Media Wales:
By Glen Williams
Cardiff's record against Birmingham was excellent heading into the match, having not lost to them in their last 10 meetings. But Wednesday night was a stretch too far. A lacklustre performance that sees the Bluebirds keeping an ever-firmer eye on the January transfer window.
Rubin Colwill was handed his first league start of the season against the Midlands side after a number of bright showings off the bench in recent weeks, forcing Callum Robinson out of the side in the process. While Kion Etete was also rewarded with a start after a positive outing against Millwall at the weekend.
Yakou Meite was also named out on the right flank, meaning Josh Bowler dropped to the bench. Joe Ralls was omitted from the squad all together with what we understand to be a minor injury he picked up in recent days.
And Cardiff were forced into an early change, with Perry Ng feeling his head and going down twice in the opening 15 minutes. It meant Mahlon Romeo was called into action earlier than he anticipated. But he made a positive impact on the right-hand side, teaming up well with Meite and Etete further ahead of him to get City up the pitch.
It was through that channel Cardiff got their first major chance. Meite got the better of Lee Buchanan and fired in a low cross to Etete, who slid in but put his effort over the bar under pressure from Blues defenders.
John Ruddy was scarcely called into action, despite Cardiff looking far more fluid than they were on the weekend against Millwall, however a well-hit free-kick from Ryan Wintle found Dimitrios Goutas' head, but his effort was palmed away by the Blues stopper, who was at full stretch.
The Bluebirds were clearly in the ascendancy as the game ebbed towards the break, which made it all the more surprising when Birmingham hit them with a sucker punch just before the whistle blew to signal the end of the first period.
Cardiff were at the other end of the pitch, away from goal, when Etete appeared to be fouled near the corner flag. Nothing was given and Birmingham, in stoppage time, broke rapidly upfield. Siriki Dembele, who had caused issues down Birmingham's right, chopped inside and found Bacuna on the far side. The midfielder, brother of ex-Cardiff man Leandro, rounded Alex Runarsson, perhaps too easily, and tapped home on the stroke of half time.
Bulut threw caution to the wind after the break, making positive substitutions with Callum Robinson and Josh Bowler coming on, but if anything it make Cardiff more disjointed. They couldn't string passes or meaningful attacks together and it invited counter-attacks from the opposition.
There was no real threat, no presence up top when the game got to the thick end. All in all, it was wholly disappointing and Cardiff will need to show much better at Sheffield Wednesday on the weekend.
Cardiff City XI: Runarsson; Ng (Romeo 14), Goutas, McGuinness, Collins; Wintle (Robinson 59), Siopis; Meite (Ugbo 76), Colwill, Grant (Tanner 76); Etete (Bowler 59).
Subs: Alnwick, Panzo, Adams, Rinomhota.
Birmingham City XI: Ruddy; Sanderson, Roberts, Aiwu, Buchanan; Bacuna (Donovan 90), James, Bielik, Sunjic; Dembele (Miyoshi 90), Stansfield (Jutkiewicz 86).
Subs: Etheridge, Hogan, Gardner, Longelo, Oakley, Khela.
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