By Steve Garland

How many times have opposition players and managers alike warned of the 'Ninian Park effect' in recent years. Robin Van Persie and Arsene Wenger eluded to it before Arsenal's FA Cup Fourth round tie earlier this season and Leeds United have experienced it many times in the last few years.

So why was it so badly lacking against Roy Keane's Ipswich Town side last Saturday?

City still need that one point this Sunday to secure a play-off spot and give the club another chance to give Ninian Park the send off it deserves.

Last Saturday's celebrations fell rather flat as Roy Keane's Ipswich walked away with a 3-0 victory, grinning like they had just eaten all the cake at a kids birthday party. But that just has Roy Keane written all over it doesn't it. Only put in charge of the club a few days previous, what did look like a good chance of three points for Cardiff soon became a much more daunting task with news of his impending arrival.

And so it proved leaving the final trip to Hillsborough no longer preparation time for the Play-off campaign but a tough game Cardiff must get a point from to ensure their season does not end and give them a chance to redeem their Ninian Park farewell.

After all, the football club is sacrificing part of its identity made up from all the Ninian triumphs over the 99 years of its reign. Brian Clark's header against Real Madrid, the visit of the Pope in the eighties, Scott Young's last minute winner against Leeds, are all memories echoed time and again from fans asked about their favourite past time.

So was it the Ninian gods acting on Saturday to ensure Cardiff get in the Play-offs, giving itself that last vitally important game rather than the standard league affair against Ipswich. Let's hope it was.

Many fans still do not want to leave the old ground but understand that a new swanky more commercially viable Stadium is a must in order to progress. What they do not want is that electric Ninian atmosphere to be replaced by the silence of the prawn sandwich brigade.

Unfortunately the experience of other clubs suggests the latter will happen, with only Stoke City seemingly bucking the trend and now has their new (ish) stadium ranked as the loudest in the Premier League.

Many sides of late have endured the emotional final season at their old tattered ground, taking in the one last roller coaster ride it brings with its final season until being demolished into just a distant memory, the grounds history looming above like a gravestone of its past.

But in the commercial thirsty world of football now, it is a must if you want to be a top-flight club.

Ninian Park just has not got the space to host the top flight in any way. The media and press conferences are held in what most would describe as a portacabin, the broadcasting gantry requires you to be an athlete to climb and reach it and if they got promoted to the Premier League with no new ground, the capacity of Ninian Park would have to be reduced to just 15,000 signalling the end of its terraces.

But that is just what Ninian Park is all about and what is becoming rather lacking in today's safety conscious world of football. Ninian has its own personality. So even though it will be a sad day to see the ground disappear the new ground is needed if we want that Premiership status and a new ground can certainly bring success.

Clearest evidence of that can be found at Hull City. When they left their old Boothferry Park ground in 2002 they did so with a 1-1 draw against Lincoln City in lowly League Two, averaging attendances of below 10,000.

Now at the Kingston Communications Stadium, the Tigers are a Premiership side taking on the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in front of crowds of 25,000+ forgetting that just a few years previous it was a very different scenario.

But, ironically, relegated Southampton were in a better position in the league pyramid when they left their old home the Dell in 2001, than they are now. The Saints left the Dell in style, producing a brilliant display to see off Arsenal 3-2 in the final league game to be played at the old ground. Matt Le Tissier produced a stunning last minute winner to sum up the last 15 years of football at the Dell with just one swing of his left foot.

The prospects looked good for Southampton who left for an all-new 32,000 capacity St Mary's stadium but not all has gone to plan. Getting relegated from the Premier League for the first time in 2005 and now will drop to the leagues third tier after going into administration and being docked the subsequent 10 points.

The Saints will now boast one of the biggest stadiums in League One but will only even come close to filling it if they challenge for promotion immediately next season. Many fans will wish they still had the Dell to intimidate their opponents and push them back up the football pyramid.

A side that has managed to transfer its atmosphere and intimidation to a new ground is Stoke City who moved from the Victoria Ground to the Britannia Stadium in 1997, a ground that this season was officially rated as the loudest in the Premiership.

The Britannia then is the example that Cardiff need to follow to ensure that twelve man is still present for every home game. The Potters have managed to transfer the atmosphere to the Britannia and fans have gradually started to accept it as their home, so why not Cardiff?

It will take time to get used to the new surroundings, there is no doubt about that. But if it is done right and Cardiff can maintain the same sort of atmosphere there is no end to what the club could achieve with its move over Sloper Road.

The new stadium has a ground level concourse designed for a 60,000 seater stadium, double what there will be when it opens in July, truly signalling the ambition and potential of the club.

But it is a potential that as yet as not been realised and it needs to start on Sunday and spark a revival from the Bluebirds to go into the play-offs with at least some sort of confidence.

It would be brilliant to start life in our new ground in the Premiership and fill it every week, something that arguably won't always happen if we are still in the Championship next season.

So fingers, toes, legs, anything you can cross this Sunday as Cardiff fans head north to Hillsborough for that one last point to secure a play-off place and that one last chance of a good Ninian Park send off.

After all, the old dog must have one last trick up its sleeve, right.