By Paul Jones

Neil Harris still insists Cardiff City can pass teams on the way up the Championship, even though his team is back in reverse gear.

The Bluebirds manager was in defiant mood, despite losing at home for the fifth time this season after a Sergi Canos’ hat-trick gave his Brentford side a 3-2 Boxing Day win.

Cardiff are now back in 12^th spot, have lost three of their last four games, and are seven points adrift of the play-offs.

The club’s chairman, Mehmet Dalman, said after the last transfer window that he expected the team to be in the top six at the turn of the year . . . or else.

Actually, he didn’t spell out any consequences. He didn’t need to. But Harris will know that mid-table for much longer is unlikely to be tolerated, even if he reckons his team can motor pass six other teams before the regular season ends.

Losing five times at home already this season is not a hopeful sign. The leading five teams in the table have all lost at home just once.

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“The way we are going at the moment we are not going to make the top two,” admitted Harris.

“The aim at the start of the season was to make the top six and that’s where we want to be.

“It grew last year and we had to close the gap and go past teams. We will go past teams this year, but you can’t let teams get away from you.

“We have to respond against Wycombe on Tuesday and Rotherham on Saturday, because we want to build momentum and consistency.

“Other than winning four games in five, we haven’t had any consistency all season. We have to address that quickly.”

Cardiff scored first and last through Will Vaulks’ brace – including his extraordinary 60-yard opener – but ended up empty-handed against a Brentford side on a high after their Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Newcastle.

Harris added: “For 49 minutes I thought we were bloody excellent. Our discipline without the ball and game plan were spot on.

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“We contained them to next to nothing and we were comfortable in the game. We got a worldie goal from Will Vaulks and then we threw three goals into our own net – I am lost for words, really.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank was full of praise for the character shown by his side as they fought back from a goal down and extended their unbeaten run in the Championship to 14 games.

A second-half hat-trick from Canos may have earned Brentford the points but Danish manager Frank told his players as they took to the field after the half-time break – when they trailed 1-0 to Vaulks’ wonder goal – that they were not going to lose.

“We were okay in the first half but then they scored a spectacular goal. After that, we moved up to another level,” said Franks.

“I didn’t think they had much in the second half apart from set-pieces. They are strong and always good at set-pieces.

“Our attitude, hard work and togetherness was bang-on today. We really stepped up in the second half.

 

A boxing day cracker from Will Vaulks! 💥

This surely has to be goal of the season? 🤔#CardiffCity #Bluebirds pic.twitter.com/BeDh4v7jRI

— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) December 27, 2020

“As the players went out for the second half I told them we aren’t going to lose the game. We played quicker, took less touches and took the throw-ins faster.

“We showed a lot of character – we are confident, but humble.”

Frank was happy to single out Canos for special praise after the 23-year-old Spaniard turned the game on its head in the second half after Cardiff had taken the lead with a stunning goal from Vaulks.

The Wales international scored from six yards inside his own half in the fourth minute of added time at the end of an otherwise very ordinary first half.

But Canos then struck three times in the space of 23 minutes after the interval to put Brentford in the driving seat.

“The first goal was an incredibly difficult technical skill. The second was another wonder goal, while the third one was maybe a cross, but don’t tell anyone,” said Frank of Canos.

“He has come back from a big injury and people should not doubt how difficult that is. But he has never been fitter and better than he is now and this will give him a massive confidence boost and hopefully take him onto the next level.”