Wigan Athletic 1-3 Cardiff City: Mark Hudson continues unbeaten run as Robinson, Ojo and Wintle goals down Latics
The Bluebirds travelled up to the DW Stadium for this weekend's instalment of Championship action
By Glen Williams
Mark Hudson's unbeaten start to life as interim Cardiff City manager extended to three matches thanks to a 3-1 triumph at Wigan Athletic.
The Bluebirds earned back-to-back wins for the first time this season and have rocketed up to mid-table over the last week thanks to the seven points they have gained since Hudson took the reins.
Cardiff took just seven minutes to gain the lead after some lovely play from Niels Nkounkou allowed Callum Robinson to bury his first chance of the afternoon, notching his second goal for the club in the process.
And, thanks to a devastating counter-attack, Cardiff seized control again. Once again it was started by Nkounkou, who fed Callum O'Dowda and he found substitute Sheyi Ojo in the box and the forward gladly slotted home.
There was late drama, though, when Charlie Wyke headed home late on, but Ryan Wintle sealed all three points when he smashed in his first goal for the club from a free-kick in injury time.
The big team news was the inclusion of Tuesday night's goal hero Mark Harris in a forward line alongside Robinson and O'Dowda, an opportunity he has very much deserved.
With Mahlon Romeo out, Perry Ng was shifted to right-back, while Joe Ralls came in for Romaine Sawyers to add a little bit of steel to the side.
And the team got off to a flying start. They looked the sharper and more dangerous of the two sides and that soon yielded the game's opening goal.
While Niels Nkounkou divides opinion, there is no doubting the left-back's ability with the ball at his feet and it was that quality which led to Robinson's goal. Nkounkou fed the striker and played a lovely one-two before zipping an inch-perfect ball into Robinson's path. The Irishman ran on to it and buried it past Ben Amos before making a beeline to the home fans and making an ear-cupping gesture to them, much to their disgruntlement.
That goal sparked the hosts back into life, though, and they enjoyed the better chances from then onwards. The most glaring of which came in the 12th minute, just five minutes after Robinson's opener.
Josh Magennis, once of Cardiff of course, smashed a low cross just begging to be tapped in by Charlie Wyke, but the striker's clean-air shot meant the golden opportunity was spurned.
Just minutes later they were left ruing another big chance after skipper Tendayi Darikwa squared a cross to Will Keane, who dragged a first-time effort wide of the mark from 18 yards out after pulling away from his marker.
The Bluebirds did fashion another great chance before the half was over, though. Robinson flicked a ball over the top and into Harris' path before the Welshman headed the ball to get it under his control. It looked a glaring opportunity, but Harris flashed his chance across the face of goal and wide of the mark, prompting anger from Robinson, who was unmarked and would have had just a tap-in to double the lead if his strike partner had seen him in the middle of the box.
Unfortunately, that was the goal-scorer's last action of the match as he could not shrug off an earlier injury he had sustained and Robinson was replaced by Sheyi Ojo minutes before half time.
The first chance of the second half fell to Cardiff thanks to a lovely ball over the top from Perry Ng. Callum O'Dowda was the target and the winger drove inside with the ball as City hit the Latics on the break, however his shot from a tight angle was saved well by Ben Amos in the Wigan goal.
Cardiff had far more energy at the start of the second half and that showed when Nkounkou once again dazzled with a stunning counter-attack. The left-back danced past three players before poking a ball through to O'Dowda. The winger hit a pinpoint cross and found Ojo, who bundled home from close range to double the lead.
Just minutes later, Cardiff thought they hard a third. Harris was found with a ball into the box and he smashed a low shot across goal, which Amos parried into the path of Wintle to tap home. But the official on the far side had his flag raised to deny Wintle his first Bluebirds goal.
There was a late scare thanks to Charlie Wyke, who headed home Tom Naylor's cross to cut the deficit with a little more than five minutes left to play.
But Cardiff could finally breathe a sigh of relief when, in injury time, Ryan Wintle hit a stunning free-kick over the wall and into the corner of the net to bag the points for Cardiff.
Hudson would have snapped your hand off for seven points in his first three games in charge and that is how it has transpired. Another impressive display, this time on the road, and City can start looking up that table once again.
Cardiff City XI: Allsop; Ng, Kipre, Simpson, Nkounkou; Wintle, Ralls (Sawyers 77), Rinomhota; O'Dowda (Nelson 86), Harris (Etete 77), Robinson (Ojo 41).
Subs: Alnwick, Sang, Philogene.
Wigan Athletic XI: Amos; Darikwa (Tilt 70), Kerr, Whatmough, Bennett (Naylor 70); McClean (Scully 81), Power, Shinnie; Keane, Magennis (Broadhead 70), Wyke.
Subs: Tickle, Aasgaard, Fletcher.
Attendance: 10,340 (1,203)
Wigan Athletic WIGAN 1 - 3 CARDIFF Cardiff City
HT 0-1
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