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Glen Williams

Mark Hudson heaps praise on Cardiff City's gamechangers as Stoke City boss names Bluebirds' 'biggest threat'

Cardiff City manager Mark Hudson reserved special praise for substitutes Mark Harris and Kion Etete after the duo changed the game following their introduction on the hour mark in the 2-2 draw with Stoke City.

Cardiff fell 2-1 down in the first half and the decision to bring on the young forward duo proved inspiring, with both playing a key part in Callum Robinson's goal, Etete in particular.

It comes after Etete put in a brilliant performance against Aston Villa in the Peter Whittingham Memorial Match, with Harris exuding confidence, too, fresh off the back of a World Cup campaign with Wales.

REPORT: Bluebirds fight back to earn a draw thanks to Wintle and Robinson goals

The pair had to come on and help to salvage a point after Ryan Wintle's opener was cancelled out by Tyrese Campbell before Liam Delap put Stoke ahead in the 18th minute. Hudson revealed he had an honest chat with the players at half-time.

"Overall, I think a draw is a fair result," Hudson said after the match. "In the first half, we scored a goal and maybe we put our foot off, our concentration slipped and it took us quite a while to reorganise.

"It was a bit frantic. We got in at half-time, spoke honestly about a few things, and then made some changes and the subs came on with a huge impetus and swung it in our way. We had some decent chances at the end, like Kion's header, and we maybe could have took three points. But I think that would have been harsh.

"We fought ourselves back into the game with the subs, again praise for them, sat in the really cold stand, ready to come on.

"They were raring to go and we ask that of everyone. There are things we should definitely do better in the game, but to sit and wait for your turn and then for Sparky [Harris] to look really sharp down the right and make a couple of opportunities, him and Mahlon (Romeo) linked up quite well.

"Kion's willingness to hold the ball up against (Harry) Souttar, who has a big frame and is physically strong, he did that really well. He is coming on leaps and bounds.

"He is putting himself in and around it, which is absolutely what we need and we need everyone in the squad to be showing that. He is coming in every day and asking what we can do more. 'Can we do this? Can we do that?' Obviously that is what you want from a young player. He is learning. It's not always going to go that way, that's the way football is, but his willingness to work is brilliant."

Cardiff certainly looked to have got away with one, if not two, penalty claims after Cedric Kipre felled Liam Delap twice in the space of just a few minutes.

Hudson believes the Bluebirds were lucky not to concede a penalty. He said: "I think we got away with one, if I'm honest. I'm not going to sit here and say it wasn't.

"We have had stuff go against us this season which sometimes even itself out. I'm not taking that away from them, because they feel really aggrieved with that. We might have got away with that."

Potters boss Alex Neil was furious with the decision.

"The biggest disappointment for me is I think we had an absolute stonewall penalty," Neil said. "If we get that, at that point in time, the score goes 3-1 and I think it's extremely difficult for them to get something from the match.

"But, taking that out of the equation, 2-2 was a fair result. But if we get the penalty, which we 100% deserved because it's a blatant penalty, I think we have got an opportunity to go 3-1 up and the game is taken away from them.

"Liam (Delap) is the wrong side and [Kipre] literally bear hugs him to the ground. I've seen it back, there's not a debate for me."

Goalscorer Callum Robinson is familiar with Neil, of course, having been managed by him during their days together at Preston North End.

Neil believes Robinson, who is now Cardiff's top scorer this season with four goals, was the visitors' most dangerous player.

"No surprise (that he scored). Callum, for me, I thought was their biggest threat in the game, because he plays in pockets and plays off the side of people. He wanders and he is a difficult player to stop," the Scot said.

"We spoke about the fact their wide players will want to roll in and we wanted to lock them on to the full-backs. But the move (for Robinson's goal) started on the edge of the 18-yard box and we should have taken a foul on the half-way line. We don't. We make a bad decision and it hurts us."

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