These are your Cardiff City headlines on Wednesday, March 9.
Uche: I had another offer
On-loan striker Uche Ikpeazu says another club wanted to sign him on deadline day - but as soon as Cardiff were interested he said his mind was made up.
Middlesbrough eventually decided to let the forward go in January, with the Riverside outfit performing a transfer U-turn over the 26-year-old.
Initially Boro only wanted a permanent deal for Ikpeazu, but relented in the final hours of the window.
Since arriving at Cardiff City Stadium, Ikpeazu has endeared himself to supporters with both goals and performances, even rolling out the ayatollah in training.
"I think what makes Cardiff City special is it's a club that really supports its players," he said when asked why he chose the Bluebirds.
"You see the fanbase, even when I trained, so many welcoming messages. Even when I was at Wycombe I used to have fans in my DMs telling me to come!
"I noticed at the time it didn't materialise when I thought it might have. It's a club that I wanted to join and I remember on deadline day there was another club I was potentially going to join
"As soon as my agent called and said 'Cardiff want to take you on loan' I said 'I'm going to that club, I'm going to Cardiff'.
"There is something about the club which is special to me, always wanted to be apart of. I'm glad the gaffer brought me."
The frontman says there is more to come from him between now and the end of the season, adding that he relishes embedding himself in new surroundings
"I love it!" he said when asked about the ayatollah.
"I love embracing different clubs and culture. I think it's important when you go to a new place, that you bounce off that energy. They haven't seen anything yet! There is so much more to come from me."
Doyle back in training
Steve Morison will be buoyed by Tommy Doyle returning to full training this week.
The on-loan midfielder posted a photo on his Instagram account on him back on the pitches at the Vale training base.
Doyle missed the match at QPR last weekend through illness, with Morison revealing he had been hit hard.
"Wednesday he wasn't that great," Morison said on Saturday.
"Thursday he didn't come outside because he was poorly. He came out Friday morning to train and he spent most of the time bent over in pain and I just went 'do you know what, we've got a team, we've got a squad, go home and we'll see you in the week'. Hopefully we'll come home with three points."
With a full week between games, the manager will be hoping the Manchester City youngster is fit and raring to go come Saturday afternoon.
Pressure off for Preston
Preston boss Ryan Lowe says the Lilywhites will head into the fixture with Cardiff on Saturday with the pressure off.
The Lancashire side moved on to 50 points with a win over Bournemouth last Saturday, which leaves them in 12th position, seven points off the play-offs but having played a few more games than those above them.
It seems unlikely they'll be there in the promotion mix come May, meaning the handbrake can be let off a bit at the weekend and for the rest of the season.
“We are down to our last 10 games," he said.
"If we had beaten Nottingham Forest the other week and won at Coventry, I would have been standing here saying we want to fight for the play-offs.
"That would have been an extra four points and we’d be on 54 points – we are on 50 points.
"I can’t say we are going to do this or do that, all I’m going to ask the group to do is win as many games as they possibly can and see where that takes us.
"There’s no pressure on them, we will do the best we can.”
EFL release statement
The EFL has suspended broadcast of its matches in Russia due to the ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
Access to the iFollow service in the county has now been withdrawn.
In statement the body said: "Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in the region, the EFL has suspended the broadcast feeds of its matches in the Russian Federation.
"Access to the EFL’s iFollow service and other Club streaming services have also been withdrawn in the territory.
"Echoing the views of the Premier League and other organisations around the world, the EFL remains deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict. As has been demonstrated at EFL grounds around the country, ‘Football Stands Together’ with the people of Ukraine and all those impacted."
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