City returned to winning ways against the Trotters on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Omari Kellyman and Chris Willock securing the three points in an important fixture in South Wales.
Brian Barry-Murphy made three changes to the side that drew with Peterborough United, with Dylan Lawlor, Alex Robertson and Chris Willock coming into the starting XI.
The hosts dominated possession and opportunities in the opening half but were unable to break the deadlock.
In the opening minutes of play, Chris Willock flicked the ball onto Omari Kellyman, whose shot was saved by Jack Bonham. The visitors struggled to keep the ball out of their half after this; Alex Robertson had several chances in the first half, with his long-range shot, which forced a diving save from Bonham, being the best of them.
In the twentieth minute, Perry Ng crossed the ball and found the feet of Robertson. His shot looked destined to find the back of the net, but the midfielder’s effort struck the crossbar. Robertson had the chance to break the deadlock again soon after, though his effort was driven wide. City continued to push for the opener in the closing stages of the first half. Ng came close with a curling effort before Willock’s effort went over the bar. Ollie Tanner’s effort was the last of the half as the sides went in level at the interval.
City carried this momentum into the second half. Early on, Joel Bagan’s well-placed corner found Kellyman, who planted his header into the corner in front of the Canton Stand. Before the stadium had finished celebrating, Robertson played a lovely ball to Willock on the wing, who cut in from the left and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, doubling the advantage.
As play continued, Bolton had a sight of goal through Sam Dalby’s header, before Tanner’s shot was denied through Bonham’s strong save at the other end. The visitors later won a free kick, with the taker finding the path of George Johnston, whose effort went off target.
The hosts were happy to control the possession, as Barry-Murphy brought on fresh legs, including a CCS return for Yousef Salech following his injury. With six minutes of added time to play, Ryan Wintle almost made it three, with only a last-second defensive block stopping it. City subsequently saw out the remainder and secured an important three points.
City are back in action on Tuesday. They face Huddersfield Town away from home with a K.O. time of 7:45pm.
FINAL SCORE: CARDIFF CITY 2-0 BOLTON WANDERS
Cardiff City: Trott, Fish, Bagan, Wintle, Kellyman (Salech 88’), R. Colwill (J. Colwill 77’), Tanner, Willock (Scanlon 77’), Robertson (Turnbull 77’), Ng, Lawlor. Subs Not Used: Turner, Kpakio, Robinson.
Bolton Wanderers: Bonham, Johnston, Sheehan, Dalby, Gale (Apter 59’), Osei-Tutu, Toal, Dempsey (Rodrigues 59’), Conway, Christie (Cozier-Duberry 59’), Burstow (Ritchie 83’). Subs Not Used: Harrington, Forino, Lawrence.