By Terry Phillips
Brighton pair Shane Duffy and Paul Trollope can both expect a hot Bluebirds welcome to Cardiff City Stadium this Saturday (3pm).
Central defender Duffy returns to the scene of a devastating personal experience against City earlier this season when he scored two own goals before suffering the final indignity of being sent off.
Home fans will certainly take every chance to remind Duffy of that evening in August when he was in a Blackburn Rovers team beaten 2-1.
Trollope, Brighton’s newly appointed assistant manager, will also make an uncomfortable return to South Wales, having been sacked as Cardiff manager in October.
Both Duffy and Trollope are aiming to banish Welsh demons by helping their team earn victory, but home manager Neil Warnock will be out to increase their feeling of unease by halting Brighton’s bid to go top of the Championship.
The Seagulls are currently second, two points behind Newcastle United, and are unbeaten in their last 12 matches, winning nine and drawing three. They have kept eight clean sheets in that run.
Brighton have only lost once in eight away fixtures this season, going down 2-0 at Newcastle, and are intent on earning automatic promotion.
Ironically, Duffy’s dismal display for Blackburn in Cardiff and his own goal gaffes during August gifted Trollope his first win as City manager.
Now the two men are working together for Brighton and Duffy, a club record £3.5m signing from Blackburn, is in much improved form playing alongside Lewis Dunk at the heart of their defence.
Republic of Ireland international Duffy says: “At Blackburn, I was maybe getting away with things a bit more than I should.
”I’m not saying I was complacent, but even at the start of this season, when things were going against me there, I was still playing.
“You can’t be like that with Brighton because the competition is so hot.”
Trollope, meanwhile, is manager Chris Hughton’s new number two at the Amex Stadium in Sussex, having failed to make progress during a 12-game reign as Cardiff manager this season.
“Apart from being a very good fella, Paul is an extremely good coach,” says Hughton.
Cardiff will be without suspended Lee Peltier at right-back after he was sent off during their 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend with Matt Connolly, Keiran Richardson and Jazz Richards are players looking take over at right-back.
Warnock admits his team must battle and scrap their way through their last six matches of 2016, saying: “I can’t see a lot changing until January if I’m honest.
“I can’t fault the players, who are giving everything. There are no bad apples at the club, but we need a few reinforcements.
“Look at Hoilett and Bamba. I don’t know where we’d be without them.
“The players are doing as well as they can. I have no grouse about commitment. We just need a bit more quality.”
Cardiff, who have lost three of their last four matches, lie second from bottom and their six matches left before the new year are against Brighton (home), Ipswich (away), Wolves (home), Barnsley (home), Brentford (away) and Brighton (away).
Warnock intends to strike quickly when the January transfer window opens and is keen to sign three new players.
He has made it clear City need pace, quality and a striker able to score goals regularly at Championship level.
Cardiff are in a relegation scrap, but if they can earn eight or nine points at least between now and 2017 they will go into the new year feeling positive.
