The facts speak for themselves. Cardiff City's away points record is the 2nd best in Division Two but as "Fortress Ninian", City's point haul is a poor 12th best (despite having played more home games than most other teams too).

As has happened far too many times this season, City got themselves into a position to challenge for the play-offs/promotion after 3 successive wins but blew it once they got within touching distance. I warned after Northampton last week that City's football was unconvincing, they had simply beat 3 of the bottom 5 teams. Yet it set them up for two winnable home games this week against QPR and Blackpool ... but we had to settle for draws, both times having to fight back for a point. Everyone knew these two games had to produce a minimum 4 point haul, Cardiff City failed us again.

This result was more devastating than the QPR draw in midweek as they were fellow contenders. Blackpool came to Ninian Park on the back of good recent away wins but at 16th in the table, they can't really go up or down. The sort of team who must be beaten by any side with serious ambitions.

I am afraid however that City cannot shake off their season long bad ways, few teams beat City, they do it to themselves. Too many players choked, the defensive performance was abysmal, the goals conceded were as dire as they get, midfield lacked shape, there was a terrible lack of width. Yet, despite all that, most criminal part of all was City created the chances to have won but they wasted them again. We've let in too many, we haven't scored enough, it's as simple as that.

City were supposedly boosted by the return of inspirational Captain Graham Kavanagh in midfield, Paul Brayson made way. Kav was anything but inspirational, more later. At the back, Rhys Weston's concussion against QPR in midweek gave Spencer Prior the opportunity to put his Premiership experience and know how into use, he didn't. But they were no worse than 6 other players who just didn't produce.

Only 2 players, the on-loan Andy Campbell and Danny Gabbidon should have walked off that pitch satisfied with their efforts. Layton Maxwell should have some satisfaction too even if he faded as the game progressed. The rest under-performed, some of them badly, but that's the story of the season, isn't it?

It all looked so different in the opening stages. Fans was confident, early arrivals apparently made to stand while Sam's Lord's prayer was read out including lines such as Deliver Us From This Division, Forgive Those Who Coin Throw as We Forgive Those Who Coin Threw Against Us and Sweep (Sooty's Missus!) taking penalties. Sweep kicks a ball better than Josh Low but who doesn't? The weather improved as fans walking to Ninian encountered brass monkey waether, blustery winds, hail, sleet and enough gloom to get a lighthouse fired up but it turned calmer and sunnier during the game. The players seemed up for it too as they came out determined to blow Blackpool away, they created 4 good chances in the opening 5 minutes. Yep, none went in.

City pressurised Blackpool so much in the opening phase that Danny Gabbidon was a centre forward and Layton Maxwell covered for him on halfway. Gabbidon went on a magnificent 50 yard run and shot that Blackpool keeper Barnes, dived full length to stop, City were to slow to react as the ball came out. Gabbi nearly flicked in a corner. Campbell had an effort blocked and then Barnes dived full-length to stop an angled Kav drive across him after a 25 yard run, Kav failed to spot Andy Campbell was free and unmarked in the centre. Things were so promising that, for the first time, Leo "did the Leo". Asked to do so by The Grange End, Leo warming up waved his hands and fingers upwards.

Blackpool were there to be taken, very average defensively, but as usual, City stopped playing and went to sleep. By the time they awoke, the damage was done, City were two-nil behind before half-hour had passed. There are no excuses, it was pathetic, they let themselves, and us, down.

The team lost their shape, none more so than midfield where the trio of Kavanagh-Maxwell-Boland seemed to play diagonally rather than across the line, no wonder Blackpool started finding players and gaps. City went deeper when there was no reason, defensive shambles and uncertainties crept in. Then there was Josh Low who I suspect has started his final game for City this season ... and possibly any other season too.

Lawrence gave him one more chance after a terrible midweek performance vs QPR, in truth, he hardly had any options. Des wasn't ready for a full start, the other option was Paul Brayson who doesn't seem to do much damage wide, he doesn't seem to do much at all anymore when given the chance.

When Low came to City on a free, then Leyton Orient Manager, Tommy Taylor blasted him and accused him of being a "country boy". In a good team last season and given the confidence and space to play, we thought City had found a diamond. Low's pace down the wing is Premier class, he needed to work on his passing and especially crossing but we had a feeling that was coming. Maybe it's time to concede that it never will, Josh doesn't have it in him. He hasn't the bottle, attitude and commitment, Tommy Taylor was right.

Given the ball in space, Josh ran but it was brainless. Too often, he gave himself impossible chases after his first touch. His passing was poor, he never crossed a single ball despite a few opportunities. Worst of all, he won't challenge and ducks out of tackles, even some in his favour. A luxury City can no longer afford.

The defence were entirely to blame for both Blackpool goals but Low was a critical factor too. He had a 50/50 on halfway. Had he won it, he could have raced unchallenged to Blackpool's goal but he "chickened out", leaving Blackpool come through with a huge gap behind him. Willie Boland had to stop a Blackpool player because of it and was yellow carded. Boland probably wanted to throttle Josh for his lack of commitment which left him in that position.

From the free-kick, Wellens eventually hit a "nothing" ball into City's area but Scott Young had his personal nightmare, somehow allowing MURPHY, in front of him and with his back to goal, to turn, go past him and fire home inside the near post from 8 yards. The whole ground was stunned, Scott Young had at least three chances to clear and you never felt there was danger at any time until Murphy was allowed sight of goal. I still can't believe how he scored, how it was allowed to happen.

City crumbled and got worse. Players weren't calling to each other, I lost count of the number of times during the game that two blue shirts went for the same ball. There was uncertainty and nobody, Campbell, Maxwell and Gabbi apart, were imposing themselves. Blackpool flashed another shot wide of goal, Gabbidon nearly scored an own goal heading clear under immense pressure. Then the self-destruct button was hit again on 27 minutes.

Most fans blamed Josh Low mercilessly but they will do well to look at the antics of our defence as they won the ball and decided to mess around passing it to each other as Blackpool players closed them down. Jeez lads, we're losing, get the bleedin'thing upfield! Then Spencer Prior hit an awful pass across the line to Josh Low, it was behind him and bounced high. Low was too slow to react, a more alert player wouldn't have waited for the ball to get to him as Josh did but Prior shouldn't have put City in that position either.

The pass was easily intercepted by Jacszyn as Low stood watching, his cross saw Murphy poised to nod home but Gabbi intervened brilliantly to nod behind for a corner. Lawrence reacted furiously by getting Disco Des Hamilton to warm up. But the defence let us down again. The corner was hit to the far post and MURPHY, starting with a bandaged forehand, nodded down and inside Alexander's near post again.

It was the 44th league goal that Scotland's so called Number 1 has conceded, that's 7 more than any team currently in the promotion/play off zone. You can't blame Alexander for most of them but wouldn't it be nice to see him make one or two saves? He holds everything hit at him, he is sound in the air with crosses but his distribution is woeful (as shown with his kicking throughout today) and, crucially, his reflexes seem slow. Quite simply, he is no shot stopper. I can't help feeling that a more reactive 'keeper would have saved at least 1 of Murphy's efforts, I regularly feel that with Alexander.

At this stage, City were a complete shambles but three minutes later, on the half hour, they were back with what seems to be their only attacking threat lately, a Legg long-throw.

Hurled from the left, the ball bounced around the area before arriving to the unusually out of sorts Willie Boland whose edge of area shot was saved by Barnes but ANDY CAMPBELL was first to react and put the ball into the empty net from 3 or 4 feet. A poacher's goal.

City, still not firing, had two excellent chances to have equalised before half-time, both were squirmed. Gabbidon met a corner with a header that seemed to be going in, the Grandstand rose to acclaim it, but it had no power enabling Barnes to get across. Better still was a Leggy cross to Peter Thorne but he fluffed his header totally, it went into the back of a Blackpool player when he really should have hit the target. Thorne has failed to find any real form and confidence since returning to the team. Best shown when he failed to react as a Leggy cross cleared the final defender and he watched it drift wide. An alert Thorne, or any £1.7M striker, would have gambled and been left with the easiest of tap-ins or at least throw himself at the ball.

But it could have been worse as Blackpool skinned City twice more. Prior left City exposed was a diving challenge, fortunately the Blackpool player decided to dive and was booked, he could and should have gone on a break. Then they were split through the middle, City were nowhere leaving Taylor race through on his own, he shaved the outside of the post but should have hit the target.

HALF-TIME: City 1 Blackpool 2

Des Hamilton replaced Josh Low to start the 2nd half, the mild shock was that it took 45 minutes to happen. Hamilton though could hardly say he did a great deal better, more confidence and less errors, but missed an outstanding chance missed and didn't make a great presence overall. It matched the rest of City's display, not good enough but so many chances wasted.

There were 3 more outstanding chances spurned before City eventually equalised and another one afterwards. As pants as we were, the chances were still made to have buried Blackpool, it was infuriating to blow so many clear cut openings.

Peter Thorne did brilliantly to turn veteran ex-Everton and Oldham player Ian Marshall but he shot straight at Barnes instead of steering wide of him. Andy Campbell, who led by example, did brilliantly to get to a Thorne pass, started 3 yards behind a Blackpool marker but left him for dead. His shot was a fraction wide and so unlucky but done fantastically to have got there, he should have steered home too. A brilliant piece of combination play saw Legg and Campbell cut open Blackpool, Campbell played Des in but his effort blazed harmlessly past the far post. He definitely should have hit the target, he probably should have scored.

In amongst that, Graham Kavanagh earned his 13th booking of the season for a late, reckless challenge on Marshall after the ball had long gone. Kav, freshly returned from suspension and a family holiday in Ireland, (it is just me bewildered that players suspended mostly due to ill discipline seem to be rewarded by going on holiday?). He is now 2 bookings away from a 3 match ban. At this rate, he will be out of the play-offs even if City make it, something that looks very unlikely.

Lennie gambled again bringing on a third striker in the 62nd minute, Big Leo, at the expense of Willie Boland and City changed to 3-4-3. It worked instantly with a cracker of a goal.

Andy Legg hit a long free-kick, Leo chested down brilliantly on the edge of the area, Andy Campbell took it, ran on a touch and hit a perfectly controlled 20 yard dipping volley over Barnes and under the crossbar. It was brilliant, Campbell deservedly went on to earn City's man of the match, not that he had any significant competition for the award.

Ninian burst into life, there was an atmosphere that buzzed and the feeling was City would now power on ... but we never did. Just like against QPR in midweek, it seemed that the efforts of City dragging themselves back into the game had drained them. The intensity was gone, City never had a shot on goal in the closing 25 minutes, the game petered into a draw. Let's face it, this side just cannot play for 90 minutes. They must put that right for next season, it has cost us dearly this term.

City still had chances however, blowing one more glorious opportunity. Kav had a free-kick in a similar spot to his goal vs Leeds but never got enough height on it and missed the wall. Best chance fell to Peter Thorne who was set up by a bursting Des run but never caught his shot right. It was deflected inches wide for a corner, Thorne fluffed it anyway. It was slightly behind him but he should have done much better.

Paul Brayson replaced a limping, after a challenge on Marshall, Thorne for the closing stages but that was it. Blackpool packed defence and settled for the draw, City lacked the intelligence or creativity to break through again.

Having blown the automatic promotion dream some time ago, City now failing in the play-off chase too but being with the also rans - just have we have been all season when all is said and done. Fans will now be consoling themselves with the best league position for 17 years and I would have settled for this 2 seasons ago routine but that's denying this is a still a failure. A disaster in my view.

City need 5 wins from their last 8 games, 2 of them will now probably have to be away in 6 pointers at Oldham next Saturday and then Huddersfield (if we're still in the chase), early next month. That's how desparate things have become, we're clutching at straws, this shouldn't have happened.

I'll be there every game, supporting the lads and continue believing and hoping at games but the reality in my heart and head both say it's beyond this group of players. They let themselves, and us, down time and again.

The final whistle and recent events made me accept that we just are not ready for promotion and it's probably just as well if we don't go to Division One yet, as much as that will hurt. It probably would have been a different story if we had Bowen and Earnie recently but good teams deal with that, all the other sides needed to do likewise with lesser squads after all.

Cardiff City must get lose of some of the present personnel this summer and bring in better. We have overspent, we have brought the wrong players to the club, the expectations have been high, maybe unrealistic, although I don't think so.

This squad of players should have got us automatic promotion, or at the very least, be cruising to the play-offs regardless. It's unfair to blame the present manager. He inherited an unbalanced squad with no decent wide men for example and has had to contend with most of City's best players being absent with injury in his limited time. Many of us knew we took far too long to rid ourselves of Alan Cork but, despite that, we also know that the players need to look at themselves. They failed us too ... they have 1 last slim chance to put the damge right, I hope they prove me wrong but they haven't so far.

Still look on the bright side, we only need 1 more point to guarantee that we won't be relegated this season!

The Bluebirds opened passionately and visiting keeper Philip Barnes dived full-stretch to palm away a beautifully struck 20-yard drive from defender Daniel Gabbidon in the third minute. A minute later midfielder Graham Kavanagh, back from suspension, smashed another 20-yard stinging shot but Barnes again made a superb save to deny the Cardiff captain.

Cardiff's new signing Andy Campbell showed great pace in the eighth minute running past Blackpool captain Ian Marshall, but the alert Barnes was quickly off his line to block the shot from close range. The Seasiders first attempt on goal came in the ninth minute from a direct free-kick but Paul Simpson's effort sailed high over the bar from 15 yards.

Blackpool though took the lead in the 19th minute as lanky striker John Murphy robbed Scott Young inside the area and coolly side-footed past keeper Neil Alexander from close range.

The Bluebirds retaliated immediately as Joshua Low cut inside from the right flank but his tame shot from the edge of the area was easily saved by Barnes.

Blackpool had a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute to increase their lead but an unmarked Martin Bullock shot wide from 12 yards with the Cardiff defence in total disarray.

Striker Murphy who was proving a problem to the Bluebirds put Blackpool further ahead with a far-post header from a couple of yards following a well struck corner by Simpson.

The Bluebirds urged on by their 11,000 vociferous fans pulled a goal back in the 29th minute as Campbell tapped in from close range after keeper Barnes had failed to grasp cleanly a shot from Willie Boland.

Cardiff were fortunate not to concede a further goal in the 36th minute as a spread-eagled defence allowed Scott Taylor acres of room but his final shot went well wide with only Alexander to beat.

Keeper Barnes was soon in action during the second half and made a fine save in the 52nd minute to thwart a close-range effort from striker Peter Thorne.

Mounting Cardiff pressure saw the home side create several chances with both striker Campbell and substitute Des Hamilton firing narrowly wide.

The persevering Campbell was rewarded in the 65th minute with a superb volley from the edge of the area into the corner of the net past the diving Barnes to give Cardiff a spectacular equalising goal.

The Bluebirds almost snatched victory in the 79th minute but a shot from Thorne from 15 yards was deflected past the post enabling a battling Blackpool to take a share of the points