Cardiff City 0-0 Blackburn Rovers: Bluebirds' poor form continues

Cardiff have have only scored 18 goals from 16 home league games this season

Cardiff City's struggles continued as they had to settle for an underwhelming goalless draw at home to Blackburn Rovers.

After a listless first half in which neither side made any impression, Cardiff jolted the game into life with a flurry of chances early in the second half.

Blackburn substitute Tyrhys Dolan was then denied by an excellent save from Evan Horvath, but this was a game that anyone watching will be quick to forget.

Cardiff, who have won only one of their past eight matches, remain 14th in the Championship table, while Blackburn move up one place to 16th.

While the point does little for either side, the hosts will feel most frustrated after wasting several opportunities to earn a rare home win.

Erol Bulut's men have gone more than six hours without scoring a goal at home, while their wait for a victory at Cardiff City Stadium stretches back to early December.

It was understandable, therefore, that the Bluebirds supporters were a little twitchy as they watched their team struggle to find a way through against opponents, who were also in the midst of a testing period.

Blackburn manager John Eustace, who had only been in the job for 11 days, was still waiting for his first official win.

The former Birmingham City boss had watched from the stands as Rovers beat Stoke in the first game since his appointment but, with Eustace stood in the dugout, his new side had only managed a draw and a defeat so far.

They did not look like improving that record during a non-event of a first half but, in fairness, their hosts did not offer much either.

Cardiff at least upped the ante after the break. In fact, they created more chances in the first six minutes of the second half than either side had managed in the first 45.

Josh Bowler and Karlan Grant forced Blackburn goalkeeper Aynsley Pears into saves, while Dimitrios Goutas headed wide from a corner and Grant curled a fine free-kick narrowly over the bar.

Blackburn responded well and came close to scoring when Dolan's close-range effort was superbly saved by Horvath, after an earlier shot appeared to hit the hand of Goutas as he slid in an effort to block it.

Although those opportunities at both ends gave the game some much-needed action, it soon lost its intensity and ended as it had begun: a forgettable encounter between two struggling teams.

Cardiff manager Erol Bulut:

"Generally I am satisfied. Maybe you will ask 'Why?' When we see the last weeks, we lost many points, games, it was not easy for my team to go out and play positively, because of the confidence which has been lost. Today it was important to get a bit of confidence back.

"The first half, we could score, KG [Karlan Grant] and Kion [Etete] had chances. This is the point where the confidence is not where we need it. It's missing.

"Defensively we were good. The team was really working hard. In front of the goal is the issue. We create a lot but don't put the ball in the net and this continues."

Blackburn manager John Eustace:

"I thought it was a really poor game, especially the first half, but I'm absolutely delighted with the point.

"That's our first clean sheet in 17 games so that's a massive positive for us. In the second half I thought we controlled the game with our possession.

"We want to be better in defending. It's important we stop conceding because we had the worst defence in the league when we came in.

"Tonight we defended really well and had the best chance of the game, which on another day Ty [Tyrhys Dolan] would put away. It wasn't a spectacle but what a massive plus that is, a first clean sheet in 17 games."