Bowen leads the Cardiff rampage

Cardiff City kept up their pursuit of a promotion place in the Nationwide Second Division with an emphatic 4-0 defeat of bottom-placed Huddersfield Town at Ninian Park yesterday.

The Welsh side joined Bristol City on 49 points, seven behind the leaders, Wigan, after Jason Bowen and Robert Earnshaw both grabbed two goals apiece.

Bowen set the home side on the way after 19 minutes when he ghosted through the middle before neatly planting a shot into the corner of the net. Earnshaw added the second in the 44th minute when he was quickest to latch onto a long free-kick from the Scottish goalkeeper, Neil Alexander.

Then things went from bad to worse for Huddersfield as Danny Schofield was sent off for his second bookable offence in first-half injury time for a foul on the inspirational Bowen. But, despite facing 10 men in the second half, it took Cardiff until the 64th minute to stamp their authority on the game. Bowen added to his first-half strike to score the third with a cheeky backheel before Earnshaw completed his double in the 73rd minute when he raced on to a Willie Boland pass to fire home.

Three points behind Cardiff in fourth place are Oldham, who leapfrogged Crewe in the table with a 2-1 win at Gresty Road. It was a second-half penalty by David Eyres that sealed the win in a committed encounter that saw Steve Foster sent off for the home side.

The Canadian international striker Carlo Corazzin fired Oldham into a 25th-minute lead by turning in David Beharall's low drive after the Crewe goalkeeper, Clayton Ince, flapped at a corner.

Crewe fought back strongly with the Oldham goalkeeper, Les Pogliacomi, producing two stunning saves to deny Kenny Lunt and Neil Sorvel. Lunt also saw a shot smash against the crossbar before Crewe levelled in the 55th minute through Rob Hulse, who headed home Lunt's accurate free-kick.

But the lead did not last long as, five minutes later, Wayne Andrews outpaced Foster and then collapsed under the defender's challenge. Foster was booked for the incident, before Eyres beat Ince from the penalty spot despite the goalkeeper diving the right way.

The day was then compounded for Crewe when Foster was dismissed after twice clashing with Andrews, leaving the home side little chance of ending Oldham's unbeaten run away from home.

In the Third Division, the former Liverpool striker Jon Newby grabbed the equaliser as Bury drew 1-1 with Kidderminster at Gigg Lane. Harriers had led through a Bo Henriksen penalty. Scunthorpe came back from behind to claim a 2-1 win at Southend. Leon Cort put the home side ahead at Roots Hall but the visitors responded with goals from Martin Carruthers and Steve Torpey in the final 15 minutes.