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Glen Williams

Cardiff City summer signing strikes up instant training ground partnership to help solve biggest issue

The questions surrounding Cardiff City's attempts to sign a striker towards the end of the summer transfer window bordered on tedious. But they had to be asked because it was the biggest piece of the jigsaw puzzle which was missing.

Cardiff's reliance on unproven goalscorers was a glaring weakness at the start of the campaign. Max Watters was given the shirt, despite having only one Championship goal to his name.

In the first eight games of the season, all of which Watters started, Cardiff scored only four goals. It was the single metric which undermined all the positive which had come before it with the largely solid recruitment and encouraging change of playing style.

READ MORE: Cardiff City news as pundit backs 'tactically spot-on' Mark Hudson to get the job

In the four games new signing Callum Robinson has started, the Bluebirds have scored five goals. Now, of course, not all of that can be credited to Robinson's bright start to life in the Welsh capital, but he can take his fair share of the plaudits.

The forward, who was signed on deadline day from West Brom for £1.5m, has been directly involved in four of Cardiff's five goals since signing, contributing three assists and one scoring one himself.

He has injected an energy and a zip into Cardiff's forward line. He pops up in clever spaces and runs himself into the ground every match. If he misses a shot, he will show for it again and again and will not be deterred from firing off efforts at goal. His confidence shines through and it is appearing to permeate throughout the front line.

Mark Harris has seen a marked improvement in performances since Robinson's arrival and their partnership is starting to prove fruitful. It is no coincidence that both of the Welshman's goals have been assisted by his Irish team-mate.

It is also no surprise to hear that Harris enjoys playing with City's latest recruit, stating their on-field partnership is a result of an instant spark they have struck up on the training ground.

"It's mad," Harris said of his immediate relationship with Robinson. "It's just happened straight away. Even in training, I've really enjoyed playing with him.

"He is a really good player. I think everyone can see that. A little assist from him (against Blackburn) and hopefully a few more to come as well."

Cardiff's deficiencies in front of goal at the start of the campaign has not been lost on the players, either.

Andy Rinohmota knows that Cardiff have needed to up their goal tally and he hailed Robinson's output since arriving from West Brom at the end of the summer window.

"It's been good having him. Not only that intensity and work rate, he is obviously a very good footballer. And he's a goalscorer, which is very much what we needed as well. We were lacking goals.

"The first game he came in (from the start) against Middlesbrough, you saw his quality on the ball, providing that assist for Callum O'Dowda. He has come in and formed a good partnership with the front players around him, even when he has played as a two alongside Sparky (Harris)."

The positive thing about having someone of Robinson's quality around is that it will likely coax the best out of those around him. We saw just how well Harris played when he was paired alongside Kieffer Moore, for example.

While Robinson is a different player all together, he plays into Harris' many other strengths. That confidence will only grow within the Wales international, who has usurped Watters in the pecking order and now has a big part to play - whether that is from the off or coming on from the bench.

Speaking about Harris, Bluebirds interim boss Mark Hudson said on Thursday: "You look at his attitude over the last two games, it’s been unbelievable. He comes off the bench and scores an absolute screamer, there was a real intensity to his game when he came on.

"He is another one playing with a smile on his face and enjoying his football.

"He is a top, top kid. He tries every day. He does everything he can to make himself better. I spoke to him and told him why he was being left out, told him how important he is and he would have his chance."

Cardiff's problems in front of goal are far from solved. They were wasteful in some instances before Harris smacked home the 83rd-minute winner. If Ryan Allsop had not saved George Hirst's injury-time penalty, it would have sucked all the good feeling out of the situation.

But there has been an improvement, of that there is no doubt, and if Cardiff are to be a success this season, Robinson will have a big part to play in that.

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