Leicester City pass test of promotion credentials against Cardiff

Leicester City's promotion credentials were tested with the visit of play-off rivals, Cardiff City but Nigel Pearson's men passed their examination with flying colours.

City are not quite top of the class, that is left to head boys Newcastle, but they are certainly playing the role of impressive new boys.

The 1-0 victory gave City a seven point buffer in the play-off places with 11 games to go, and there will many outside the City camp who would be surprised to see the reigning League One champions knocking on the door of the Premier League.

It is not just City the collective that has impressed as the unknown quantity in the Championship. Pearson's squad is littered with young players hungry to forge a successful career and senior professionals driven for one last stab at the top flight.

Martyn Waghorn was a relative unknown when he arrived at the start of the season on loan from Sunderland. He made an instant impact with a goal on the opening day against Swansea City and has rapidly built a reputation as one of the brightest young strikers in the division.

He enhanced that reputation when he slid in to tap home what proved to be the winner in the 29th minute and, although the City fans celebrated wildly, with every goal and every impressive performance it becomes increasingly less likely that Sunderland boss Steve Bruce would consider allowing his young striker to leave Wearside permanently for the Walkers Stadium in the summer.

One equally impressive young player who is going nowhere at the end of the season, regardless of what division City find themselves in, is defender Jack Hobbs who has to be a contender for City's player of the campaign.

The 21-year-old has been in immense form this season but he produced one of his best performances to lead a defence that was left without the experience of Wayne Brown, because of a hamstring problem, and then was cruelly robbed of the services of Alex Bruce in the 35th minute.

Bruce has had to wait patiently for his first start since arriving on loan from Ipswich Town in January so it was a sad sight when he had to limp off with a stomach strain.

But Hobbs, who made his 100th senior club appearance, assumed the mantle of City's defensive lynchpin and produced a commanding performance and, when captain Matt Oakley was substituted in the second half, Hobbs was handed the skipper's armband, and quite rightly so.

At the other end of the age scale was Nolberto Sloano, who replaced Bruce and produced an almost immaculate performance as a right-back.

The 35-year-old's only mistake was a poor pass in injury-time that gave the Bluebirds one last chance to snatch a point but. despite having some of the best attacking talent in the division, the Welshmen were unable to take the opportunity, and that about summed them up.

Last season their challenge slipped away in the final few months and it looks like history will repeat itself. This was their fourth consecutive away defeat and the fourth successive game that their impressive attacking weapons had misfired.

The visitors started brightly but it was City who almost broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Hobbs's header was cleared off the line by Adam Matthews, and then only desperate defending denied Paul Gallagher and Andy King.

City's pressure finally told in the 29th minute when Bruno Berner's cross was headed back into the six-yard box by King and Waghorn stretched out his left leg to guide the ball home.

The closest the visitors went in the first half was a Chris Burke cross which was superbly intercepted by Solano virtually on the line, and then Mark Kennedy went close with a stinging drive.

But City resumed control in the second half and Gallagher was inches away from a spectacular second with a superb strike from 25 yards out.

Ross McCormack and Jay Bothroyd threatened with neat turns inside the area but McCormack fired over and Bothroyd was denied by City keeper Chris Weale.

City had a strong claim for a penalty at the end when new signing James Vaughan was tugged back inside the area but he showed his integrity by staying on his feet while other strikers might have gone to ground and forced the referee to make a decision.

The last salvo was fired by City and Peter Whittingham forced the save of the match from Weale with a long-range attempt.

But the referee did not award a corner and City held on for a vital victory.