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Page last updated at 15:56 GMT, Saturday, 24 April 2010 16:56 UK

Cardiff 3-2 Sheff Wed

Cardiff 3-2 Sheff Wed

Jay Bothroyd scored a stunning double as play-off bound Cardiff City deepened Sheffield Wednesday's relegation fears.

Jermaine Johnson gave Wednesday early hope as he guided home Tom Soares' pass but Peter Whittingham levelled with a long-range free-kick two minutes later.

Bothroyd showed great composure to give Cardiff the lead but Marcus Tudgay levelled before Bothroyd's fine winner.

Wednesday will be relegated into League One if Crystal Palace beat promoted West Bromwich Albion on Monday.

Alan Irvine's side seem favourites to drop into the third tier for the third time in recent history and they must hope for a huge favour from the Baggies at Selhurst Park.

If Palace fail to beat Roberto Di Matteo's men on Monday then Wednesday must defeat the Londoners in their crunch relegation shoot-out at Hillsborough on the final day of the season next Sunday.

But the odds are against the famous Sheffield club who look set to drop in the third tier of English football for the first time since 2003.

Cardiff, on the other hand, have no such worries as their comfortable 3-2 victory was their seventh in the last 10 unbeaten games as Dave Jones' form side crank up their bid for Premier League promotion at just the right time.

The fourth-placed Bluebirds successfully took revenge on Wednesday who inflicted play-off-heartache on Cardiff on the final day of last season when Johnson's winner sunk the Welshmen.

606: DEBATE

Jabba

And Johnson was on the mark again to give Wednesday an early lead at the Cardiff City Stadium this season.

It was the first time Cardiff had conceded a goal in almost six hours of football inside but Johnson's seventh of the season, converting Soares' teasing ball, was not Wednesday's first effort on goal.

As Cardiff keeper David Marshall had to be at his best to tip a Darren Potter free-kick onto the post and clear.

But as Cardiff fans watched Johnson score against them again and fear that lightning may strike twice, Whittingham levelled.

Within 90 seconds of the Jamaican international's opener, Whittingham capitalised from indiscipline from the visitors to score his 23rd of the season.

Irvine's side conceded a needless free-kick just 25 yards from home and the Championship's top-scorer beat Lee Grant with a stunning strike to level.

Michael Chopra and Whittingham went close for Cardiff before Bothroyd stole the show.

Stephen McPhail's ball straight over the top split a statuesque Wednesday defence and striker Bothroyd coolly brought the ball down before slotting past keeper Lee Grant ten minutes after the break.

Tudgay's 78th-minute strike - from the most acute of angles - threw Wednesday a survival lifeline after Etienne Esajas' diagonal ball set up the striker.

But Bothroyd's beauty sealed the triumph for Cardiff thanks to a stunning individual effort as the Cardiff targetman danced pass four players after he was found by Aaron Wildig and fired the ball home from 20 yards with his left foot.

Wednesday sub Esajas cracked the inside of a post in injury time to give Cardiff a scare but the hosts held on to push Wednesday closer to the drop.

Cardiff's result ensures they will play their second leg in the play-offs at home, regardless of whether they leapfrog third-placed Nottingham Forest - two points ahead - or not.

So while Wednesday caused Cardiff tears at Hillsborough at the end of last season, the Bluebirds all but repaid the unwanted compliment this.

Jones praises 'relaxed' Cardiff

Cardiff City manager Dave Jones said:

"Even though we have qualified for the play-offs, I'm not taking it easy.

"I was like a raging bull with the players at half-time as I wanted a higher tempo, I wanted to move the ball quicker, I wanted more forward passing and I wanted more runs.

"I know it was relaxed atmosphere and the some of football we played was outstanding but I still want more.

"I want to go into the play-offs with a good momentum and with a winning. We have that - and that's the best way to be."

Irvine admits Wednesday 'tensions'

Sheffield Wednesday manager Alan Irvine said:

"I had hoped that we could hold on to our lead and I am very disappointed that we were unable to do.

"We played better with the ball than without it and if I thought we could score twice at Cardiff then I would expect to have won the game.

"I have not been in this position with a club before but I will be going to watch Crystal Palace play West Brom on Monday hoping for an Albion victory.

"I believe I should be there to assess Palace whatever the result rather than watch the match on television.

"All players have to cope with pressure and the Palace lads will also have to as they expect West Brom to give them a hard game just as Cardiff have given us today.

"We are where we are because we haven't scored enough goals and everyone is very low at the moment."

Live text and stats

Saturday, 24 April 2010

Championship

Home Team Score Away Team Time
Cardiff 3-2 Sheff Wed FT
(HT 1-1)
  • Whittingham 17
  • Bothroyd 54
  • Bothroyd 81
  • Johnson 15
  • Tudgay 78

Cardiff

  • 01 Marshall
  • 02 McNaughton
  • 12 Capaldi
  • 15 Gerrard
  • 23 Blake (Hudson 46)
  • 07 Whittingham
  • 10 McPhail (Wildig 66)
  • 16 Ledley yellow card
  • 17 Etuhu (Burke 59)
  • 08 Chopra
  • 09 Bothroyd

Substitutes

  • 20 Enckelman,
  • 05 Hudson,
  • 14 Quinn,
  • 11 Burke,
  • 27 Matthews,
  • 28 Wildig,
  • 44 McCormack

Sheff Wed

  • 01 Grant
  • 02 Spurr
  • 04 Purse yellow card
  • 15 Beevers
  • 32 Nolan
  • 14 Potter yellow card
  • 17 O'Connor
  • 23 Johnson (Clarke 46)
  • 30 Soares (Jeffers 63)
  • 07 Tudgay yellow card
  • 19 Varney (Esajas 68)

Substitutes

  • 22 O'Donnell,
  • 03 Buxton,
  • 05 Hinds,
  • 33 Gray,
  • 11 Esajas,
  • 09 Jeffers,
  • 18 Clarke

Ref: TaylorAtt: 23,304

CARDIFF

SHEFF WED

Possession

  • Cardiff 58%
  • Sheff Wed 42%

Attempts on target

  • Cardiff 11
  • Sheff Wed 6

Attempts off target

  • Cardiff 6
  • Sheff Wed 11

Corners

  • Cardiff 4
  • Sheff Wed 6

Fouls

  • Cardiff 6
  • Sheff Wed 15
  • Final Result
  • Full Time
  • 90:00+4:19 The referee brings the game to a close.
  • 90:00+3:03 Etienne Esajas produces a left-footed shot from outside the penalty box and hits the bar.
  • 90:00+2:32 Francis Jeffers takes a shot. Save by David Marshall.
  • 90:00+1:28 The assistant referee flags for offside against Leon Clarke. Free kick taken by David Marshall.
  • 90:00+0:07 Chris Burke takes a shot. Save by Lee Grant.
  • 86:36 James O'Connor produces a right-footed shot from the edge of the box and misses to the left of the goal.
  • 84:35 Shot on goal by Leon Clarke from just inside the area clears the crossbar.
  • 80:51 The assist for the goal came from Michael Chopra.
  • 80:51 GOAL - Jay Bothroyd:Cardiff 3 - 2 Sheff Wed Jay Bothroyd fires in a goal from just inside the penalty area to the top left corner of the goal. Cardiff 3-2 Sheff Wed.
  • 80:02 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Darren Potter from the left by-line to the near post, Joe Ledley manages to make a clearance.
  • 79:23 The referee blows for offside. David Marshall takes the indirect free kick.
  • 77:56 Etienne Esajas provided the assist for the goal.
  • 77:56 GOAL - Marcus Tudgay:Cardiff 2 - 2 Sheff Wed Goal scored by Marcus Tudgay from close in to the bottom left corner of the goal. Cardiff 2-2 Sheff Wed.
  • 75:58 Tony Capaldi gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Eddie Nolan. Free kick crossed left-footed by Etienne Esajas, save by David Marshall.
  • 74:18 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Peter Whittingham by Francis Jeffers. Free kick taken by David Marshall.
  • 71:31 Strike comes in from Michael Chopra from the free kick.
  • 71:31 Booking Booking for Darren Potter.
  • 71:17 Michael Chopra fouled by Darren Potter, the ref awards a free kick.
  • 69:01 Leon Clarke challenges Tony Capaldi unfairly and gives away a free kick. Tony Capaldi takes the free kick.
  • 68:26 Etienne Esajas produces a left-footed shot from the edge of the area and misses to the left of the goal.
  • 67:22 Substitution Etienne Esajas replaces Luke Varney.
  • 67:22 Mark Beevers challenges Chris Burke unfairly and gives away a free kick. Chris Burke delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from right channel.
  • Correction - 65:20 Direct free kick taken by Anthony Gerrard.
  • Correction - 65:20 Substitution Aaron Wildig on for Stephen McPhail.
  • Correction - 65:20 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Michael Chopra by Darren Purse.
  • 65:20 Anthony Gerrard restarts play with the free kick.
  • 65:20 Substitution Stephen McPhail leaves the field to be replaced by Aaron Wildig.
  • 65:20 Darren Purse challenges Michael Chopra unfairly and gives away a free kick.
  • 63:06 Marcus Tudgay has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the left-hand upright.
  • 62:03 Substitution Francis Jeffers comes on in place of Tom Soares.
  • 61:19 Tom Soares challenges Stephen McPhail unfairly and gives away a free kick. Stephen McPhail takes the free kick.
  • 60:13 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jay Bothroyd by Mark Beevers. Chris Burke takes the free kick.
  • 57:51 Free kick taken by Tony Capaldi.
  • 57:51 Substitution Chris Burke joins the action as a substitute, replacing Kelvin Etuhu.
  • 57:51 Booking The referee shows Darren Purse a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
  • 57:49 Unfair challenge on Michael Chopra by Darren Purse results in a free kick.
  • 56:55 Unfair challenge on Darren Purse by Jay Bothroyd results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Tommy Spurr.
  • 55:47 Darren Potter decides to take the corner short.
  • 55:03 Darren Potter takes the inswinging corner, David Marshall makes a save.
  • 53:46 Assist by Stephen McPhail.
  • 53:46 GOAL - Jay Bothroyd:Cardiff 2 - 1 Sheff Wed Jay Bothroyd grabs a goal from inside the penalty area low into the middle of the goal. Cardiff 2-1 Sheff Wed.
  • 52:43 Mark Hudson concedes a free kick for a foul on Marcus Tudgay. James O'Connor takes the free kick.
  • 50:56 Peter Whittingham produces a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty box that misses to the left of the goal.
  • 50:03 Free kick crossed by Peter Whittingham, Tommy Spurr manages to make a clearance.
  • 50:03 Booking Booking for Marcus Tudgay.
  • 49:57 Handball by Marcus Tudgay.
  • 49:07 Free kick awarded for a foul by Darren Potter on Joe Ledley. Direct free kick taken by Jay Bothroyd.
  • 48:02 Foul by Jay Bothroyd on Darren Purse, free kick awarded. Darren Purse takes the direct free kick.
  • 46:51 Darren Potter produces a cross, Header from close range by Luke Varney misses to the right of the target.
  • 46:51 Booking Booking for Joe Ledley.
  • 46:45 The referee penalises Joe Ledley for handball.
  • 45:23 Effort on goal by Jay Bothroyd from just inside the penalty area goes harmlessly over the target.
  • 45:01 The second half begins.
  • 45:01 Substitution Darcy Blake goes off and Mark Hudson comes on.
  • 45:01 Substitution Leon Clarke on for Jermaine Johnson.
  • Half Time
  • 45:00+1:13 The referee calls an end to the first half.
  • 44:55 Unfair challenge on Jay Bothroyd by James O'Connor results in a free kick. Jay Bothroyd has a direct shot on goal from the free kick, Lee Grant makes a brilliant save. Short corner worked by Peter Whittingham.
  • 43:47 Jermaine Johnson has an effort at goal from 12 yards.
  • 40:10 Shot from 12 yards from Jay Bothroyd. Tommy Spurr gets a block in. Inswinging corner taken by Peter Whittingham, Tommy Spurr makes a clearance.
  • 39:46 Tom Soares takes a shot. David Marshall makes a comfortable save.
  • Correction - 36:20 Michael Chopra takes a shot. Lee Grant makes a save. Shot by Peter Whittingham from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the goal. Darren Purse concedes a free kick for a foul on Jay Bothroyd. Peter Whittingham produces a cross, Michael Chopra takes a shot. Blocked by Marcus Tudgay.
  • 36:20 Michael Chopra takes a shot. Save made by Lee Grant. Effort on goal by Peter Whittingham from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target. Free kick awarded for a foul by Darren Purse on Jay Bothroyd. A cross is delivered by Peter Whittingham, Michael Chopra takes a shot. Blocked by Marcus Tudgay.
  • 31:15 Jay Bothroyd is caught offside. Free kick taken by Lee Grant.
  • 30:03 Luke Varney takes a shot. Darcy Blake gets a block in. Shot from deep inside the area by Tom Soares goes over the bar.
  • 28:15 Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Tommy Spurr from the right by-line, save by David Marshall. Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Tommy Spurr from the right by-line, Darren Purse takes a shot. Save by David Marshall.
  • 26:37 Stephen McPhail concedes a free kick for a foul on Jermaine Johnson. Darren Potter takes the free kick.
  • 23:13 The offside flag is raised against Michael Chopra. Lee Grant takes the free kick.
  • 22:38 Marcus Tudgay concedes a free kick for a foul on Darcy Blake. David Marshall takes the direct free kick.
  • 22:04 Jay Bothroyd has an effort at goal from just outside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post.
  • 20:44 Peter Whittingham takes a shot. Darren Potter gets a block in.
  • 19:02 Eddie Nolan gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Tony Capaldi. Peter Whittingham crosses the ball in from the free kick, Eddie Nolan manages to make a clearance.
  • 16:59 The referee blows for offside against Luke Varney. Free kick taken by David Marshall.
  • 16:02 GOAL - Peter Whittingham:Cardiff 1 - 1 Sheff Wed Peter Whittingham finds the net with a goal from just outside the area to the top left corner of the goal. Cardiff 1-1 Sheff Wed.
  • 15:19 Darren Potter concedes a free kick for a foul on Peter Whittingham. Free kick taken by Michael Chopra,
  • Correction - 14:12 Assist on the goal came from Tom Soares.
  • 14:12 Eddie Nolan provided the assist for the goal.
  • 14:12 GOAL - Jermaine Johnson:Cardiff 0 - 1 Sheff Wed Jermaine Johnson grabs a goal from close in to the bottom right corner of the goal. Cardiff 0-1 Sheff Wed.
  • 13:29 The assistant referee flags for offside against Jay Bothroyd. Free kick taken by Lee Grant.
  • Correction - 10:57 Joe Ledley gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Darren Potter. Shot comes in from Darren Potter from the free kick, save made by David Marshall. Marcus Tudgay takes a shot.
  • 10:57 Joe Ledley gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Darren Potter. Shot on goal comes in from Darren Potter from the free kick, David Marshall makes a save. Marcus Tudgay takes a shot.
  • 9:51 Jermaine Johnson is caught offside. David Marshall restarts play with the free kick.
  • 7:55 The assistant referee signals for offside against Peter Whittingham. Free kick taken by Mark Beevers.
  • 7:36 Effort from 30 yards by Darcy Blake. Blocked by James O'Connor.
  • 6:32 Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Darren Potter, save by David Marshall.
  • 6:17 Shot from 20 yards from Luke Varney. Joe Ledley gets a block in.
  • 3:59 Shot from 20 yards by Joe Ledley. Brilliant save by Lee Grant. Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Peter Whittingham from the right by-line, Effort on goal by Jay Bothroyd from 12 yards. Save made by Lee Grant. Corner taken by Peter Whittingham from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance by Darren Purse.
  • 3:26 Luke Varney concedes a free kick for a foul on Peter Whittingham. Free kick crossed by Peter Whittingham, clearance made by Mark Beevers.
  • 0:00 The referee starts the match.

Live text and data provided by The Press Association.

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Championship table snapshot

As it stood on 24 Apr 2010 23:59 UK

Position Team P GD PTS
1 Newcastle 45 54 99
2 West Brom 44 41 89
3 Nottm Forest 45 25 78
4 Cardiff 45 21 76
5 Leicester 45 14 73
6 Blackpool 45 16 69
7 Swansea 45 3 68
8 Middlesbrough 45 10 62
9 Sheff Utd 45 4 62
10 Bristol City 45 -9 62
11 Reading 45 2 60
12 Doncaster 45 1 59
13 QPR 45 -6 57
14 Ipswich 45 -8 56
15 Preston 45 -12 54
16 Coventry 45 -13 54
17 Derby 45 -12 53
18 Barnsley 45 -16 53
19 Watford 45 -11 51
20 Scunthorpe 45 -22 51
21 Crystal Palace 44 -3 47
22 Sheff Wed 45 -20 46
23 Plymouth 45 -24 41
24 Peterborough 45 -35 31