Roberts rewards Robins as Cardiff slip up again

Bristol City 2 Cardiff City

Bristol City staked an impressive claim for automatic promotion from the Second Division with a crucial and deserved win over a faltering Cardiff City side at Ashton Gate last night.

Second-half goals by Brian Tinnion, from the penalty spot, and the former Cardiff striker Christian Roberts produced an exact repetition of the result and scorers of the previous meeting between these clubs, at Ninian Park in December.

In injury time, Bristol City's substitute Aaron Brown and Cardiff's Gareth Ainsworth were sent off following a mass fracas. The Robins have displaced Cardiff in third position, four points behind Crewe Alexandra, with all three teams having two games to play. Cardiff meet Crewe at Gresty Road on 3 May.

The Bluebirds are anything but high-flying at the moment and in the wake of last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at home to Colchester the players will be fined two weeks' wages if they ignore a drinking ban imposed by manager Lennie Lawrence until the end of the season. Lawrence was verbally abused during Saturday's humiliation and Cardiff's chief executive David Temme has labelled the club's disgruntled supporters as "morons" and "losers".

Throughout the first half Ainsworth looked lively down the Cardiff right but it was his opposite number, Scott Murray, who fashioned the first chance of the match when his 12th-minute cross just evaded Roberts and Lee Peacock before Tommy Doherty's shot sailed wide. But Cardiff finished the half the stronger with Peter Thorne heading back Andy Legg's corner. A game of pinball ensued, with Graham Kavanagh's second shot flashing wide.

After the break, the home side took the lead with a controversial penalty. Danny Coles' long ball sent Murray clear and, as he raced into the area, the linesman flagged for handball by Danny Gabbidon. Tinnion duly drove home his ninth goal of the season.

The Robins sealed the result 20 minutes from time when Murray crossed from the right for the unmarked Roberts, the former Cardiff striker, to slot the ball home nonchalantly from six yards.

The majority of the 15,600 crowd were delirious but Roberts declined to celebrate his 17th goal of the season.

Bristol City (4-4-2): Phillips; Carey, Butler, Coles, Hill; Murray, Doherty, Burnell, Tinnion (A Brown, 80); Roberts (Rosenior, 80), Peacock. Substitutes not used: Bell, Beadle, Stowell (gk).

Cardiff City (4-4-2): Alexander; Weston, Prior, Gabbidon, Barker; Ainsworth, Boland (Whalley, 77), Kavanagh, Legg (Campbell, 77); Thorne, Earnshaw. Substitutes not used: Croft, Bonner, Walton (gk).

Referee: R Styles (Waterlooville).