Cardiff City Res 0 Hereford United Res 2 Photos: Wayne Crichton
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Kevin McNaughton proved his fitness for a return to Championship action when he came through 45 minutes of Cardiff City's reserve match against Hereford.
Full back Naughts, sporting a bristling new moustache, did enough in the first half to put himself in contention for a place in the starting line-up at Barnsley on Saturday when City will go in search of more promotion points.
He is one of several City players showing their support for the Movember charity, which collates support and donations via an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men's health issues, specifically prostate cancer.
The moustache was looking fine and so was Naughts, as he showed with a saving tackle in City's penalty area as Hereford's Lee Morris was about to shoot, and some surging runs down the left.
Now he is in line for a first-team comeback at Barnsley after being out since repturing ankle ligaments in the July friendly with Celtic which marked the official opening of Cardiff City Stadium. He was approaching full fitness last month, but his return was delayed by a slight calf strain.
Naughts said: "I'm feeling fine. The half I played today was another step forward for me.The big thing is to get match practice because you can only get so much out of training.
"This injury has been a nightmare. It's the longest I've ever been out. I've had a couple of hamstring injuries during my career, but the longest I've been out before this was eight weeks. I need to get back in action, I'm hopeless as a spectator. I went to the Swansea match and didn't enjoy it at all, although the result certainly didn't help.
"The nearest I've been to the first team this season was when I was on the bench against Palace, but I didn't get on the pitch. Now I'm looking forward to Barnsley. The lads have done a brilliant job to get us into third position and if I'm picked, I want to help us push on from there."
Hereford's second string dominated the opening period against City, whose starting line-up for the game at the Vale training ground included McNaughton, Riccy Scimeca, Solomon Taiwo, Warren Feeney,Tony Capaldi and Miguel Comminges.
Matt Done shot the Bulls ahead on 13 minutes when he scored from close in, and City's first attempt of note did not come until the 33rd minute, when Capaldi shot over from 25 yards. Two minutes later, Feeney's shot flashed across the Hereford goal after good work by Taiwo.
On 37 minutes, City keeper Jordan Santiago saved a clever attempt by Lee Morris to back heel a goal, and seconds later he pulled off a fingertip save from Matt Mansett. But City were lucky to escape two minutes from half time when Morris headed wide from a precision cross by Johnny Godsmark.
Hereford looked set to go two up on 65 minutes, when Santiago dramatically saved a wickedly rising shot from Idris Pongo. But the keeper was beaten on 85 minutes when Done scored his second goal from Morris' free kick.
Cardiff City: Santiago, Meades, McNaughgton, Scimeca, Comminges, Last, Wildig, Taiwo, Feeney, Bichard, Capaldi.
