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Nicky Maynard is bang on course for a Bluebirds return at Hull City in their last Championship match of the season after coming through a match with the club’s reserves yesterday.

Cardiff City’s £2.75m signing from West Ham eased through a development team encounter against Exeter City at the Vale Resort after making faster than expected progress following knee ligament surgery.

Maynard, who suffered his injury at Millwall last September led City’s attack alongside Etien Velikonja, playing 75 minutes of a 0-0 draw.

Maynard won’t be involved for champions Cardiff in this Saturday’s Championship home match against Bolton, but could yet face Hull.

While Mackay ponders his team selection against Bolton, former Manchester United winger Chris Eagles insists he is out to wreck Bluebirds’ promotion party – and prove national newspaper reports that he’s on the way to Cardiff City next season are way off target.

Eagles is furious at claims he is ready to leave Bolton and sign for City, saying: “Cardiff are champions, but it would be nice to prove something to them. We were the better team when we played them at home and won 2-1.

“Congratulations to Cardiff because they deserve the title, but this Saturday I’m going out there to win.”

Eagles, 27, was angry at stories he would be leaving Bolton, saying: “People like to write these stories, but it’s just a shame when they see you face-to-face and they say nothing. Behind your back they like to talk about you.

“People that know me at Bolton and fans who know me understand I’m 100% for the cause and I love it here. It’s upsetting, to be honest, because these people don’t know you but they have an opinion of you.”

Wanderers badly need to take something from their first-ever trip to the Cardiff City Stadium in order to keep play-off hopes in their own hands heading into the final game of the season.

“Personally, I’d like Cardiff to take their foot off the gas as champions, but we can’t be too interested in that,” says Eagles. “It’s their problem.

“I’m a Bolton player and no matter whether we’re playing against the champions or someone who’s been relegated, I want to beat them.

“We have two matches left and if our results are good enough then we’ll crack on with the play-offs. You can’t beat playing at Wembley and that’s where we want to be. I’d be very proud to wear a Bolton shirt in the final at Wembley, but right now we are focused on Cardiff and nothing else.”