Sky Bet Championship: Rudy Gestede earns Blackburn 1-1 draw at Cardiff

Rudy Gestede scored in the final minute against his former club to earn Blackburn a 1-1 draw at Cardiff in the Sky Bet Championship.

Sean Morrison's 84th-minute header looked set to give Cardiff a first win in seven games and ease some of the pressure on manager Russell Slade.

But Gestede, sold for just £200,000 by the Bluebirds in January 2014, kept Rovers' hopes of a late play-off charge alive when he converted his 15th goal of the season in the 90th minute.

It moves Gary Bowyer's men to within 10 points of the top six, although they never threatened to repeat their FA Cup heroics against a much-improved home side.

Slade has come in for fierce criticism from Bluebirds fans, with a supporters' poll in a local newspaper showing that over 80 per cent felt he was the wrong man for the job.

He needed some form of response from his players and he got it.

From the off Cardiff played with noticeably more energy than their lethargic showing against Brighton seven days ago, with new head coach Paul Trollope barking instructions from the touchline.

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Debutant Matthew Kennedy, a January signing from Everton, and Craig Noone got forward down the flanks, while Eoin Doyle looked lively in his first home start since arriving from Chesterfield.

The Irish striker almost had his first Cardiff goal in the 15th minute as he turned Noone's cross goalwards, but Matt Kilgallon got back to make a superb goal-line clearance.

Grant Hanley then made a timely intervention to prevent Lee Peltier's cross finding Kenwyne Jones as the home side dominated the opening exchanges.

But they needed a goal-line clearance of their own to remain on level term just before the half-hour.

Aron Gunnarsson, who had been off twice for treatment after a bang to the head, was on hand to prevent Josh King following up his weekend hat-trick with another goal.

Chris Taylor then wastefully headed over Tom Cairney's cross, while David Marshall smashed a clearance against Gestede and breathed a sigh of relief as the ball spun back across goal.

Rovers had grown into the game and they started the second half positively, with King escaping the attentions of Bruno Manga, forcing Gunnarsson to get back and intervene as the Blackburn man bore down on goal.

Cardiff then wasted a great chance through top scorer Jones. Kennedy got the better of Marcus Olsson and picked out the Trinidadian, who could only head agonisingly wide.

King thought he had won it for Blackburn when he flicked Craig Conway's cross beyond Marshall, but the ball rolled just beyond the far post. Instead Morrison looked to have claimed all three points with his header from Peter Whittingham's corner.

But Gestede was on hand to smash home an equaliser after Scott Malone had blocked King's shot.