CARDIFF manager Malky Mackay became the latest manager to take his team to the top of the npower Championship on Tuesday but insisted it would be wrong to get too excited with early-season form.
Mark Hudson fired home a 57th-minute decider to give Cardiff a 2-1 home win over Birmingham, while previous front-runners Brighton slipped up.
Craig Bellamy’s 38th-minute opener was cancelled out by Leroy Lita’s 54th-minute equaliser for the visitors, before Hudson bundled home a cross from Peter Whittingham to take his side above the Seagulls.
Mackay said: “I was delighted tonight. I always knew it was always going to be a tough game for us.
“It’s nice to be up there but it’s about being consistent. There’s a long way to go so nobody’s getting carried away about being top of the table.”
Mackay enthused over the performance of veteran Bellamy, the 33-year-old former Liverpool and Newcastle forward proving instrumental in the victory.
The Bluebirds boss said: “I thought he was like a 20-year-old at times. His closing down is exceptional.
“Everything starts with hard work. If you look at things slightly differently sometimes you see other traits in players other than to just say he is a good player.”
Gus Poyet’s Brighton needed a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 home draw with struggling Ipswich. Daryl Murphy converted a Carlos Edwards cross in the 27th minute but substitute Will Buckley levelled with 10 minutes to go.
Poyet, whose side lost to Birmingham at the weekend, said: “The players are really down about the result but they shouldn’t be. It wasn’t our best day but they could not have given more.”
Brighton dropped to third, behind improving Leicester who handed Huddersfield their second consecutive home defeat with a 2-0 win.
Anthony Knockaert scored two spectacular goals for the Foxes and manager Nigel Pearson said of the young French midfielder: “He is a talent but it’s important we don’t put too much expectation on him. We can’t afford to build him up to knock him down.”
Wolves missed the chance to also leapfrog Brighton as they were undone by two Wilfried Zaha goals for Crystal Palace at Molineux.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake gave the home side a 53rd-minute lead but Zaha’s efforts in the 67th and 73rd minutes gave Palace a 2-1 win.
Blackpool rediscovered form with a dramatic 3-2 win over Hull at the KC Stadium, the winner coming from Nouha Dicko.
Kevin Davies scored twice for Bolton in a 2-2 draw with Leeds at the Reebok Stadium, while bottom-placed Peterborough continued their revival as goals from George Boyd and Tyrone Barnett gave them a 2-0 victory at Barnsley.
Gianfranco Zola’s Watford won 2-1 at Charlton, and Charlie Austin’s hat-trick for Burnley was only enough to earn a 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Turf Moor.
Bristol City and Millwall shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate. Steven Davies put the home side in front and Darius Henderson equalised with a 38th-minute header.
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