The passion of Neil Warnock and his players shines around Cardiff City Stadium.

At the end of a rare old Championship scrap his Bluebirds had edged it 2-1 and completed a league double against their Yorkshire visitors.

Captain Sol Bamba was ecstatic when he thanked the home faithful, walking across to them along with Bruno Manga and Neil Etheridge.

The trio and their delighted teammates applauded supporters in the 16,000-plus attendance with real passion, while Warnock shook the hands of every Bluebirds player.

Then Warnock turned to fans. They were waiting for their manager to build their cheers to a crescendo by swinging his arm round and round before punching the air. He did it again and the City faithful loved it.

Cardiff are now only three points behind leaders Wolves, having clawed back a deficit that stood at 13 points not too long ago.

Warnock was proud and angry when he came into the media room after the match. He was clear Barnsley’s Kiefer Moore should have been sent off.

“I have a great bunch of lads,” said Warnock. “It was a bruising battle.

“How Moore has not been sent off twice I don’t know, He deliberately elbowed Manga, while Etheridge had the ball in both hands when he followed through.

“It’s a disgrace. I can only assume it’s an inexperienced referee.

“Don’t talk about my team being physical! I am extra pleased we stood up to that and earned our win. We missed two or three chances my missus would have put in, but right to the end I was proud of every player.

“I was disappointed with the goal we conceded, but more disappointed at the things that were allowed to happen.

“How did he fail to spot those incidents. He will be embarrassed when he sees them again. How Moore wasn’t sat in the stands I don’t know.”

Warnock revealed that he turned to Cardiff coach Kevin Blackwell halfway through the second half, saying: “The last 20 minutes will define our season.”

Warnock set up his team with Matt Connolly at right-back, while Manga and Bamba linked up at centre-back and were magnificent.

Kadeem Harris and Junior Hoilett were on either flank, while Craig Bryson and Marko Grujic patrolled central midfield.

The outstanding Callum Paterson was given a free role and worked at it in attack and when Barnsley had the ball. Paterson roamed across the pitch, looking for gaps in the visiting team and playing a full supporting role for the hard-running Kenneth Zohore.

Scottish international Paterson wasn’t playing the traditional number 10 role, but he caused Barnsley problems with his physical presence and ability to run off defenders.

Bamba had a first half shot saved by goalkeeper Nick Townsend, while Zohore opened up the Barnsley defence when he powered forward and slipped a pass for Harris. The winger dragged a low shot just wide from 15 yards.

Paterson scored the only goal of the match when Cardiff won at Barnsley earlier this season and he was on target again after Hoilett picked out Zohore’s surging run into the penalty area.

The fierce low shot was parried by Townsend in goal and Paterson, making a strong run in support, swept the loose ball home from 10 yards.

Paterson headed in again, but that effort was disallowed because he was offside.

Grujic made it 2-0 after 47 minutes when he chested the ball down and took two touches before blasting a curling shot into the net from just outside the penalty area.

Cardiff were disrupted when Grujic and Paterson went off with Greg Halford and Loic Damour going on.

Paterson suffered knee injury, while Warnock revealed: “The referee said he would send him off if he made another tackle and we had to take him off.

“I wish he had said the same to Moore.”

The Bluebirds used their final substitute with 20 minutes left when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing replaced Harris.

Barnsley pulled a goal back when Swansea City’s Ollie McBurnie, on loan at Barnsley, stabbed home from close range after Andy Yiadom had darted past Bryson to cross from the right.

That was the first goal conceded by Cardiff in we’ll over six hours football.

They had kept four successive clean sheets. Now they were made to scrap for victory.

Halford, Damour and Bryson were trying to get a grip in midfield, but Barnsley were pushing hard and Warnock’s men were made to fight for the points.

Etheridge was hurt when he went down to claim possession and Kieffer Moore slid in late and caught the keeper’s head. Moore was booked for the challenge – it really should have been red – and Etheridge was able to carry on after treatment.

It was a fiercely competitive, bruising match with no quarter given or asked.

Bryson went close with a low finish on 90 minutes when Cardiff broke quickly with Connolly and Halford left lying in their own penalty area.

Mendez-Laing went close when he fired past the keeper only for his effort to bounce off the inside of a post and roll across goal.

Five minutes injury time were added and that gave Barnsley hope, but Hoilett led Tykes a merry dance with his tricks and quick feet, darting one way and then the other.

He kept possession in the corner and, eventually, left the visitors down and out.

Cardiff City: N Etheridge, M Connolly, B Manga, S Bamba (capt), J Bennett, J Hoilett, C Paterson (L Damour 62), C Bryson, M Grujic (G Halford 57), K Harris (N Mendez-Laing 71), K Zohore. Subs not used: B Murphy (gk), L Feeney, A Pilkington, Y Wildschut.

Barnsley: N Townsend, E Fryers, J Williams, L Lindsay, O McBurnie, E Pinnock, A Yiadom (capt), K Moore, B Potts (T Bradshaw 87), G Gardner (C Knasmullner 46), M Thiam (R Hedges 75). Subs not used: A Davies (gk), D Cavare, C Mahoney, M Pearson.

Attendance: 16,176

Referee: R Jones