The message from Cardiff City’s defensive lynchpin Sol Bamba to Bluebirds fans is: “Don’t panic – we are mentally strong enough to see this through.”
Bamba’s Boys know that five wins from five remaining Championship fixtures, starting against Norwich City at Carrow Road today, would clinch automatic promotion.
“We must stay true to each other,” says Bamba.
Fulham are currently second and Aston Villa stand one point behind third-placed City after beating Leeds United on Friday night, but the Welsh club have games in hand.
Cardiff have lost back-to-back fixtures, against Wolves and Villa, but centre-back Bamba says: “We need to bounce back. All the great teams get a reaction.
The #EFL Goal of the Month winners for March…
Sol Bamba – @CardiffCityFC 🎯 @LewisPage3 – @CAFCofficial 🚀
@buster_ng – @crewealexfc 💥>> https://t.co/LavRFvETdP pic.twitter.com/zo5Vnh1C7h
— EFL (@EFL) April 13, 2018
“I understand where the fans are coming from, but as professional players we aren’t worried at all. It is still in our hands and there is no need to panic.
“It is how we are going to react that is important and that will show how good a team we are. We are in a solid position.
“If we win the five games we have left we are going to go up. Fulham are on a good run so we have to win our next five and we are more than capable of doing that.
“We knew our winning run was going to come to an end at some time and now we just have to go again.
“Every team has played 40-plus games now it is all about our mentality. Whoever keeps their nerve will be promoted with Wolves.
“Our team spirit and togetherness has got us here and will be vital in the run in. We must stay true to each other.
“We will be disappointed if we end up in the play-offs after being in the top three for almost the whole season. We have five big games ahead and we are capable of winning them all.”
Friday result: Aston Villa 1, Leeds United 0.
Saturday, April 14 fixtures
Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers
Burton Albion v Derby County
Fulham v Brentford (5:30pm – live on Sky Sports)
Hull City v Sheffield Wednesday
Middlesbrough v Bristol City
Norwich City v Cardiff City
Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town
Queens Park Rangers v Preston North End
Reading v Sunderland
Sheffield United v Millwall (1pm)
Sunday, April 15 fixture
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Birmingham City (Noon – live on Sky Sports)
Championship table
| | HOME | | AWAY | |||||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Wolves | 42 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 45 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 18 | +40 | 92 |
| 2 | Fulham | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 37 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 26 | +31 | 81 |
| 3 | Cardiff | 41 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 20 | +27 | 80 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 43 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 41 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 26 | 22 | +27 | 79 |
| 5 | Derby | 41 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 27 | 22 | +20 | 68 |
| 6 | Millwall | 42 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 32 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 21 | +15 | 68 |
| 7 | Middlesbro | 42 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 30 | 25 | +18 | 66 |
| 8 | Bristol C | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 25 | 28 | +11 | 65 |
| 9 | Sheff Utd | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 31 | +8 | 65 |
| 10 | Brentford | 42 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 34 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 25 | +11 | 64 |
| 11 | Preston | 42 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 27 | 23 | +8 | 63 |
| 12 | Ipswich | 42 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 31 | -2 | 56 |
| 13 | Norwich | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 23 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 23 | 30 | -6 | 56 |
| 14 | Leeds | 43 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 26 | 35 | -7 | 54 |
| 15 | QPR | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 35 | -10 | 53 |
| 16 | Hull | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 41 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 23 | 32 | +3 | 47 |
| 17 | Sheff Wed | 42 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 30 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 21 | 29 | -9 | 47 |
| 18 | Nottm Forest | 41 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 33 | -16 | 46 |
| 19 | Reading | 42 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 23 | 29 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 32 | -15 | 42 |
| 20 | Birmingham | 42 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 39 | -29 | 40 |
| 21 | Bolton | 42 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 37 | -30 | 39 |
| 22 | Barnsley | 41 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 31 | -19 | 37 |
| 23 | Sunderland | 42 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 37 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 37 | -29 | 33 |
| 24 | Burton | 42 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 42 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 35 | -47 | 32 |