Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Tuesday, April 18.
Lamouchi urges patience over Ebou Adams
Sabri Lamouchi does not believe Ebou Adams will play a part in the first team's final five games of the season and asked for patience after the midfielder's lengthy lay-off.
Adams' last, and only, game for Cardiff was in July, a friendly against Cambridge United in which he suffered an injury. He finally returned on Monday, though, playing 45 minutes for Darren Purse's under-21s side in their defeat by Coventry City.
However, Lamouchi believes it could be up to six months until we see Adams in full flow again.
"The last game he played was last July," the manager said of Adams after his under-21s outing.
"So, you know, when you stop for six months, you need, probably, four, five, six months to be in the same rhythm. In three weeks, everything will be done. So I'm not sure it's good for him (to play) or for us."
READ MORE: How the final Championship table is expected to look for Cardiff City, Reading, QPR and Huddersfield
Why fringe players aren't playing
Neither Tom Sang nor Gavin Whyte have featured since Lamouchi took the reins back in January.
Both have been used, to varying extents, by the previous two managers this season, but the duo are yet to feature in Lamouchi's 13 games in the dugout.
The two players are out of contract in June and many are wondering whether they will be seen in a Bluebirds shirt again.
When asked why they hadn't featured, and where they currently sit in the manager's mind, Lamouchi spoke highly of them both, but explained that others are ahead in the pecking order.
"Two players coming to the end of their contract and two players who, when I arrived, they were injured," Lamouchi said.
"They are good guys. Gavin Whyte is a fantastic player. He had no chance to play, when he was close he was sick and before that he was injured.
"Tom Sang was injured and then after I chose different players, (Perry) Ng and (Mahlon) Romeo, that's it. But they are with us."
Wilder: Cardiff will be fighting for their lives
Watford boss Chris Wilder expects Cardiff to be "fighting for their lives" when they visit the Hornets' nest tomorrow night.
Wilder's men are just four points off the play-off spots and it will be a tough ask for the Bluebirds to go there and come home with all three points in this midweek clash.
But, as Wilder alludes to, Cardiff have to scrap tooth and nail for every point now, with relegation looming large. Cardiff are out of the drop zone only on goal difference, but have a game in hand over most of their rivals.
Speaking about his opposite number, Wilder said: “Sabri Lamouchi is an experienced manager and he knows the division well. It will be the same again because I can imagine, on the whole, it’s been a disappointing season.
“They are fighting for their lives. I know they have a group of players who have all played in the Championship and they will be desperate to stay in the Championship as individuals. They are a club that three or four years ago were in the Premier League and now they are fighting for survival.
“Everything that will bring to the game we have to be aware of and respectful of. We need to make sure we impose ourselves and make sure that we deal with their threats, and the positive stuff that they have in their team.”
Referee's take on Sheffield United goal
Former Premier League referee Chris Foy believes the officials in Sheffield United's 4-1 win over Cardiff at Bramall Lane got the decision to award the final goal bang on the money.
The horse had already bolted by this stage, but with Cardiff 3-1 down, a corner resulted in a goalmouth scramble which ultimately saw Ciaran Clark bundle the ball over the line.
There were suggestions of offside and even handball from Sander Berge, but Foy thinks the decision to award the goal was right to stand.
"This is a complex decision with multiple factors at play in a crowded penalty area, and includes a potential offside decision and a potential handball by the attacking team," Foy said in Sky Sports' Behind the Whistle initiative.
"First of all, following the incoming corner, the ball is headed by a Cardiff City defender, therefore while the Sheffield United No.8 is in an offside position, it was correct not to award the offside due to the ball being deliberately played by the defender.
"The ball then makes contact with the arm of No.8 but given it is an accidental handball and the goal is scored by a different player, the officials were correct to award the goal. A difficult set of circumstances to judge in real-time, and a correct outcome, emphasising how good of a decision this was."
Cardiff's 10-man Under-18s win
Cardiff City Under-18s clung on to a narrow victory over Reading despite going down to 10 men early in the first half.
The game got off to the perfect start for the young Bluebirds, with Tanatswa Nyakuhwa latching on to Luey Giles' cross before heading home to hand Cardiff the lead.
Then a clash of heads between Japhet Matondo and Dylan Lawlor prompted a stoppage in play for a short while, with the latter being replaced by Cole Fleming.
Then, after just 27 minutes, City goalkeeper Luke Armstrong brought down the Royals' Jack Timberlake and was given his marching orders, reducing Cardiff to 10 players.
But they would not be deterred. Before the first half was over, Louis Phillips was brought down in Reading's penalty area and Cardiff were awarded a penalty. Nyakuhwa stepped up and sent it into top corner to double his own and Cardiff's tally.
There was a delay to the start of the second half due to a problem with the sprinkler system leaving part of the pitch waterlogged. And minutes after the restart, Cardiff found their advantage halved.
Cole Fleming brought down Reading's Tyler Field in the box and Denim Nnamudi sent the resultant penalty down the middle.
Fortunately for City, though, they held on for a toughly-fought win.
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