Dean Whitehead admits Cardiff are desperate for new faces after Millwall defeat

Posted Sunday, January 22, 2023 by PA

Interim manager Dean Whitehead admitted Cardiff City need reinforcements quickly as their winless run stretched to 11 games with a 1-0 home defeat by promotion hopefuls Millwall.

Cardiff are just three points above the bottom two having played two games more than Huddersfield Town and still without a permanent boss after sacking Mark Hudson last week.

Fans protested against owner Vincent Tan before the match and booed the team off after Tom Bradshaw scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half following a mistake from Bluebirds centre-back Cedric Kipre.

“I think it typified our season,” said Whitehead. “We had a lot of good play, got in good areas and the final pass, the final cross, the final finish is just not there.

“Ced’s been colossal for us all season and a lapse in concentration cost us. It changed the game because Millwall could sit in behind the ball and counter-attack. It’s difficult to take in the end.”

Whitehead admitted he doesn’t know if he’ll be in charge by the time Cardiff take on Hull City in a fortnight but he is involved in attempts to bring in players.

“The squad needs help,” he added. “We need players in to freshen up the squad and if we can do that, we will do.

“I’m part of it until people tell me I’m not. I’ll give everything I can until I’m told otherwise.

“We’re looking at players, it’s an ongoing process. We’re very close on one and we’ve got a couple of others we’re looking at.”

Millwall manager Gary Rowett is also looking to add to his squad before the transfer window closes, but for different reasons as the Lions chase an unlikely place in the Premier League.

“I think it was pretty attritional but the game dictated that,” said Rowett. “Going a goal up, you tend to drop in and protect what you’ve got. We had to do that for long spells.

“We had to dig it out and sometimes those three points actually feel a lot nicer than when you play really well. The character of the group came to the fore.”

Despite Bradshaw’s winner, Rowett wants to add another striker.

“We’re only two points off third with a game in hand – I don’t think we’ve said that too many times at Millwall,” he added.

“But we only had two attacking option on the bench. You look at some of the teams around us and they’ve got four, five or six options and that’s going to be the difference.

“It’s really important that we help some of those players out up there, and the group deserve it because they’ve worked so hard to get into that position.”