Russell Slade critical of Cardiff players after FA Cup shock

Cardiff City manager Russell Slade says his players let themselves down in their FA Cup third round defeat by Shrewsbury Town.

The Bluebirds lost to the League One side 1-0 in front of a crowd of just 4,782 at Cardiff City Stadium.

Slade was critical of the pitch and made nine changes from their preceding league win against Blackburn.

"I'm disappointed. There was enough ammunition out there to get the desired result," he said.

"We're all accountable. As manager, I'm accountable but players are also accountable for their own performance out on the pitch.

"They'll feel let down themselves - that's the important thing."

A crowd of just 4,782 saw Cardiff knocked out of the FA Cup

Cardiff are ninth in the Championship, 35 places higher in the Football League than the Shrews, who had been crushed 7-1 by Chesterfield in their previous outing.

The Bluebirds' next match is a visit to high-flying Hull on Wednesday, with Slade's men hoping to close the four-point gap between themselves and the play-off places.

Championship results remain Cardiff's priority, but Slade wanted to see his side progress in the FA Cup.

"It was an opportunity for those players to impress - the ones who haven't had so much football recently," he added.

"Even though they've not had the benefit of playing together as a unit or as an 11 for any length of time, you're still looking for a better performance than that.

"I'm disappointed. I like the cup and I like to have a cup run. I didn't pick a team to be knocked out of the cup - I picked a team, in my opinion, to progress."

Analysis

Former Wales striker Ian Walsh on BBC Radio Wales:

There were so many individuals in the team - they are not playing for Cardiff City they are playing for themselves. It was such a disjointed performance.

But it's not a Russell Slade issue, it's an ownership issue and how the club is being run.

The club is slowly becoming the joke of the Championship. But with a bit of forward thought, they wouldn't be far away from getting to the Premier League.

A little bit of money spent and determination in January, and you never know what can happen. But I just don't think the board have got the guts for it to push this club forward again