Hudson praises response to derby defeat as Cardiff bounce back to beat Rotherham

Interim manager Mark Hudson praised the character of Cardiff’s players as they bounced back from last week’s dismal derby defeat to bitter rivals Swansea with a comfortable 1-0 home win over Rotherham.

Substitute Jaden Philogene scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute to give the dominant Bluebirds a win they deserved and halt a run of three successive defeats.

“I thought we dominated from start to finish,” said Hudson.

“After the really tough week we’ve had as a group it shows unbelievable character from within that dressing room to stick to a gameplan and to be brave enough to put it into action.

“That’s something I’m really proud of, and they should be too.

“It was a difficult week, but football gives you ups and downs and you have to stay as level as you can.

“The derby defeat sat with them for a while, as it should, but their application was second to none in training and I’m delighted for them that we got the win we deserved.”

Tactical switch 

The hosts were on top throughout, with 65 per cent possession and 19 shots to Rotherham’s three, but it was a tactical switch at half-time that made the difference.

Hudson introduced Philogene and Mahlon Romeo in place of full-backs Tom Sang and Niels Nkounkou and the pair combined for the all-important breakthrough 20 minutes after the restart.

Romeo found Philogene with a cross-shot from the right of the area and the Aston Villa loanee took his time before picking his spot with a quality finish into the top corner.

Mark Harris and Ryan Wintle wasted late chances to make the win more emphatic, but one goal was all Cardiff needed.

“We made some attacking changes at half-time and, ultimately, it paid off. It doesn’t always pay off, but it did today,” said Hudson.

“I thought the subs were ready and willing. It’s good to have Jaden back on the pitch and he showed that he’s got that little bit of quality with his finish.”

In contrast, Rotherham manager Matt Taylor claimed he did not have the resources to breathe any life into his side.

“Our performance on Tuesday (at Coventry) was excellent and I think it was pretty apparent for everyone to see that it took a lot out of the team,” said the Millers boss.

“We weren’t there today. We couldn’t get pressure on the ball, we weren’t aggressive enough and it was a comfortable afternoon for Cardiff.

“We need some bodies back quickly because I wanted to change shape, but I can’t do that if I’ve got no wide players in the squad.”