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Glen Williams

Unseen Middlesbrough v Cardiff City moments - Vaulks and Wilder in furious bust-up and Bamba's brilliant gesture

Cardiff City fell to another defeat up at Middlesbrough, making it four in a row in the Championship. The season is just petering out but City fans will want a better showing in the final two games against Birmingham City and Derby County.

Nevertheless, the show must go on. Given the Bluebirds' trip to Teesside was televised, there might not have been much that you missed, but we will try and take you behind the scenes a little further if we can.

Here, we gave you some of the other things you might not have seen during the 2-0 defeat by Boro.

READ MORE: The scale of Cardiff City's transfer window laid bare amid end of season slump

Coach's new vantage point

Cardiff City's dugout is usually patrolled by Steve Morison and his assistants, Mark Hudson and Tom Ramasut. However, that wasn't the case at the Riverside Stadium.

As the press sat down ahead of kick-off, Cardiff's assistant manager was up there alongside us, getting a bird's eye view on proceedings next to the club's analysts.

With his microphone linked up to Mark Hudson's earpiece on the touchline, Ramasut was trying his utmost to feed informational down to the decision-makers in the dugout. In the second half, though, he took a more traditional approach and ventured down to the touchline.

Bamba's gesture

In the two outings Bamba has had against his former club this season, he has been fantastic. He was a rock at the back for Boro against the Bluebirds once again on Wednesday night and showed once again there is football left in the old dog.

He was imperious in the air, stepped out to intercept passes and on one occasion ragged Mark Harris to the floor, which the Welshman took umbrage with as Sol trotted away.

But while he is ultra-competitive as any City fan knows, he still holds a special place in his heart for his former club. On command, when the travelling Cardiff faithful called for the Ivorian to do the ayatollah, he did not hesitate and obliged immediately. A brilliant gesture for those fans who had made the incredibly-long journey to the north east.

After the game, Bamba said it was 'special' being reunited with his old side: "Very important victory today," he wrote on Twitter. "And of course always special to meet my former team. Thanks for the support, we keep going."

He even posed for photos with City fans after the match.

Vaulks-Wilder verbals

While Will Vaulks tends to split opinion among City fans, his passion for the cause can never be doubted. Indeed, he was just about the only one screaming, shouting and kicking up a fuss as he tried to be a combative nuisance in the middle of the park.

It did, though, get him in hot water from time to time. Early on, when referee Matt Donohue gave a corner instead of what Vaulks believed was a goal kick, the Welshman let out a loud and audible expletive at the referee's decision. It didn't go unnoticed.

Donohue summoned he midfielder and gave him a stern talking to, but the Bluebirds man was already riled up, you could tell.

Later on in the first half, Isaiah Jones went down under a challenge from Vaulks, who was apoplectic at the referee once again, insisting he didn't touch the Boro man and complaining that he had made the most of it.

That's when Chris Wilder stepped in. The Boro manager stepped out from his tactical area and began giving Vaulks his rather strongly-worded opinion on what had happened. Cardiff's midfielder snapped back as the pair became embroiled in a heated debate before Vaulks was told to get back in position by his fellow team-mates.

And he was at it right until the last kick of the match, Vaulks. He flew into a tackle on Jonny Howson, which sparked something of a melee as the game drifted into its 90th minute. It saw Vaulks and Howson come together, as well as James Collins who had pelted it across the pitch to back up his team-mate, in a handbags moment, resulting in both of them getting booked.

Whatever your view on him as a footballer, he invariably leaves his all on the pitch.

Wilder effusive over Morison

Chris Wilder was effusive in his plaudits before the match but stopped himself in his tracks during his post-match press conference to talk up Cardiff's manager.

He will know that Cardiff are in a tricky spot with four defeats in a row and a huge turnover of players anticipated this summer, however the Boro boss stopped talking about his own players to offer some morsel of consolation to City after the 2-0 defeat.

"They’ve got some good young players and they showed that they’re still playing and they’re still wanting to be competitive," Wilder said

"I’ve got to say, I think Steve has done a magnificent job in his first managerial position. He’s got the job done in terms of securing their Championship status when they weren’t in a great position when he took over."

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