MASON: FANS DRIVE US FORWARD

Cardiff’s goal hero Joe Mason spoke to press after firing City seven points clear at the top of the league with a victory away at Birmingham.

“It was a scrappy game”, said the young striker. “The pitch wasn’t great so we couldn’t really play our usual game, but we got the win and that’s what we came here for.”

“Like most of my goals it was a tap-in! As a striker you’ve always got to anticipate if the 'keeper’s going to drop it. No-one else followed in but luckily I did and got the goal. We know we can play a lot better than we did today, but that makes it all the more pleasing to get the result.”

And Joe was full of praise for the City fans that made the journey up to the Midlands, adding: “The following we had today was unbelievable. We could only hear our fans to be honest and they really do drive us on in tough games like these.

“Today was a difficult game but we came through it. The manager has instilled that resilience and 'never say die' attitude into us this year and in games like today that’s what you need. Being seven points clear looks good but we’ve got another tough set of matches coming up now and we’re just concentrating on those.

“When I knew I was starting today, the first thing in my mind was ‘can I get a goal?’. Obviously the main thing was to get the result, but for me personally getting back on the score sheet will do wonders for my confidence. Last year I got 12 goals and this year I’m going to try and beat that. Although I’m not playing as much, I’ve just got to take my chances when I can.” 

And with this game down, Joe turned his mind to Saturday’s FA Cup clash with Macclesfield Town, saying: “Hopefully I’ll get another chance to play against Macclesfield. Some other players on the fringes might get a game as well, which is always important as a chance to impress the manager.”