MALKY: A BIG CHANCE FOR ETIEN

Slovenian comes into squad for final home fixture

Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay sat down to talk to press ahead of another big occasion for the club, as the Bluebirds will be presented with the nPower Championship trophy after the clash with Bolton at Cardiff City Stadium.

“We want to get the highest points total we can get,” Malky said. “We’ll lift the trophy this weekend and that’ll be another great occasion for us, but the fans will have to restrain themselves and not run on the pitch so the players can have their moment.

"As far as the game is concerned, Friday morning was a normal morning. We’ve talked about Bolton in the same way that we do for every game. There’s no way that we’re going on holiday yet – we owe it to everybody in the league to go about our fixtures in the correct manner. There’s promotion and relegation to be settled.

“We’re slightly light up front with Fraizer, Heidar and Nicky still out. We’ll welcome Etien into the squad this weekend, so it’s a big chance for him, while it’ll be a big moment for Mark [Hudson] to lift the trophy. He’s been a monster for us during the two seasons that I’ve been here and I’m delighted for him that he will get to lift the trophy for this City.”

And with the summer transfer window approaching, it was inevitable that Malky would be asked about potential transfer targets for the club. He insisted that the compatibility of any player to his group would come first and foremost ahead of whether they were home-grown or came from overseas.

“We’re looking for good players,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. You look to see whether they would fit in with the group, and whether or not they will come.

"If we bring players in they have to integrate and be better players than the ones we’ve got now. If we can find good players from abroad then we’ll absolutely look at that. Finance makes a big difference, especially given the current market here in Britain.

“The Premier League is a quicker division, it’s stronger and more athletic, and the technique is better. I think the big difference is you get punished for every mistake. I think we’ve got to be ourselves – hard work is a given. You saw the way Borussia Dortmund worked against Real Madrid this week, and we’ll have to take influence from that.

"You have to be prepared for every game – there’ll be runs of games where we play two or three of the top teams in the country, but there will also be some great times as well."