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Jones spots a wounded animal awaiting at Carrow Road tonight as City continue to fight for their lives

10th March 2009 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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Bluebirds boss Dave Jones has warned his players to be very wary of the Canaries at Carrow Road this season – they are, he said, “a wounded animal”.

Whether that's mortally wounded is for the next nine games to decide.

This evening's home clash against a promotion-chasing Cardiff side is the first of two home games that will do so much to decide City's fate this season.

Six points from this evening's game and another three at home to Plymouth on Saturday and Bryan Gunn's Canaries will give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop.

Four points and this season will be going right down to the wire. Much less and you fear that a die might already be cast; that Norwich last and only hope may come in the shape of one of their nearest relegation rivals taking a ten-point administration hit ahead of that March 26 deadline.

That particular prospect is, of course, little more than a straw to cling to. But given events – or rather, performances – at Bloomfield Road on Saturday, so that's what the faithful are left to cling to – straws.

Back in South Wales, the Bluebirds faithful continue to look upwards courtesy of last weekend's 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers. Jones' team have wind in their sails and a bit between their teeth – neither of which you could claim of their hosts this evening.

That said, the Cardiff chief is well-versed enough in the ways of this division to tread carefully. It is the time in any season when silly results turn up all-too regularly. No-one ever knows just what to expect.

“Everybody can beat everybody,” said Jones, as Norwich's home thumping of Wolves proved.

“So I don't get this: 'We must beat Norwich just because they are second from bottom…'. We don't have a divine right,” he warned.

?Yes, we should win because the position the clubs are in, but it never works that way.

?So what we do is plan and prepare the best we can. We are aware of the opposition and we know we are up against a dangerous, wounded animal fighting for survival. But we don't change our attitude.?

That attitude is to go out and look for the points; to try and get on the front foot first. A policy that City No2 and former Bluebirds coach Ian Butterworth was advocating overnight as the Canaries prepare to take their Championship lives in their hands once more.

At least Cardiff look set to arrive with one or two injury niggles.

Winger Mark Kennedy has hamstring problem and is doubtful while striker Jay Bothroyd has a claf strain and is expected to be rested for the West County derby with Bristol City. In their stead Michael Chopra and the American Eddie Johnson are likely to feature.

City boss Gunn will also be obliged to make changes after Matthew Grounds' return to Middlesbrough left the door open at left-back.

With Adam Drury still on his way back from a reaction to the serious knee injury he sustained last season, Ryan Bertrand is likely to resume his full-back duties leaving the next hole to fill at left-wing.

Gunn could hand Wes Hoolahan that role – or else give David Carney a start and leave Hoolahan to play in the little hole off Carl Cort.

Given City's desperate need for goals, the alternative would be to drop Hoolahan in on the left and hand the newly-arrived David Mooney his first start alongside Cort and hope that a more 'open' look to the side doesn't encourage Cardiff to get in at Bertrand from the off.

Either way, it all promises to be a long and nervy night at Carrow Road – the start of what Gunn has already described as a “mammoth” week in the club's season. If not its 107-year history.


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