Ex-Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo misses penalty as Cardiff play goalless draw with Huddersfield

Mick McCarthy could not celebrate his 1000th game as a manager with the victory that would have taken Cardiff City back up into the Championship play-off spots.

But he would have been happy to settle for a point after Huddersfield's Yaya Sanogo shot wide from the penalty spot with the game's biggest chance.

As it is, his unbeaten start with Cardiff now stretches to 11 games and they sit one point behind sixth-placed Bournemouth.

McCarthy's journey started as player-manager at Millwall in March 1992 and of course led him to the World Cup with the Republic of Ireland in 2002 as the pinnacle.

But it's in the Championship in its various guises that the bulk of his work has been done, a title winner with Sunderland and Wolves as the highlights.

Leaving APOEL Nicosia in January after a short stint at the Cypriot club, nobody expected him to be leading an unlikely promotion charge in South Wales.

But such has been Big Mick's impact at Cardiff in just six weeks that a contract signed until the end of the season has already been extended for two more.

McCarthy teams have always carried a threat from set-pieces and that nearly paid dividends inside the first two minutes.

Aden Flint nodded down a deep cross and it needed a smart stop from Ryan Schofield to prevent Bluebirds skipper Sean Morrison from turning it home.

The Terriers were in need of points after a dreadful run of just one win in 2021 that has pushed them towards the danger zone and Juninho Bacuna tested Dillon Phillips with a free-kick.

Cardiff midfielder Will Vaulks had a sweet 25-yard volley was well parried by Schofield but the key moment came late in the second period after Curtis Nelson brought down Aaron Rowe.

Sanogo took responsibility but fired wide, prompting a clenched fist in relief from McCarthy, showing how much it still means after 1000 games.