This weekend, Cardiff City lie in mid-table obscurity having won a paltry 9 out of 26 league games this season. Current form is awful, 3 points collected from the last 15, 1 out of the last 9 available at home and successive home defeats. Complete disaster and nightmare.

Everyone will have differing opinions about what went wrong and while it's the same old story of chances not taken and soft goals given away (is it ever anything else?), I personally believe City got their line up and tactics horribly wrong yesterday.

For a club which has never wasted a single moment strengthening the squad in the past 15 months, it borders on being inept that they failed to bring in, or even look for, a striker whilst Peter Thorne has been injured. Persevering with Gavin "no goals" Gordon has been a disaster, he has proved not to be up to the task. I'm fed up of saying he has little or no presence whatsoever around the penalty area which is a damning indictment for someone of his size and physique.

Alan Cork allegedly doesn't rate Simon Haworth but the biggest millstone around his neck at the end of this season may well be not paying the paltry, by City's current standards, £250,000 it would have taken to bring him back to Ninian Park.

I was stunned, and just couldn't believe, that City made no changes either to their line-up of formation for the game. Using Paul Brayson on the left partly to negate Danny Miles and Earnie wide right to run at Ian Harte was perfect for Leeds last week but Alan Cork has no excuses (other than his ever obvious lack of tactical nous and brains) to deploy exactly the same system against Peterborough. To ignore Jason Bowen was criminal, to not use Earnie is his natural role was inept management, Cardiff, I'm afraid, got exactly what they deserved. Even so, to have lost against such an ordinary team as Peterborough with an overall pitiful performance is what will hurt the fans most.

All this on what should have been a celebratory day. Half of our 'loyal supporters' decided they had something better to do today but 11,301 was still a good crowd. It did look strange to see the Grange End three quarters empty, the Lower Grandstand too (the price we pay for moron supporters and the price City paid for waiting until after the event to take decisive action). There were more police outside the ground and BBC Wales and HTV Wales cameras outside too, they really have nothing better to do.

Cardiff publicised that they would play "you'll never walk alone" at 5 to 3 as a gesture of solidarity amongst the support to what has undoubtedly been grossly over-exaggerated nonsense in the media this week. I decided to turn up before kick-off for once but, of course, this is Cardiff City and they did it at 10 to 3 instead! I could hear it walking up Sloper Road, Sam decided to appear by the dugouts and did the *ayatollah (*a salute to our hooligans according to several newspapers! That alone sums up their professionalism and balanced reporting).

An 8 page pamphlet of Sam's thoughts on last week's events entitled "Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do!" was distributed at turnstiles. All very fair comment, I applaud his condemnation of the idiots who disgraced us last weekend and the media have who been disgraceful since. I'm not sure that Sam's siege mentality with the media and imploring them to do their worst is helpful but it's entirely understandable as their unfair hounding of him, the club and its fans.

Sam left half a page blank in a section about his thoughts on David O'Leary saying only "I'm glad my manager doesn't behave like him ... otherwise no comment!" He could have left the whole 8 pages blank if he wanted to talk about Alan Cork's managerial abilities but that's another story, we obviously got the best manager in football and Lennie Lawrence needs help!

It was subdued in the stadium and subdued on the pitch too. The banners were out. "English media = Racist Scum" was one on the Bob Bank, "Thank You Andy Gray" was another, an acknowledgement to one of the few people who talked sense this week. Another long banner in the Grange End read "No more lies Sun, Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Mail, We Are Family". It was professionally made, did the club do it or fans??

The fans sang "You'll Never Ban Sam Hammam" and "You'll Never Ban A City Fan" and got Sam to ayatollah from the directors box but the week's events seems to have taken their toll on everyone, it just didn't feel like the right atmosphere.

The banners were out "Thank You Andy Gray" was one in the Bob Bank as an acknowledgement to one of the few people who talked sense this week, another in the Grange End said "No more lies Sun, Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Mail, We Are Family". It was professionally made, did the club do it or fans??

As far as the football action is concerned, well there really isn't a great deal to report. It was subdued in the stadium and subdued on the pitch too. City opened brightly, lost their way, had a purple patch just before half-time, conceded a goal either side of half-time and went through the motions in the second half without ever looking like getting back in the game, it really was a depressing day.

Kick-off was delayed as the referee (Mark Warren) made Neil Alexander change his black shirt because it clashed with his own then City made a good start but the (lack of) wisdom of playing Paul Brayson instead of Jason Bowen was showing. Has Bowen fallen out with Cork? Brayson was not only out of position but he was used on the left, a bad call. He had early success but his only tactic was cutting inside, he was no ability to go around his marker (Joseph) who was there to be beaten. He got a couple of crosses in but, more often than not, a couple of weak shots which were blocked or easily saved. After that, Joseph sussed him and Brayson was hardly seen as an attacking threat again.

Kavanagh was strong in the opening phase too but it was wrong that Earnie was pushed wide and out main attacking threat seemed to be Kav racing through the middle to meet balls, it was never likely to work and Peterborough, defending in numbers, absorbed it well.

They created chances of their own, Alexander poorly punched at one cross, a weak return shot was easily saved. Another move on the break saw a shot sliced and almost go for a throw in. Cardiff showed little penetration or threat, Gordon and Earnie weren't linking up at all and feeding on scraps anyway as they found Peterborough hard to break down.

Then it all went mad in the final 10 minutes of the half. City cut through Peterborough several times but found their goalkeeper, Mark Tyler, in outstanding form. He made three or four fantastic saves. The best being a superb stop to deny Earnie (put through by Bonner in the best move of the match), an Andy Legg low curling, free kick around the wall which Tyler finger-tipped away as it was destined for his far corner and from the subsequent corner-kick, he got lucky as a goalbound Gavin Gordon header struck his knee and bounced to safety for another corner.

In the middle of this spell, Spencer Prior had to depart the action as he failed to recover from a knee in the back from an earlier challenge. Danny Gabbidon has poor game on the right today and the logical move seemed to be putting Rhys Weston there and moving Gabbi in the centre with Scott Young but Cork opted to put Weston in the middle instead. Weston played really well, looked fully committed but I still wonder whether Cork and City would have been better off if Rhys and Gabbi swapped over instead.

With fans saying they could see "another Bristol City happening", they were sadly proved right. The goal City conceded was awful, Neil Alexander to blame, but typical of the way it has been all season long. A harmless looking ball came over, Neil Alexander charged out of goal to meet it then seemed to fatally hesitate allowing LEON McKENZIE to get in front of him and nod into an empty goal from 12 yards bang on half-time. It was a bodyblow from which City never recovered.

Half-Time: CITY 0 Peterborough 1

You hoped City would come back out with real fire in them but the passion, commitment and will to win all seemed to be missing. Earnie looked frustrated but nearly broke through with one run, he seemed to scuff his shot and Tyler saved well.

Then, on 54 minutes, Peterborough doubled their lead with a superbly taken goal but another that asked loads of questions about our defence. It was a Route One goal, a ball smashed out of defence cleared City's defenders and NEALE FENN hit it first time as it bounced between him and Rhys Weston racing over to cover from 25 yards. Neil Alexander was motionless as the ball sailed over him and under the crossbar, Alexander was so static I thought it had gone over for a moment. The ground was numbed into total silence.

The final half hour was a sorry affair. Cork acted to bring on Leo Fortune-West and Josh Low for Boland and Gordon which caused fans to argue the rest of the game over why Bowen was ignored, why didn't we keep 3 strikers on chasing the game and so on. But it was all too late anyway, the game had gone from City.

Cardiff never really looked like getting back in the game, the only major chance created in the final spell was some Earnie brilliance cutting through Peterborough defenders deep in the penalty area then laying the ball back for Mar Bonner who scooped his shot well over the bar but he was digging it out as Earnie had cut it too far.

Barry Fry was very quiet but rarely had anything to worry about as he sat on the wall next to the dugout with his arms folded throughout. You rarely saw Alan Cork get worked up or barking orders either. Posh's assistant manager, Wayne Turner, seems to be taking over from Fry with animated antics all game, the 4th official twice threatened to ban him to the Grandstand but he was never going to.

And that was about it ... loads of fans left early so an afternoon which began with fans singing "you'll never walk alone" ended with me feeling like I was walking alone for staying until the bitter end!

The season is in tatters, the FA Cup win already a distant memory, being in the 4th round is no consolation. If Alan Cork, with the riches and squad at his disposal, can only get Cardiff to mid-table and some way off the play-off spots, it will be nobody's fault but his own ... probably Sam too for standing by him throughout. Sam is a God and the best thing to happen to this club in my lifetime but his managerial appointments - Gould, Cork, Atkins - seem to haunt us. Lennie Lawrence seems to be a sound appointment, maybe he won't stay upstairs forever.

I've always thought Cork really doesn't have what it takes and will get no pleasure being proved right. And so City's season stumbles on with Cork seeming to have the knack of getting a big result when it matters and he is under extreme pressure but never a run of wins to get us to where we really should be.

The rest of the month is hard. A home game against a likely automatic promotion side (Stoke) and away games against play-off prospects (Wycombe and Brighton). None are better than us but all are above us. The next couple of weeks are likely to be City's last chances to put that right for this season.

I always thought our best chance of silverware this season was winning the LDV Trophy in the Millennium Stadium. Sam Hammam and Alan Cork decided to treat it with contempt losing at home to Peterborough so they could concentrate on the league. We're now 5 points from the play-offs after being blowing it against the same opposition, makes you wonder, doesn't it?

The Bluebirds were quickly into their stride and in the fifth minute, Paul Brayson threatened the visitors' defence cutting inside Marc Joseph and firing a well struck low shot which Mark Tyler was equal to and saved well.

Five minutes later the midfielder and captain Graham Kavanagh opened up the Posh defence with a superb crossfield pass to Brayson but his probing cross eluded everybody and went harmlessly wide.

Peterborough's first scoring opportunity arrived in the 16th minute as Dave Farrell collected a long cross ball from Ciaran Toner but shot tamely at keeper Neil Alexander to fluff a scoring opportunity.

Ten minutes later the Posh were presented with a further chance but Jimmy Bullard completely mis-hit his shot after Neale Fenn had created the opening.

Cardiff, with Kavanagh and Willie Boland prominent in midfield, put Mark Bonner clear on the right in the 37th minute but his square pass to Robert Earnshaw brought a magnificent save by Mark Tyler as the diminutive striker's right-footed shot from close range was goalbound.

A magnificent save again by Tyler a minute later foiled an Andy Legg-free kick as the keeper dived full stretch to tip the ball around the post.

Peterborough, inspired by Tyler took the lead seconds before half time as a Tom Williams cross from the left was misjudged by keeper Alexander which allowed the persisent Leon McKenzie to head the ball home from six yards.

Cardiff immediately attacked the Peterborough goal and Earnshaw combined well with fellow striker Gavin Gordon but his left-foot shot from eight yards in the 49th minute was comfortably saved by the alert keeper.

Peterborough increased their lead in the 54th minute with a spectacular effort from Neale Fenn who chased a long ball out of defence, outpaced defenders Scott Young and Rhys Weston to smash a 20-yard right-footed volley past a stunned Alexander into the roof of the net.

Peterborough keeper Tyler continued to impress and again denied striker Earnshaw as his header from close range was comfortably saved in the 57th minute.

Peterborough lost the services of central defender Simon Rea who was carried off following a clash with substitute striker Leo Fortune-West.

Cardiff continued to pressurise the Posh defence in search of a goal and defender Young met a powerful cross from Joshua Low in the 64th minute but once again the well positioned Tyler foiled the Bluebirds.

Cardiff's best second-half opportunity arrived in the 72nd minute as Earnshaw speedily rounded a couple of defenders squared a pass to Bonner who, with only Tyler to beat, shot high over the bar from eight yards.

Peterborough defended with much resolution and absorbed late Cardiff pressure to record their third away victory of the season and a deserved three points.