By Paul Jones
Sabri Lamouchi has promised there are good times ahead for Cardiff City after guiding the club six points clear of the relegation zone.
The Bluebirds manager has overseen three victories in four games to dramatically alter the picture for a club which had previously not won since the start of November.
A 2-0 win at home to Bristol City has pushed Cardiff six points clear of Blackpool and just five behind fading Swansea City, who they will face in a derby clash on April 1.
Sory Kaba and Jaden Philogene scored the goals for Cardiff, who had goalkeeper Ryan Allsop sent off late on.
“It was a brilliant performance and a massive win for us,” said Lamouchi.
“I’m happy for the fans and players with back-to-back wins at home and there was a great atmosphere and unbelievable emotion.
“I’m proud about of what my players have done. They need to show to themselves what I’m thinking about them.
Perry Ng Keeps Clean Sheet as Goalkeeper
“They have the quality, and we just need more consistency and greater confidence. To get that we need more good performances, results and points. When that happens, they will play more freely.
“We were a little bit lucky in the first half not to concede a goal, but it was a serious performance. In the second half we controlled the game and deserved to score.
𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 🧤
A 2-0 win and a clean sheet for Perry! 😅#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/FFBkKiuEnn
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) March 4, 2023
“I’m just focused on my mission which is to end with three teams behind us and to bring out of the players the maximum they can give us, like today.
Allsop was sent off in the first minute of the six added on at the end of the game when he came out of his goal to try to smother an attack and claimed he had used his chest, rather than his hand to stymie Bristol.
Referee Matt Donohue immediately pulled out his red card and having used up their three windows for substitutions, the home side had to put defender Perry Ng into goal for the final five minutes.
He survived a free-kick just outside his area thanks to his wall and made one other save, but by then the Bluebirds were very much in the driving seat thanks to those second-half goals from Kaba in the 52nd minute and the outstanding Jaden Philogene in the 70th.
22,516 at Cardiff City Stadium today! Thank you, #Bluebirds! 💙💪👏#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/zgRxF13k2s
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) March 4, 2023
Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson said: “We had a few decent opportunities, but it was one of those frustrating performances when things just didn’t go for us.
“We didn’t move the ball quickly enough and we couldn’t find enough moments of quality in the match.
“It was a bit of a careless performance in some ways. The players have been brilliant over a sustained period. It’s not about being overly critical – we had plenty of the ball, but we didn’t show enough patience.
“When the chances came our way, we weren’t clinical enough. Our performances have been really good in recent weeks but we lost because the two goals we conceded we didn’t defend with the urgency we have had recently.
“It just turned out to be a frustrating day and a frustrating end to the week. We’ve gone a long time without a defeat and then we get two on the trot.”