The Championship’s promotion race continues to head towards one of the most dramatic finishes in its history after the division’s three leading teams all failed to win their midweek matches.
Leicester are top on goal difference and have a game in hand on second-placed Ipswich, while Leeds sit a point behind in third.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how the race could play out.
Leicester (1st, played 41, 88 points, +42 goal difference)
Run-in: Plymouth (a), West Brom (h), Southampton (h), Preston (a), Blackburn (h).
Leicester looked virtually promoted two months ago and were 17 points ahead of Leeds at the turn of the year.
However, a 3-1 loss at Elland Road in February was damaging – it followed a home defeat to Middlesbrough – and Tuesday night’s setback at relegation battlers Millwall means they have now been beaten in five of their last nine league matches.
Their rivals both dropped points in midweek to leave them in pole position with a precious game in hand, but the Foxes must regroup quickly as they look anxiously over their shoulder.
Ipswich (2nd, P42, 88pts, +32GD)
Run-in: Middlesbrough (h), Hull (a), Coventry (a), Huddersfield (h).
It is easy to forget this is Ipswich’s first season back in the Championship and when they scored a winner in the seventh minute of added time against Southampton at the start of this month, back-to-back promotions felt closer than ever.
But that win was followed by a 1-0 defeat at derby rivals Norwich and after Leicester and Leeds had both dropped points on Tuesday, they missed the chance to climb back into top spot as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Watford.
And their next three fixtures are against sides bidding for a play-off place.
Leeds (3rd, P42, 87pts, +43GD)
Run-in: Blackburn (h), Middlesbrough (a), QPR (a), Southampton (h).
Daniel Farke’s men were unbeaten in the league in 2024 until last weekend when that run was halted at play-off chasing Coventry.
Leeds remain undefeated at home all season, but they were further frustrated on Tuesday in a goalless draw against Sunderland at Elland Road.
In Crysencio Summerville they have the division’s outstanding player with 17 goals and eight assists, but Leeds must quickly rediscover their creative flair after one win in their last four games has allowed fourth-placed Southampton to close the gap on them to nine points with two games in hand.
Hull FC have parted company with head coach Tony Smith following a disastrous start to their new Betfred Super League campaign.
Smith’s side were thumped 56-22 at home by Huddersfield on Saturday, leaving them second from bottom of the table with just one win from their first seven games.
Smith and his assistant Stanley Gene have left their roles by mutual consent, with assistant coach Simon Grix and head of emerging talent Francis Cummins taking charge on an interim basis.
Hull FC chairman Adam Pearson said: “On behalf of everyone associated with Hull FC, I would like to thank Tony and Stan for their contribution to the club during their time with the first team.
“They have worked tirelessly and it is disappointing to have had to come to this decision, but it is one I feel is right at this time. I wish them both well for the future.
“There will be further restructuring of the club in the coming days and we will update further in due course.”
Smith, 57, made a controversial switch from rivals Hull KR at the end of the 2022 campaign but his first season in charge did not go to plan and included an embarrassing 0-40 derby defeat at the MKM Stadium.
The 2024 season has brought further heavy losses, with the single exception of a hard-fought 24-20 win over relegation favourites London Broncos in early March.
Smith, also the vastly-experienced former coach of Huddersfield, Leeds and Warrington, said he was disappointed not to get the chance to try to turn the club’s fortunes around.
“I want to wish the club and all of the players well for the future,” he said.
“It is disappointing not to see the job through, which was always going to be a challenging project, and I was relishing the opportunity to see it through.”
Christian Williams’ anxious wait is over after his well-fancied Kitty’s Light snuck into the final line-up for the 2024 Randox Grand National.
Bidding to be the first Welsh-trained winner of the race since 1905, Kitty’s Light was one of a trio of National candidates left sweating after Monday’s confirmation stage.
Eklat De Rire, Chambard and Kitty’s Light were amongst a plethora of runners allotted a rating of 146 for the big race but with that trio seeing their official handicap mark dropped to a figure of 145 since the weights were unveiled in February, a random ballot would have been required to determine which two of the three would take their chance in the world’s most famous steeplechase.
However, as envisaged earlier in the week, the Melling Chase-bound Conflated came out of the race on Thursday meaning no ballot is required and all three of Eklat De Rire, Chambard and Kitty’s Light will face the starter on Saturday afternoon.
Conflated is the only absentee from the previous top 34, meaning 2022 winner Noble Yeats will carry the burden of top weight, with Gary Moore’s Welsh Grand National winner Nassalam next in, as he provides a first ride in the race for leading conditional Caoilin Quinn.
Defending champion Corach Rambler heads the betting as Lucinda Russell and jockey Derek Fox both seek a third win in the Aintree showpiece and the Cheltenham Gold Cup third bids to join the likes of Red Rum and Tiger Roll as a back-to-back Grand National winner.
Last year’s runner-up Vanillier is one of two in the race for Gavin Cromwell, who will also saddle Cheltenham Festival scorer Limerick Lace, the chosen mount of JP McManus’ retained rider Mark Walsh.
The Irish challenge is boosted by Willie Mullins’ eight contenders, with McManus-owned pair I Am Maximus and Meetingofthewaters both high up in the betting and bringing strong form claims.
Capodanno is another Closutton contender wearing green and gold, with Mr Incredible also among the market leaders for the perennial Irish champion trainer.
Panda Boy has the chance to give Martin Brassil a second victory in the race, while John McConnell will saddle his first-ever National contender in Coral Gold Cup second Mahler Mission.
Delta Work – third in 2022 – is the leading name amongst Gordon Elliott’s eight runners, with Henry de Bromhead’s Gold Cup winner Minella Indo set to be Rachael Blackmore’s mount and adds a touch of class to the contest.
As well as the previously mentioned Eklat De Rire, De Bromhead will also be represented by Ain’t That A Shame, the mount of amateur David Maxwell.
Former French champion jockey James Reveley will return to the Aintree fold aboard James Griffin’s Roi Mage, who was seventh in the race 12 months ago.
Dan Skelton’s game mare Galia Des Liteaux forms part of the small British challenge and is one of those towards the bottom of the weights with strong form on testing ground to her name.
Skelton also oversaw the preparations of Latenightpass on behalf of good friend Tom Ellis this season, with the 11-year-old set to be Ellis’ first ever runner as a licensed trainer after hastily joining the professional ranks for the chance to saddle his Aintree specialist on Saturday afternoon.
Eldorado Allen (Joe Tizzard) and Mac Tottie (Peter Bowen) are the other British-trained contenders.
The first round of the 88th Masters has been delayed by at least an hour due to bad weather at Augusta National.
South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen was due to hit the opening tee shot at 8am local time (1300BST), but rain was already falling when tournament officials announced at 5am that play would not get under way on time.
“We continue to monitor the weather closely,” an official statement read.
“Gate openings and tee times have been delayed until further notice. The first round will not begin before 9 a.m.”
Thunderstorms, heavy rain and winds gusting up to 45mph were all forecast for Thursday.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood has been drawn in the final group in round one for the second successive year, but he will not let the uncertain weather affect his preparations.
“I generally wake up and take the weather for what it is, just go out and play with the conditions we get, but I’ve heard the forecast is pretty bad,” Fleetwood, who is without long-time caddie Ian Finnis this week due to illness, said.
“The conditions are going to play a part in how the golf course plays and what happens there, so we’ll see.”
Cesc Fabregas believes Arsenal could go on to dominate English football in the coming years if they can get over the line in this year’s Premier League title race.
The Gunners currently lead a three-way battle with Liverpool and Manchester City, sitting on top of the table ahead of the Reds on goal difference.
Having fallen away from the title race last season, Mikel Arteta’s side are sticking around and former midfielder Fabregas says the mindset will change by becoming winners this term.
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“Obviously you can imagine what it will mean. More than just winning a title but the belief will be back, the trust between the players and the staff and the fans and the whole club,” the Spaniard, who played over 300 times for the Gunners, told the PA news agency.
“The family that was there when I was there will be back, the moments of ‘we are strong and we know we can win’; at the moment it is a little bit ‘are we ready are we not’?
“If they can manage to win the first one, I believe it could become a constant threat for Arsenal to be challenging for all the top titles.”
Arteta, whose side drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, came under pressure at the start of his tenure as his project took time to come to fruition.
But the Gunners stuck with him and Fabregas, who is now assistant manager at Italian Serie B club Como, says his former club are an example of how to do things properly.
“It is all about Edu and the owners giving him the time and the right tools to prove himself,” he said.
“When this happens, the structure, the vision and the trust comes together and things happen. That is why I am happy.
“I always use them as an example, the first two years of Mikel, in any other club or someone else managing the situation could have just got rid of Mikel and said ‘we are moving to another direction’.
“But they had a clear plan, a clear process, they had the right steps, they invested in young quality players and now you get all the results of these ups and downs of the first two or three years.
“They are there, they have done really well and they are a proper example of how football should be done.”
Fabregas will be donning his boots again as he has signed up to Enterprise’s ‘Rent-A-Player’ campaign, where he will join a lucky five-a-side team in the UK for one night only.
The 2010 World Cup winner knows all about the physicality and passion of English football after long spells at Arsenal and Chelsea, so knows to bring his shin pads.
“For me it will be a great experience, he added. “Talking to people, seeing different views of football. I guess it’s like street football and exchanging stories, thoughts, experiences. It is going to be fantastic.
“I will definitely be taking the shin pads because these games are very competitive, you never know where it might lead.”
:: Entry to Enterprise’s ‘Rent-A-Player’ competition closes on Friday, April 12, with applicants in the UK able to enter via enterpriserent-a-player.com
What the papers say
Newcastle United have put two defenders on their radar in Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo, according to the i. Both players will be free agents in the summer.
Chelsea have identified Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as their top target this summer but will have to make room for the Nigerian to join the club, Football Insider says. Osimhen has scored 12 goals in 19 games and had three assists for Napoli in the Serie A this year.
The i reports that Lille manager Paulo Fonesca is at the top of the pile if the club decides to part ways with manager David Moyes. West Ham are sitting in seventh in the Premier League table with 13 wins, nine draws and 10 losses, just one point behind Manchester United.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Crysencio Summerville: Leeds United’s 22-year-old winger will be in high demand in the summer transfer period with Liverpool, Tottenham and now Bayer Leverkusen interested in his services, according to Teamtalk.
Georgiy Sudakov: Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City are interested in the Shaktar Donetsk midfielder with the club considering selling the 21-year-old, HITC says.
Nikola Jokić scored 41 points on 16-of-20 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday to take a one-game lead in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Jamal Murray added 20 points in 27 minutes and Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points with eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who split the four-game season series with the Wolves. Denver needs to finish ahead of Minnesota and Oklahoma City to earn the No. 1 seed for the second straight season.
The Nuggets parlayed the top seed last year into a 10-1 run at home in the playoffs on the way to their first NBA title.
Anthony Edwards scored 25 points but was a non-factor in the fourth quarter and Mike Conley added 19 for Minnesota, which had won four of five.
Denver closed the third quarter on a 9-1 run to take an 83-80 lead into the fourth. The Nuggets’ second until extended the margin to 91-87 before Jokic and Murray returned with 7 ½ minutes left, and Denver used a 10-0 spurt to pull away.
Mavericks clinch Southwest Division
Luka Dončić scored 29 points and Kyrie Irving had 25 as the Dallas Mavericks secured the Southwest Division title with a 111-92 win over the Miami Heat.
Doncic fell just shy of his 22nd triple-double of the season with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Derrick Jones Jr, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford each scored 12 points for the Mavericks, who will face the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. It will be the third opening-round matchup between those teams in the last four seasons.
Tyler Herro scored 21 points for Miami, which fell to 20-19 at home this season after going 24-17 on the road.
Portis leads Bucks without Antetokounmpo
Bobby Portis collected 30 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five steals and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence for a 117-99 win over the Orlando Magic.
Damian Lillard had 29 points and eight assists and Pat Beverley had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Bucks, who played a night after Antetokounmpo suffered a strained left calf that will sideline him the final three games of the regular season.
Milwaukee is 1 ½ games ahead of the Knicks and two in front of Cleveland in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Cole Anthony scored 23 points for Orlando, which has lost two straight and three of four.
Rugby Australia and New South Wales Waratahs terminated Israel Folau’s contract over discriminatory social media posts on this day in 2019.
The then 30-year-old was warned about his behaviour the year before, but avoided any disciplinary action, for making homophobic comments on his social media channels.
Folau was reminded of his social media obligations by RA chief executive Raelene Castle and there were also threats from sponsors of the Australian national team that they would withdraw support following his posts.
An RA statement read: “As a code we have made it clear to Israel formally and repeatedly that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action.
“In the absence of compelling mitigating factors, it is our intention to terminate his contract.
“Whilst Israel is entitled to his religious beliefs, the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport. We want to make it clear that he does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts.
“Israel has failed to understand that the expectation of him as a Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs employee is that he cannot share material on social media that condemns, vilifies or discriminates against people on the basis of their sexuality.”
In this latest incident, a message published on Folau’s Instagram account read that “hell awaits” for “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolators”.
Folau said on Instagram: “Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him.”
Folau featured in 73 Tests for Australia and was signed with the Waratahs for another three years in a deal that ran till 2022, but had his contract terminated early.
The ex-Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Broncos and Catalans Dragons full-back now plays for Japan Rugby League One club Urayasu D-Rocks and represents Tonga at international level under a new rule that allows him to represent the country of his parents’ birth.
Play on the first day of the 88th Masters could be disrupted by the weather as Rory McIlroy makes another attempt to complete the career grand slam in Augusta.
Thunderstorms, heavy rain and winds gusting up to 45mph are all in the forecast as golf’s first major of the year gets under way on Thursday afternoon.
McIlroy tees-off in a heavyweight group that also features world number one – and heavy tournament favourite – Scottie Scheffler at 3.42pm BST.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood has been drawn in the final group in round one for the second successive year, but he will not let the uncertain weather affect his preparations.
“I generally wake up and take the weather for what it is, just go out and play with the conditions we get, but I’ve heard the forecast is pretty bad,” Fleetwood said.
“The conditions are going to play a part in how the golf course plays and what happens there, so we’ll see.”
Here, the PA news agency goes through what you need to know ahead of day one.
Is there anything new for 2024?The par-five second has been lengthened by 10 yards via the addition of a new tee which has been pushed further to the left, slightly increasing the angle of the dogleg left.
Amendments have also been made to the fourth and sixth greens to allow for more pin positions on the upper right-hand side.
Who are the favourites?The top three players in the world rankings occupying the same place in the betting may suggest a lack of imagination from the bookmakers, but it is hard to argue with their logic.
World number one Scheffler has finished first, first and second in his last three PGA Tour events, while McIlroy’s lesson from Butch Harmon resulted in third place in the Valero Texas Open on Sunday.
Jon Rahm’s form is harder to assess following his switch to LIV Golf, but the defending champion had four straight top 10s at Augusta from 2018-21.
Key tee times (all BST)1530 – Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap
1542 – Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
1824 – Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
1836 – Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim
1900 – Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood
A cold front is forecast to bring a band of rain and scattered thunderstorms through the region between 6am-1pm local time on Thursday.
Heavy rainfall and occasional wind gusts of 40-45 mph are anticipated over this period.
A lull in precipitation should occur behind the cold front between 1-4pm before scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms drift back into the region for the late afternoon and evening hours.
Jackson Holliday had a relatively quiet MLB debut, but teammate Jordan Westburg capped a four-run seventh with a three-run homer to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a come-from-behind 7-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Triston Casas’ two-run homer in the fifth inning extended Boston’s lead to 5-0, but Baltimore answered with three runs in the sixth.
Colton Cowser delivered a two-run single and Westburg doubled before Holliday’s ground out scored him.
Cower is 3 for 8 with six RBIs in the first two games of this series.
The Orioles scored four runs in the seventh off Chris Martin, with a wild pitch scoring one run before Westburg’s blast to center made it 7-5.
The 20-year-old Holliday – baseball’s top-rated prospect - went 0 for 4 with an RBI and two strikeouts in his debut.
After Cole Irvin gave up five runs in five innings, the Orioles’ bullpen pitched one-hit ball and struck out nine over the next four innings. Craig Kimbrel fanned two in a perfect ninth for his second save.
Surging Royals pound Astros
Vinnie Pasquantino homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Kansas City Royals to their sixth straight win, an 11-2 rout of the Houston Astros.
Pasquantino entered 4 for 37 with four singles and no RBIs before going 3 for 3 with a single, double, homer and a walk.
His two-run double ignited a seven-run third inning, and he homered an inning later to put the Royals up 8-2.
Seth Lugo limited the Astros to two runs and seven hits in six innings for Kansas City’s ninth quality start in 12 games – the most in the majors.
Naylor brothers power Guardians
Bo Naylor and Josh Naylor had RBI hits in the 10th inning after the brothers both homered earlier and the Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Josh Naylor doubled home the tying run in the 10th and Bo Naylor singled to score pinch-runner Tyler Freeman to complete Cleveland’s comeback from a 5-0 deficit.
Bo Naylor hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Josh added a two-run shot later in the inning to draw the Guardians within 5-3.
Cleveland improved to 9-3 for its best start since going 11-1 in 2002.
Gavin Sheets hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs for the injury-riddled White Sox.
Jrue Holiday and the Boston Celtics have agreed to a four-year, $135million contract extension.
The deal was reported Wednesday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The 14-year veteran has been an integral part of the Celtics' success in his first season in Boston.
In 68 games, the 33-year-old is averaging 12.5 points, a career-best 5.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists for a Celtics team that has already clinched the top seed throughout the NBA play-offs.
Boston acquired Holiday in early October from the Trail Blazers, four days after he was traded from Milwaukee to Portland in the blockbuster three-team deal that saw the Bucks land eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard.
Holiday, who is a two-time All-Star, has career averages of 16.1 points per game, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.44 steals, and is considered one of the NBA's best defenders.
He is a five-time All-Defensive selection and has been a finalist for defensive player of the year each of the last three seasons.
Hull boss Liam Rosenior and Middlesbrough counterpart Michael Carrick are both adamant a top-six finish in the Championship remains within reach despite denting each other’s hopes.
An entertaining 2-2 draw between the sides at the MKM Stadium on Wednesday left them both six points adrift of the play-off spots, with Middlesbrough in ninth, one place ahead of Hull.
But with Hull having five matches of the campaign to play and sixth-placed Norwich and Boro both having four, Rosenior was refusing to draw a line through his side’s season.
“We need to take it to the wire and we have an opportunity to take it to the last day,” Rosenior said. “As we know anything can happen on the last day. Norwich have got tough games, we’ve got tough games.”
Rosenior, though, rued Hull’s inability to take three points despite outplaying for Middlesbrough for large spells after falling behind to Emmanuel Latte Lath’s sixth goal in his last eight matches.
Hull got on top and were well worth a leveller through Jaden Philogene’s cross-cum-shot while Seny Dieng then played Lewis O’Brien into trouble, which allowed Jean Michael Seri to steal in and put the Tigers deservedly ahead before half-time.
While Hull had opportunities to extend their lead, Boro had the final say as a swift break was finished by Finn Azaz, whose 71st-minute strike deflected off Alfie Jones before nestling in the net.
Rosenior added: “It’s the same story, I’m really proud of 99.9 per cent of the stuff we do but we just don’t take advantage and then we shoot ourselves in the foot.
“It’s what could end up – I’m not saying has done – costing us something that is so attainable with this group. That’s the painful thing at the moment for the lads and everyone involved in the club.
“We can see the potential is there but potential is nothing, you have to turn it into results. If we consistently play at that level for the next five games, we’ll come really close.
“We have to be perfect. I don’t mean by winning five games, I mean by managing moments. We have an outstanding football team at this level but we consistently haven’t taken advantage of the moments.”
Despite Middlesbrough walking away with just one point, Carrick was incredulous when asked if he and his side are still optimistic of finishing sixth or higher.
He said: “You’re kidding, aren’t you? Of course we are. One hundred per cent. It’s pretty obvious we’ve got to win the next game. Nothing’s changed from before this game.
“Norwich took a point (in a 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday), us and Hull have taken a point. There are games to play.
“Anything can happen in this league so there’s no way we’re giving up on anything just yet.”
Rotherham manager Leam Richardson was left perplexed by referee Geoff Eltringham’s decision to award West Brom a penalty in the Baggies’ 2-0 win over the already-relegated Millers at the Hawthorns.
Brandon Thomas-Asante had handed the promotion-chasing hosts a 23rd-minute lead before Eltringham pointed to the spot when the striker’s shot struck Lee Peltier, though replays showed he was outside the box and the ball appeared to strike his face.
John Swift netted the resulting penalty in first-half stoppage time to settle the Championship fixture.
Richardson said: “I’ve not seen that before. The assistant was maybe 10 yards away looking down the line of it. Then he goes and books my assistant manager (Rob Kelly) for telling him ‘the linesman can help’. It was a wrong decision, and a poor one in my opinion. It changed the full outcome of the game.
“The first goal we gave away was poor, but then I thought the second one changed the whole complex.
“Someone said in another interview that those decisions go against you when you’re down there, but that’s a disgusting way of looking at it. You should have a consistency of professionalism regardless.
“I never question anyone’s integrity, but I can’t explain that decision.
“We’ve had a number of similar decisions and apology letters, but I have no interest in that. You can’t get those decisions wrong.”
Asked if he would report the match officials, Richardson said: “What? And get another apology letter?”
Richardson’s opposing number Carlos Corberan, who has guided West Brom into fifth and nine points clear of the chasing pack with four matches left to play, said he had not seen a replay of the incident.
“I didn’t see the action back,” he said.
“I knew from the level of the protests from the players and the staff, I understood that there was no doubt that it was the wrong decision. In these situations, you always want fair decisions.
“Later in the game there was another decision, maybe a foul on Asante inside the box, that the referee didn’t whistle.
“If the referee did something wrong, he can, let’s say, compensate for this, but during the year, unfortunately the referees haven’t had the support to guarantee the right or wrong decisions. Live, they need to make quick decisions.
“Sometimes they make mistakes because everyone does. It happens in your favour sometimes, sometimes not. We have, this year, received a lot of wrong decisions against us, which we don’t want in the same way we don’t want any type of advantage in the decision.
“If the action wasn’t a penalty, it’s a pity, but hopefully it’s a compensation of something that we have suffered from before.”
Interim Birmingham boss Gary Rowett rued a missed opportunity to move out the Championship relegation zone after the Blues were beaten 1-0 at home by Cardiff.
Rowett’s side would have moved out the bottom three with a point but Josh Bowler’s 65th-minute goal earned Cardiff victory at St Andrew’s.
The result leaves Blues 23rd in the table with just four games of the season remaining.
“When you have an opportunity, you have to do everything you can to take that opportunity and we just didn’t do that,” Rowett said.
“We petered out with a little bit of a whimper and it’s incredibly frustrating and frustrating for the fans who came out in good numbers.
“I thought we started OK and I thought we had some good control and I felt we got into some good areas without finding the quality to open them up.
“We’ve given goals away far too easily, we’ve conceded soft goals, tonight we had a chance to react to their goal and we didn’t react.
“We lacked character in that second half and how the game ended.
“We know we’ve got another tough game on Saturday and we need to show a little bit more urgency, fight and character.”
Cardiff, who remain in 11th position, lost midfielder Aaron Ramsey to injury.
The Wales midfielder started his first match for the Bluebirds since September but was substituted at half-time because of a hamstring problem.
Manager Erol Bulut said: “He had an injury with the hamstring so we hope it is not something big and we will see after a scan.”
Bulut was happy with his team’s display against a difficult opponent.
“It was a good game from our side, of course it was not an easy game because Birmingham are fighting for points,” Bulut said.
“It was a strong game from us against the ball and we could have made one or two more goals if we would have finalised our passes or the last shot but in general, I am satisfied with the performance of the team.
“We now have four more games and I hope it can be the same like today.”
Bulut believes it has been a satisfying season for the Bluebirds, but inconsistencies have been their downfall.
“You see where Cardiff City was last season and where they are now and how we have progressed, I am satisfied with the season and the performance of many players, but it could be better,” Bulut said.
“We have not had the consistency and so maybe we could be closer to the play-offs.”
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