MALKY: THE BEST WE'VE PLAYED IN PARTS
Malky Mackay took great pride in his squad’s double over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday – two Fraizer Campbell headers proving the difference in the game at Molineux.
“Wolves are a very good team, a big squad and came down from the Premier League at the end of last season,” he said. “So to come here and to have played in the way we did, leaving here with all three points in front of two and a half thousand of our travelling fans gives me great pride. Parts of the first half were as good I think we’ve played all season.
“It’s good to pick up a result after the loss in midweek. Tuesday night I was really pleased with the way we played, creating twenty chances on goal against a good Brighton teams means you’ve done well. But obviously off the back of the defeat that followed, people around us were looking for us to slip up again when we came here, hoping for a Cardiff wobble.
“It makes it doubly pleasing to take maximum points, especially coming to a difficult away ground like Wolves. They’ve got the spotlight of pressure on them at the moment and our win here puts us on a positive footing going into next weekend and another difficult away test at Middlesbrough.”
Cardiff were in total control during the first forty five minutes, though it was no shock to Mackay to see his side face more of a test over the second half.
He explained, saying, “Wolves had to throw a degree of caution to the wind in the second half, changing how they played by bringing two quality front men on. They had to come at us and gamble, something I’d have been very surprised if it had not happened. They were always going to have a twenty minute spell of sustained pressure, but I thought overall we were excellent in the way we controlled and kept the ball today, even in the six minutes of added on time.
“My players saw the game out very well and maintained recent form. We restricted Wolves to a deflected free-kick, along with the single chance for Ebanks-Blake, while we also had some very good chances at the other end to finish the game off ourselves, making the game more comfortable.”
City missed out on being able to include Tommy Smith for the game, while skipper Mark Hudson was also withdrawn during the second half.
“Mark rolled his ankle and will have to be looked at over the first few days of next week,” Malky explained. “Tommy meanwhile suffered with sickness this week, so it was best to leave him out for the trip.”
The headlines however will go to Fraizer Campbell after his brace against the surprise Championship strugglers. It comes after a quick introduction to his new squad, Fraizer adapting well to his new surroundings after a lengthy spell on the side-lines at previous club Sunderland.
“Like anything, the longer players work together, the more they develop an understanding for how each plays,” Malky said. “For Fraizer, he’s a month into a new club and it’s not something you can force. But he’s a talented and intelligent footballer who has Premier League and International experience, helping him to get up to speed more quickly. The fact that both Fraizer and Craig are good footballers, with great attitudes makes the whole process that much easier.”
A trip to promotion chasing Middlesbrough comes next, but for Cardiff City under Malky Mackay, the job at hand is about maintaining the professional attitude that has seen them lead the division over recent times.
“We count down the games, but only looking at the next team in front of us, like everyone else,” he said. “You have to maintain a healthy respect for everyone you play in this league, without which you would quickly sink like a stone. We next have to recover and prepare properly, working had on the training ground before another tough match on Saturday. We maintain a business like attitude at the club, taking each game as it comes.”
