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When Neil Warnock took charge of Cardiff City a year ago they were 23rd in the Championship and facing an unthinkable relegation into the third tier of the English game.

They finished 12th.

Was anybody really surprised? The surprise would have come had Warnock's appointment not sparked an upturn in form.

For this is the manager who perhaps knows this division better than anyone.

Not only has he won seven promotions from this division, he's also saved Rotherham United and more recently the Bluebirds from the drop.

But relegation fights aren't what make him tick, rather the battle for places at the other end of the table. And he's made no secret of the fact he'd love nothing more than a record eighth promotion from the Championship.

In May, though, at the end of last season, the bookies weren't convinced. Back then, the oddsmakers had 14 clubs at a lower price to win a spot in the Premier League this season. Safe to say those odds have tumbled since then.

Warnock and his well-drilled players may well be heading for the Riverside without a win in their last two but they remain just two points off the top.

Not only has the wily boss got his squad playing, he's got them believing. And you know for a fact he'll take great satisfaction in being written off and proving the sceptics wrong.

The summer was shrewd.

Take Nathaniel Mendez-Laing. A little-known 25-year-old who's spent the last six years knocking around the leagues on loan, he arrived in south Wales for nothing in May but soon had fans on side, hammering five goals in his first five games and winning August's Player of the Month in the process.

Lee Tomlin was a more high profile signing, though Cardiff's fine form has meant he's had to sit it out for long stages that season.

That said, the search for goals could mean he'll return to the side this afternoon. City have failed to hit the net for 180 minutes now and head for Teesside looking to continue their run of having never lost two on the bounce since Warnock took charge.

They could do with getting Kenneth Zohore firing too. A £10m Brighton bid was rejected at the back end of the transfer window - an emphatic message from Cardiff - but the Danish striker has only scored in one game since bagging on the opening day at Burton.

If Martin Braithwaite wins the battle of the Danish forwards at the Riverside today then there's every chance Boro will be back to winning ways.

In many ways, it's a crucial afternoon for both teams. Boro are the favourites with the bookies. According to Cardiff writer Tom Coleman of WalesOnline, the visitors "won't fear Boro but will respect them".

Coleman says Cardiff will be "direct", adding: "When Cardiff have played well this season, they've tended to race out of the blocks."

That makes the need for Boro to right the wrongs of recent slow starts greater than ever. Darren Campbell has recently spent time at Rockliffe. If they can burst out of the blocks as quickly as he used to then Boro can get the Riverside roaring and Cardiff rocking.

The Bluebirds are often happy to let their opponents have the ball but Warnock doesn't buy into the idea that his sides are incapable of entertaining.

(Image: PA)

“What is the way we play? I once went for a job at Norwich and they asked me if I thought the fans enjoyed watching the Warnock way?," he said last week.

“I said, ‘do you mean winning’? I don’t understand what the Warnock way is. I want to entertain.

"I saw the stats on passing recently, but would you rather pass the ball across the pitch 10, 15 or 25 yards and get 10 passes in or be best in the league at shots?

“We’re up there as the best in the league on the number of shots. What do you want as a fan? See us get a number of shots on target or pass the ball about on the halfway line?”

Boro were the team shooting on sight last weekend, though, with only Norwich managing more efforts on goal.

Warnock will know he can't afford to allow Boro as many opportunities as Barnsley did last weekend.

Monk will know his side need to take those chances when they come along.