Cardiff back to winning ways and extend lead at top

Cardiff City ended their miserable run of form to beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in a windswept Welsh capital yesterday to extend their lead at the top of the npower Championship standings to seven points.

Malky Mackay’s Cardiff had only won one of their previous five games but goals by Fraizer Campbell, Joe Mason and a Peter Whittingham penalty ended their dip and moved them further ahead of second-placed Hull, who play Watford tonight.

The result meant Blackburn slipped into 19th place and only above the bottom three on goal difference.

Barnsley moved away from danger thanks to their 2-0 win over Leicester at Oakwell. Michael Keane’s fourth-minute own goal and Chris O’Grady’s 40th-minute strike saw the Tykes climb into 20th place.

Wolves gave their hopes of avoiding the drop a shot in the arm with a 3-2 win over local rivals Birmingham at St Andrew’s. Stephen Hunt found the net in the 20th minute and two goals by Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, one from the penalty spot, preceded a Birmingham fightback as Wade Elliott by scored with one penalty and netted the rebound after another was saved.

Sam Baldock scored an injury-time equaliser for Bristol City at Ashton Gate as they drew 1-1 against fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday who led through Jermaine Johnson.

Matt Phillips’ late goal saw ten-man Blackpool defeat promotion-hunting Crystal Palace at Bloomfield Road, where Barry Ferguson was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Lewis McGugan’s last-gasp penalty salvaged a point for fifth-placed Nottingham Forest at Burnley who had led through a deflected shot by Junior Stanislas.

Millwall and Ipswich played out a goalless draw at The New Den.