Warnock hoping to ‘prove people wrong’ by keeping Fulham at bay in the race for automatic promotion
Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock says he’s hoping to ‘prove people wrong’ by holding on to second spot.
Jokanovic’s men are currently on a run of 22 games unbeaten, but it is still in Cardiff’s hands with a one-point gap still in pace.
Fulham, however, face already relegated Sunderland at home on Friday night and they can pile the pressure on the Bluebirds ahead of their trip to face a resurgent Hull on Saturday.
NEIL WARNOCK:
And for Warnock, who sees tonight’s game as a foregone conclusion, the pressure is already on. He said: “I don’t think anyone can see anything happening other than a win tonight and Birmingham won’t have anything to play for.
“It’s down to us. When you look at our run, we’ve played all the big teams. When I looked in February, I thought if we could be close after such a difficult run of games then we can’t ask any more than that.
“We haven’t had any rub of the green with the referees, I still look back at Millwall but I think every club will feel like that at this stage of the season.
“It’s still in our hands and they’re great bunch of lads. We get over disappointments and get on. You can’t dwell on it. It’s very unlike us to make the mistakes we made there and I don’t expect us to make them again.
The Bluebirds looked a shadow of themselves in the second-half on Tuesday night with a usually reliable defence falling apart against Derby.
There were defensive errors aplenty at pride Park, and such errors at the Kcom stadium against a free-scoring Hull City could hand Fulham control heading into the final day of the season.
However, Warnock didn’t need to give his players the hair-dryer treatment after Tuesday’s defeat and for him, it’s quite clear where things went wrong.
“They don’t need any talking to, our lads,” added the Yorkshireman. “If I’m really honest, the three substitutes I made, it made us a lot worse.
“I don’t think it helps our cause at all. We tried to give a new lease of life at 1-1 and it didn’t work out like that. We missed Gary (Madine) more than anyone.
“We are punching above our weight and we have to try to play like that. What will be will be.
“There are certain things that shouldn’t have happen but if I have my way then they won’t happen again. But it’s not just Cardiff City, it’s all over the world. If you lose concentration, you get punished.”
For the Cardiff City faithful, it’s an unbearable situation, especially give the collapses they’ve seen at the club in the past.
It feels all too familiar that the Bluebirds are starting to lose their grip with just two games to go and that mentality of letting an opportunity slip is starting to set in.
But as Warnock is quick to point out, Cardiff have already defied the odds to get into this position and with two games to go, they only have to rely on themselves.
“To be in our situation, there’s a lot of teams below us who would snap our hands off. They said this morning, when I was listening, that it’s quite a remarkable story, really.
“I’ve been really proud for most of the season and they’ve not let me down.
“It would be the best, the most difficult achievement I’ve ever had, to get us up. It’s still a good achievement just to get where we are! Only when you’re behind the scenes that you realise what we had to do to get us here.
“It’s quite possible we will fall at the last hurdle, but I think we’ve had a great season anyone and the fans will as well. It’s surprising what happens at this stage of the season.
“In the past I’ve felt the pressure but the only pressure on me is that I want to get an eighth promotion. I just think it’s an amazing feat what we’ve done this season.
“Not many people get the opportunity to do what these lads have the opportunity to do, so I just hope they grasp it.
“I can’t do any more than just prepare them for that and give them a chance, but for us to be on a par with the clubs that I’ve mentioned is quite amazing really, and we’re going to do our best to stay up there.”
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.