Neil Warnock is still playing down Cardiff City’s chances of gaining automatic promotion, despite the mounting points tally and the fact that their chasers in the Championship are running out of matches.

The Bluebirds manager watched his team grind out a 1-0 victory at home to Bristol City in a game that was as numbing on the mind as it was on the fingers and toes.

But the hard-earned result – courtesy of Kenneth Zohore’s second match-winning goal in as many games – means Cardiff are again four points clear of Aston Villa and only six behind leaders Wolves.

Warnock, however, prefers to look downward to Middlesbrough in seventh place, the last play-off spot, who are now a massive 15 points behind Cardiff.

“We are now 15 points ahead of the team in seventh place and that has always been the target – to make the play-offs,” said Warnock.

“Anything else is a bonus, but we are pleased with our 16^th clean sheet because that was the target we set ourselves before the season started.

“We don’t have the Rolls Royces that others have in this division, but what we do have are players with effort and endeavour.

“We knew this game was never going to be pretty. The pitch was terrible, the wind was lively, it was the coldest day of the year and it was a local derby. We said at half-time it would be a sloppy goal that settled it and we needed to make sure it wasn’t us who conceded it.

“But I thought we deserved to just about shade it because we had the better opportunities.”

Under Warnock’s guidance Cardiff have honed a number of useful attributes, one of the most significant being their ability to win scratchy, often awful matches.

This was a case in point – a contest neither side appeared likely to win with the combination of a swirling wind, a rock-hard and bumpy surface, and blinding noon sunlight making for conditions that seemed beyond their mastery.

But, much like their 69-year-old manager, Cardiff have a relentless energy about them and their appetite was rewarded with Zohore’s goal nine minutes from time.

Joe Ralls won the ball deep in Bristol City’s defensive territory, forced his way to the byline, and when his cross was deflected into the path of Zohore the Danish striker powered a shot high into the net from eight yards. It was the 24-year-old’s second winning goal in five days, following his only goal of the game at Ipswich.

It was also a goal that characterised the determined and single-minded nature of Cardiff’s promotion surge that offers few frills, but plenty of power.

Bristol City weathered some early storms and created a few half-chances of their own, chiefly through the probing of midfielders Korey Smith and Joe Bryan. But their front pairing of Famara Diedhiou and Lois Diony lacked the dynamism of Zohore.

The Robins remain in the final play-off spot, but their manager Lee Johnson conceded that their chance of making to the automatic places has now gone with just one victory in their last 10 Championship matches.

Johnson admitted the match was not one that would live long in the memory for any neutral and said: “It was a stinker of a game. I got in for free and I still want my money back.

“I’m disappointed with the way we conceded the goal. But I’m pleased with how we stood up to a physical Cardiff team, yet we were mediocre on the ball.

“We’re competing for a play-off place now. You can’t have delusions of grandeur now. We have to finish top of our mini-league table and we’ll do that by playing our way.

“We have to concentrate on ourselves and give ourselves the chance to be successful and have a good year. I just said to the players how it is important they pay the game I want to play, because I believe in it.

“The squad has been hit by three or four injuries but I believe we can still play the way I want to play.
I don’t want the players to be struck by fear with our league position, this plan is long term for Bristol City, I will take the blame if it doesn’t work.”