Cardiff City: Warnock delight at 'best' manager of month award

Former Swansea manager Garry Monk returns to South Wales in his first match as Birmingham City manager

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock believes his Championship manager of the month award for February is the most satisfying of his career.

Warnock has collected nine Championship monthly managerial honours, a number only matched by Chris Hughton.

But Warnock says this one tops the lot due to City's ongoing injury worries.

"I can't tell you how proud I am," said the 69-year-old. "To get this award after what we've been through has got to be the best one I've ever had."

"You could pick a good team with the lads that are out and I'd be disappointed if I wasn't in the top-half of the Championship with that team."

Midfielder Joe Ralls, who limped off in the closing stages of Cardiff's win over Barnsley in midweek, is out for three weeks with a knee injury, the latest to join a crowded Cardiff treatment room.

Joe Ralls is the latest casualty to the injury-hit Cardiff City squad

Yet Cardiff have dropped just four points in an unbeaten run of nine and take on Birmingham at the weekend aiming for a sixth successive victory to strengthen their automatic promotion hopes.

Cardiff are currently six points behind leaders Wolves who play third-placed Aston Villa on Saturday.

Warnock says the Bluebirds are just three points short of a pre-season target he thought would mean a top-six finish, but he has not given up on automatic promotion.

'Hoilett deal hope'

Warnock recently signed a new two-year deal at Cardiff City Stadium, and confirmed talks have begun about a new deal for top-scorer Junior Hoilett.

Hoilett, 27, sees his current contract expire at the end of the campaign having signed for Cardiff as a free agent in Warnock's first week in charge in October 2016.

Warnock said: "I've spoken to him and that's not a problem. We were just waiting until I signed! That was my blackmail.

"He kept asking me where we were going to be next year and I kept having to say 'I don't know Junior, give us a few weeks!'"