It games like these that make you really believe City are going up. A strange game, Cardiff didn't always play well and struggled to find fluency. They had some baffling tactics but by final whistle, Plymouth were blown away 4-1. It was perfect revenge for Boxing Day defeat in Devon, the Bluebirds only league loss since Alan Cork took charge more than 3 months ago. The scoreline, with two goals in the final three minutes, may have been flattering but when the shot count was 22 to 5, it could have been more too.

City have now won 9 successive home league games which, I believe, equals an all time club record from the 1946/47 season and Eddie May's/Rick Wright's Division Three Championship team of 1992/93 so next home game vs Rochdale on Friday week is set to be a record breaker. Does anyone know for sure?

Plymouth are a much improved team since Paul Sturrock became their manager a couple of months ago. They will be disappointed at the outcome, probably complain about their bookings and sending offs (even though every one of them was deserved in isolation) and wonder what would have happened if they hadn't played 81 minutes of the game with 1 less player. The way City are lately, the score might have been different but I've no doubt that the outcome would have been the same.

Corky made a major tactical change by going with Leo Fortune-West as the only recognised striker and doubling up on the right side with Daniel Gabbidon and Josh Low in defence and midfield. He was no doubt mindful of the torrid time Josh had at Plymouth on Boxing Day when Plymouth's Beswetherwick and Nankevic doubled up on him and caused havoc. It could have been shelved instantly as only Beswetherwick featured and rarely pushed forward. Cardiff's ever changing midfield today featured Arsenal's on loan James Harper and Willie Boland as Corkie searches for the right combination in Mark Bonner's absence.

Plymouth's striker, Paul McGregor, who a few City players were looking forward to seeing again apparently hurt his back in training on Thursday. Did he cop out? Plymouth's ex-Jack striker, Sean McCarthy, scorer of both goals in City's Boxing Day defeat started but I hope the hot water tank was on early as he was back in his dressing room after only 8 minutes. Scott Young tackled him superbly and was coming away with the ball when McCarthy stupidly smashed him in the face with his right elbow. The red card was inevitable making him the second ex-Swansea striker to be sent off at Ninian this season following Julian Alsop for Cheltenham last month. And didn't we love it! There were 9,000 hands waving bye and with an appropriate chant to go with it.

With the extra man advantage, City may have appeared shot shy in the first half but were moving the ball all over the pitch and Plymouth's players had to chase and close them. It wasn't exciting to watch and not always fluent, there weren't showing enough urgency, but it was obvious Plymouth would tire eventually and so it proved.

City were stuttering for a few reasons. The pitch was hard in places with frost, particularly on the wings which had seen less of the sun during the day. A game at Cardiff rugby ground was postponed so credit again to Wayne and the boys for preparing the pitch. There were a number of players who slipped and fell but it was nothing like the farce at Crewe in midweek.

There other main reasons were that the Gabbidon/Low combination wasn't working and was more unnecessary than ever with Plymouth reduced to 10 men. City's midfield still isn't functioning too well and we continue to look overrun in that area at times but today wasn't helped by Willie Boland having a personal nightmare as he strives for full match fitness. I think he only won one tackle, was dispossessed a few times and only found a blue shirt once in the entire half with his passing. It just wasn't his day.

There were few efforts on goal in the opening 35 minutes and it seemed that Josh Low was having all of them as a few efforts were blocked or sailed over the bar. Leo had an early shot that drifted wide but the most dangerous moment was probably a Josh Low cross that was dropping under the bar, Sheffield just about managed to turn it over.

Something had to change and for the second successive league game, Gabbidon was withdrawn before half-time for tactical reasons and what a change it made. The substitution happened in the 37th minute which was maybe 29 minutes too late as it could have been made immediately after Plymouth's sending off but on came Earnie and 30 seconds later, City were ahead with his first touch!

James Harper received the ball wide right and showed classy control and some pretty decent dancing skills (rehearsing for a night out in town?) to skip around a defender and lash what was probably a shot towards goal but in stepped Earnie, 10 yards out, to brilliantly divert the ball away from the keeper into the net and send Ninian mental. Earnie somersaulted towards the Bob Bank and sprayed them down with a machine gun impression, he knows how to shoot alright!

He nearly doubled his and City's tally a couple of minutes later when he used his electrifying pace to reach a through ball and get around Sheffield, Plymouth's goalie, who had raced out. His left foot effort was goalbound but was so unlucky to hit the heel of a Plymouth defender charging back to goal. Shortly after that, Leo had a looping header cleared off the line.

With three minutes of added time of display, Mark Walton made the save of the season (so far). Leggy was beaten by trickery inside near the penalty area who then flighted the ball over Walton at the near post for the unmarked Friio to have the simple looking task of nodding into an empty net. Walton showed Gordon Banks style agility to race across goal and somehow stop and keep out the header. It was astonishing and got a standing ovation.

Plymouth's only other real effort of the half had been after 25 minutes when a scrambled clearance under pressure lead to a volley that Rhys Weston probably still has a headache for after getting his face in the way of it.

City ended the half with 10 men themselves after Scott Young limped off with what appeared to be an ankle twist, possibly from stepping or landing awkwardly rather than a challenge. It didn't look promising but he was back for the second half.

Argyle's manager, Sturrock, probably needed the rest too as he spent the entire 45 minutes standing as close to play as possible and having a running dialogue and argument with the fourth official. Whinger!

Half-time Cardiff City 1 Plymouth Argyle 0

During the interval, most fans thought City would go on to record a comfortable three or four goal win but they had to think again as Plymouth shocked us all with a 51st minute equaliser.

James Harper conceded possession, the ball was fed to the right wing and a sweeping cross was nodded in off the far post by Stonebridge who outjumped Scott Young with surprising ease. Was Young still struggling?

The goal was scored at the Grange End in front of Plymouth's 350 now delirious fans and 2 Cardiff Grange End psychos decided to jump the fence into the no man's land between the home and away fans and tried to get in the Plymouth end. They were quickly repelled. Some of the Lower Grandstand boys got agitated too but a huge number of police appeared and although it was disturbing, there were no more real problems.

By now, incidents were coming thick and fast. Within a 30 second spell, Plymouth had players booked on the right and left side of defence for a foul on Matt Brazier, the ref pointing out it was an accumulation of fouls by the Frenchman, and then McGlinchey for showing dissent to a linesman. That proved more costly that he would realise at the time.

City introduced Scott McCulloch for the ineffective Boland but just as he appeared, there was another flashpoint. A late McGlinchey challenge on Harper saw the Arsenal man react angrily and lash back with his boot. Harper was shown the red card instantly and had to go for a rash moment of stupidity, like McCarthy's in the first half, which delighted the Plymouth fans.

However many City fans had already worked out that McGlinchey's challenge was bad enough for a yellow card and he had been booked just 5 minutes earlier. He was treated long after Harper had disappeared but the moment he was back on his feet, Mr Cooper showed him a second yellow card then red. And now City fans were dancing up and down, waving bye to another player and taunting the Plymouth support.

So now it was 10 against 9 which really opened the game. City had struggled for shape for much of the first half and were again now with both starting central midfielders out of the match but McCulloch put in a terrific display. He won challenges in his undoubted hard man style but on the ball, he looked for a City shirt on the sides in space every time.

City were now really turning up the pressure and Plymouth were fighting just to hold on although they continued to look a threat on the break. Chances were coming regularly, Leo and Earnie nearly linking up to create from a couple of crosses as the possession, Josh Low who must be responsible for half of City's shots brought a save from Sheffield, Earnie was blocked and a McCulloch blaster took a heavy deflection and looped inches over the bar.

A second goal looked inevitable and it came on 70 minutes. A corner came to Josh Low on the edge of the area and he moved inside a marker before letting go with a left foot volley. A Plymouth player blocked it and the ball flew into the air. Four players went for the loose ball as it came back down including Earnie, the Plymouth keeper and centre-half but the most committed was Leo Fortune-West who wasn't going to be stopped and he nodded home from 6 yards into an empty net.

Leo's workrate for City is immense, not pretty but effective, and nobody can fault his goals contribution. Andy Legg was awarded sponsor's man of the match and was superb but, for me, City's best player today by some distance was Jason Bowen. He was masterful in everything he did, his ball skills and controls were a joy to see and he was at the heart of all City's moves.

Ninian was covered in noise as, once again, fans in every part of the ground took part in the various chants and long may it continue. It's fantastic that the whole ground sings along at Ninian, the atmosphere lately is just incredible.

With 15 minutes remaining, Paul Brayson replaced Scott Young but there was still no shape to the City side, as if they just didn't bother with a formation but it was good enough.

Jason Bowen put Leo clear on goal and he should have wrapped up the win but shot straight at Sheffield and City continued to press.

City fans found time to give old boy Wayne O'Sullivan a good ovation when he was subbed with 3 minutes remaining and he responded. Wayne-O had played well today as he did at Home Park on Boxing Day.

It looked like the game would finish at 2-1 and going through the motions when it exploded again for a thrilling last few minutes initially lit up by Earnie. In a brilliant piece of striking and opportunism, he created and scored a goal from nothing.

The ball came to Earnie with little on 30 yards out but he knocked the ball wide of 2 defenders including Plymouth's 6'5'' giant who had played well and towered over Earnie. He couldn't take Earnie's pace tough as he tore past him, seemed to touch the ball too far forward going to the left of goal and then got his legs into overdrive to beat Sheffield to the ball and slot home from an angle. It was brilliance and a fantastic way to signal now being the leading league/cup scorer in Division Three with his 19th of the season. Earnie will go all the way, let's hope it's always with City!

City were now passing the ball with some confidence and the crowd were cheering every pass as City put about 10 to 15 together in one movement before Friio hacked down Bowen as he cut towards the penalty area. It was a bad challenge and was rewarded with a yellow then red card sending the fans into raptures as Plymouth had their third player sent off.

Friio was walking away when a defender pleaded with the ref that he hadn't been booked before. The ref turned to the 4th official who confirmed it so the ref embarrassingly had to call Friio back. Friio was no 25, he had earlier booked 26 and 27, I can only assume that he somehow got the numbers mixed up.

And there was one final moment of brilliance and Scott McCulloch scored a wonderful 4th goal to send everyone away laughing, singing and happy.

Again, it was wonderful individual opportunism as McCulloch came forward 20 yards on a Ricky Villa style run that saw him skip past three players as if they didn't exist and shoot from 15 yards when he got a clear sight of goal. Sheffield got a hand to it but failed to stop the ball going backwards and it bounced into the net with the keeper a little embarrassed but the goal was deserved for McCulloch's brilliance.

Those nine successive home wins have produced 29 City goals, it was just fantastic entertainment and no wonder Sam Hammam looked so pleased and happy at the final whistle. Did anyone else notice Mark Walton shrug him off when Sam tried to shake his hand?

Harper was one of three players dismissed by Walsall referee Mark Cooper during a match that also brought five bookings and, at one stage, threatened to get beyond the control of the overworked official.

He was the victim of a crude challenge by Brian McGlinchey just outside the centre circle, but kicked out recklessly in retaliation.

He gave Mr Cooper little option but to show the red card and Brian McGlinchey, booked for dissent just five minutes earlier, also went for a second yellow card.

"I've got no complaints at all - Harper deserved to go, " said Alan Cork . "I have no sympathy at all but he is only a young lad and I hope this experience helps him to learn a lesson."

Sean McCarthy had been the first player to see red after only seven minutes when he lashed out with his arm and struck Cardiff defender Scott Young flush in the face as he tried to control a pass from David Worrell .

Some of the bad temper on view was difficult to understand, but there was nothing but delight on the face of 19-year-old Robert Earnshaw when he gave Cardiff at 37th minute lead within seconds of coming on as substitute for Daniel Gabbidon. It was Earnshaw's 18th goal of the season.

The Pilgrims equalised just five minutes into the second half when McGlinchey crossed from the left and Ian Stonebridge scored with a powerful header.

Leo Fortune-West restored Cardiff's lead in the 69th minute with a close-range header after Plymouth had failed to clear an Andy Legg corner.

Earnshaw grabbed his second of the afternoon when he ran on to a ball through the middle, cut into the penalty area and beat Plymouth goalkeeeper Jon Sheffield with a firm, low shot from about 15 yards. Moments before time Scott McCulloch piled on more misery for Plymouth when he was allowed to move into the area almost unchallenged before netting Cardiff's fourth.