Article: Chris Nokes
Cardiff travel to Turf Moor on Tuesday to take on Burnley, one of the form teams of the division, and Dave Jones will be looking to take three points from the trip which will place them above the Clarets in the Coca-Cola Championship table. Dave was speaking to the press in an interview that can be seen in full on Cardiff City World.
Burnley have, no doubt, been one of the most talked about clubs in the Coca-Cola Championship this season after victories over Premier League sides Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal have seen them book a place in the Carling Cup semi-finals.
Their league form hasn't been bad either, with the Clarets sitting in 4th place after Saturday's 3-2 victory over Sheffield United. Dave Jones was asked about Burnley's recent run and said, "Every time I'm asked about the next game it's always that the opposition are 'on fire'. It just shows how tight this division is and we've just got to do what we always do and that's try to win football matches."
Ahead of the game, Dave was asked on the fitness of two key strikers for the Bluebirds in the form of Michael Chopra and Ross McCormack. Ross was substituted 36 minutes into the 2-0 win over Preston on Saturday and Dave was able to give us the latest update on the Scottish international.
"He's gone for a scan this morning, so we'll just have to see what the result of that scan is," he said. "But if I say he'll be back in a week or a month I'd be lying. To make it clear, it's not the same injury as he had earlier. It's a hamstring problem, but not in the same area it was last time."
Ross' replacement on the weekend was Michael Chopra who managed to get on the score sheet with a 76th minute penalty and seal the victory for the Bluebirds. This seemed remarkable given Dave's run-through of his preparation for the game.
"We hadn't seen him until Saturday morning because of injury and illness," Dave admitted. "He had had no training and was ill, so it was a risk. But I thought he played well and scored the goal. It did look like he was running on empty at the end though. But he is well now."
One bit of news all Bluebirds fans will be delighted to hear is that of Tony Capaldi and his possible involvement in the game on Tuesday. The Northern Ireland international has been out since the end of August and Dave was pleased to have the defender back.
He said, "Tony looks good in training. The only down side is we have no idea what's going to happen in a match situation. But if he's needed, we know we've got him back. There are a few other players we need a look at like Mark Kennedy who took a knock and Kevin McNaughton's having treatment on his back. But Eddie Johnson should be back today and that's a boost."
Watch the whole interview on Cardiff City World and hear Dave's view on Joe Ledley, the effect of Burnley's Carling Cup run and the importance of patience.
