Erol Bulut praised the progress of his Cardiff side despite being held to a goalless draw by Stoke.
The visiting Bluebirds dropped out of the Championship play-off fray after a frustrating afternoon in the Potteries.
Callum Robinson came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half as his deflected cutback ricocheted off the post.
And Ryan Wintle, who scored in the same fixture last season, nearly notched a late winner but was denied by Jack Bonham.
However, Cardiff still extended their unbeaten run to three games thanks to a third successive clean sheet, much to the pleasure of Bulut.
“I’m really happy with my players, they’ve made big progress,” said the Cardiff boss.
“It’s not easy for many players here when we remember the last two years with what’s happened and how we started pre-season and the first games.
“It’s not easy to change everything in a positive way. Right now we’ve done it but we need to continue in that way and keep believing in our target.
“We knew that it was going to be a tight game because Stoke have had three great wins against great teams.
“In the first half, we weren’t like what I expect from my team. The second half was so much better and in the end I’m happy with a point.
“We have to look forward and it’ll be good for us to keep our run of clean sheets.
“We had more shots on the goal and we were closer to scoring a goal than Stoke. We had enough chances to score but, in the end, we didn’t.
“Second half, we were much better in our offensive shape but the last pass was not good enough.
“We pressed them higher and got more chances in the second half. If we started like that, maybe the result would have been different.”
Despite three successive wins prior to the tie, Stoke were limited to a solitary shot on target.
However, boss Alex Neil was still encouraged as his resurgent side kept a third consecutive clean sheet of their own.
“A point was probably a fair result but obviously we wanted to win it,” said Neil.
“We played extremely well in the past three games and all our chances today came in the first half.
“We had two or three really good chances to score but unfortunately didn’t take any.
“If we take a chance then it becomes a different game, but then in the second half we played ourselves into trouble when we were trying to play.
“We were wasteful with the ball more than what we’ve been, and that’s the biggest thing I’ll take from the game.
“I put five different players on the pitch to try and influence the game and give us the impetus in the match, but they’re not an easy team to play against.
“The lads are despondent and disappointed but I’m happy with that return [of 10 points from four games].
“That’s the type of game last year that we’d have lost, where we didn’t take our opportunities and then it turns and we end up losing the game.
“If you can’t win, don’t lose. They didn’t deserve to win based on our chances in the first half and we didn’t deserve to win based on our second half.”
Mbappe's Madrid move nears but Deschamps focused on France collective
Kylian Mbappe will draw plenty of attention as speculation swirls over an impending move to Real Madrid, but France head coach Didier Deschamps is not one to place much focus on his superstar forward.
The France international is reportedly readying to complete his switch to Madrid, after announcing the 2023-24 campaign will be his last with Paris Saint-Germain.
Los Blancos are not expected to confirm the deal until after Saturday's Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, though focus will swiftly turn to Euro 2024 later next month.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Mbappe dominated the line of questioning – but Deschamps remains unbothered by the speculation and acknowledged he is content to "adapt" to the situation.
"It doesn't depend on me," the Les Bleus head coach said as impatience grows for Mbappe's move to be announced in the Spanish capital.
"They will decide when it will be time to make it official. As far as possible, I will adapt to the collective and the French team."
Mbappe leaves Paris with 256 goals across his seven seasons, including 42 in the Champions League, as Luis Enrique prepares for life without the 25-year-old.
Adding in 96 assists for the Ligue 1 champions, Mbappe's 352 goal involvements rank as the most for PSG this century – ahead of Edinson Cavani (236) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (210).
"You don't think he's in good shape... He only scored 44 goals in the season, he could have done better," a teasing Deschamps added.
"He played in a Coupe de France final, he's active."
Though Mbappe remains the focus of European football interest, Deschamps has no intention to treat the attacker any different to his France team-mates.
"The context in the French team is different, I'm not going to pay more attention to him in relation to that aspect," the veteran boss continued.
"But I understand that from the outside, the media aspect in relation to [the club's] decisions and the announcement, it takes up a lot of time."
Deschamps will hope his France team can focus solely on their upcoming Euro 2024 campaign soon, which they start against Austria on June 17.
The Les Bleus manager wants to have qualification sealed by defeating Austria and Netherlands, before a final group-stage meeting with Poland.
"I am a positive person, and I am driven by the idea that every day that goes by brings us closer to a positive response," he said. "Everything will be done to make sure things go as smoothly as possible."
Bompastor named Chelsea Women head coach after Hayes departure
Sonia Bompastor has been appointed as Chelsea Women's new head coach, replacing Emma Hayes at Stamford Bridge.
Hayes oversaw a fifth straight Women's Super League title for the Blues this season but departed to take up a role with the United States Women's national side.
Bompastor was expected to come in as the replacement for Hayes, with the announcement confirmed on Wednesday as Chelsea managed to strike a compensation deal with Lyon Women.
The 43-year-old, who has signed a four-year deal with Chelsea, leaves the French side after a successful three years in charge, winning three league tiles and the Women's Champions League in 2022.
"The sporting directors and I conducted a thorough and considered recruitment process to identify Emma’s successor," Chelsea's general manager Paul Green said of the appointment.
"Sonia's vision, coaching philosophy and winning mentality made her the outstanding candidate.
"She is a world-class coach with a proven track record of success on the biggest stages that will instantly command respect from the dressing room."
Bompastor won seven trophies during her time with French heavyweights Lyon but lost the Champions League final last Saturday against Barcelona.
She was capped 156 times by the French national team before retiring in 2013, and subsequently becoming the first woman to win the Champions League as a player and coach after her success with Lyon.
Assistants Camille Abily and Theo Rivrin will join Bompastor as Chelsea prepare for a new era without Hayes, who departs the Blues after a 12-year spell that yielded 14 major domestic titles.
'It's a great honour', Kompany smiles after Bayern unveiling
Vincent Kompany admits "it's a great honour" to have been named Bayern Munich's new head coach, and is confident "success will follow" at the Allianz Arena.
The former Burnley boss has put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the Bundesliga giants, after succeeding the outgoing Thomas Tuchel.
Kompany's appointment is widely regarded as a surprise one, with the former Manchester City captain unable to keep Burnley in the Premier League in 2023-24.
Nevertheless, the Belgian now finds himself at one of Europe's biggest clubs, and cannot wait to get started.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of FC Bayern," he told the club's official website. "It's a great honour to be able to work for this club - FC Bayern is an institution in international football.
"As a coach, you have to stand for what you are as a character: I love having the ball, being creative - but we also have to be aggressive and courageous on the pitch.
"I'm now looking forward to the basics: working with the players, building a team. Once the basis is right, success will follow."
"Vincent Kompany is the type of coach who fits in very well with FC Bayern's playing philosophy and identity," sporting director Christoph Freund added.
"His teams want the ball, and want to play dominant and high-intensity football. He's a young, very ambitious coach with a lot of international experience.
"He has his finger on the pulse when it comes to the players and knows exactly what needs to happen on the pitch. He can and will give our team an enormous amount."
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