his second of the game after tucking home a loose ball from a Whittingham corner. The referee deemed that Rachubka had been fouled however, and the skipper was denied his second. Following the passage of play, Dave Jones introduced Michael Chopra as City looked for that elusive winner.

Substitution Cardiff City: Michael Chopra for Ross McCormack (74 mins).

Substitution Blackpool: Barry Bannan for Gary Taylor-Fletcher (76 mins).

Substitution Blackpool: Daniel Nardiello for Brett Ormerod (76 mins).

Some unusually loose Blackpool defending allowed Whittingham a strike from outside the area with seven minutes left on the clock. Rachubka looked to be struggling in the Blackpool goal, though Whittingham couldn't strike his shot cleanly and it bobbled harmlessly wide.

A superbly engineered Burgess strike tested Marshall with just three minutes on the clock, highlighting Blackpool's intent on taking a game that was theirs for the taking. Marshall pushed the effort wide of the post but City looked to be hanging on. Whittingham saw another free-kick turned away in injury time by Rachubka, but this effort proved to be the last of a very even game.

FULL TIME: CARDIFF CITY 1-1 BLACKPOOL