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.”
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Sporting CP boss Amorim apologises for holding West Ham talks
Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim has publicly apologised for holding talks with West Ham, who view the 39-year-old as a contender to replace David Moyes at the end of the season.
This week, widespread reports said Amorim had travelled to London for talks with the West Ham hierarchy, as they weigh up their options ahead of Moyes' contract expiring in June.
Moyes delivered the Europa Conference League trophy to the London Stadium last season but has long struggled to win over sections of the Hammers' fanbase, and a poor run of form has seen their hopes of European qualification fade in recent weeks.
Amorim, who led Sporting to the Primeira Liga crown in 2020-21 and looks likely to oversee another title triumph this term, has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in the past.
He was roundly criticised for making the trip to London while still under contract, and on Saturday he admitted the visit was a mistake.
"So, let's get the elephant out of the room and I'll talk about it once," Amorim said in a press conference to preview Sunday's trip to Porto.
"The first thing is to say that the club was aware of my trip. It's important and changes the context.
"Then, let's talk about the 'cloak of secrecy' that surrounded the trip... I 'secretly' parked the car outside, secretly walked past 15 people and took photographs, then got on a plane behind the club's back.
"It didn't happen in secret or without permission. Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn't seem right at the time.
"It was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one's actions can overpower the team. I have removed players from the squad for much less.
"It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it. It didn't seem so bad at the time but thinking about it later, it's very clear.
"Now it's time to move on. I apologise to the Sporting fans, the staff and, mainly, to my players for the mistake I made."
Wilder laments "complete lack of leadership" as Blades' relegation confirmed
Chris Wilder feels his Sheffield United side's "complete lack of leadership" has been a key factor in their relegation from the Premier League.
The Blades will be playing Championship football next term after a dismal one-season return to the Premier League in which they have won just three of their 35 league outings.
Sheffield United's 25th league defeat of the season confirmed their relegation as they were hammered 5-1 away at Newcastle United on Saturday despite Anel Ahmedhodzic putting them in front at St James' Park.
A drubbing ensued after Alexander Isak's leveller, and the final whistle condemned the Blades to the second tier with three games to spare.
In Wilder's view, the club needs to rectify a lack of on-field guidance if the Blades are to bounce straight back up, embodied by the tough outing at St James' Park.
Wilder told the BBC's Match of the Day. "There are plenty of games where we have been put to bed early but today we should have been 3-0 up at half-time. I'm scratching my head that it was 1-1.
"Newcastle up their game and get a head of steam. Then our old mistakes start to fall in and goals go from two to three to four to five pretty quickly.
"There's a reason why that happens. It's an incredibly young side and there is a complete lack of leadership out there. I thought at times I was going to have a heart attack in terms of trying to get the messages on."
Wilder acknowledged there could be tough times ahead for the club, though he hopes he retains the trust of the fans having been brought in for his second spell as Blades manager midway through the season following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom.
"It's going to be a tough summer for everybody," Wilder continued. "We have not been good enough. The league has been too powerful for us right the way through the season.
"Sheffield United is a really good football club. I think everyone understands that but it's been a really poor season.
"I've still got another year left of my contract. I'd like to think that the supporters can trust me. I'm enthusiastic and committed along with my coaching staff to get it right. We know exactly what direction we need to go, what the culture is going to look like, what pre-season is going to look like."
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