Cardiff City continued to build on their pre-season work with a scoreless draw against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night.
It was a swelteringly hot evening up at Montgomery Waters Meadow, but there's no rest for the wicked as Steve Morison's squad build up to the start of the season, which kicks off on July 30.
It was the first game Cardiff have not won so far in this pre-season, however that does make four undefeated now and there are aspects of the Bluebirds' game which are encouraging. There are others which need work, but we will get to that.
Here, we take a look at the talking points from the Bluebirds' pre-season clash with the Shrews.
O'Dowda and Ojo provide early excitement
One of the hallmarks of City's change in style is their use of wingers. Callum O'Dowda and Sheyi Ojo started their first games for the Bluebirds on Tuesday night and were the most dangerous weapons City had on the pitch in the opening half an hour.
O'Dowda looked bright and really lively, he wanted to dribble at his opposite number, take them on and hit a varied array of crosses into the box. He also kept the ball extremely well in tight spaces and under pressure.
There is certainly potential for him to have a productive season if he is capable of staying fit. While we've seen him sparingly so far, the outing up in Shropshire was an encouraging sign of things to come, Cardiff will hope.
And Ojo looked like a threat, too. On that right-hand side, he cut inside and fired off some pinpoint balls into the box, one of which produced the chance of the first half, but Max Watters' free header was glanced just wide of the mark. At the start of the second half he also advanced on a mazy, cross-field run before smashing a well-hit effort into a sprawling Shrews defender.
In all likelihood, they appear to be the duo who could start against Norwich come Saturday week.
Cedric Kipre's assured start
While new signing Cedric Kipre had a little run-out at Cheltenham Town at the weekend, his first start yielded much praise from supporters on social media who were watching the live stream.
And quite rightly, too, because if Cardiff are to beat high presses this season, which it looks like they will attempt to do, they will need someone with a bit of cool and calm about them on the ball and Kipre is coolness personified. Whether that comes back to bite him throughout the season is something we will only know in time, but the way he plays with the ball is like nothing Cardiff have had in recent seasons.
He spun the ball around onrushing attackers, he hit smart, crisp passes up the line and even drove out of defence.
Now, of course, this must be caveated by saying he was tested very little against Shrewsbury, such was Cardiff's dominance, but the early signs, from an in-possession standpoint, are positive.
Another Ralls injury concern
One of the negative points of the night was the injury to Joe Ralls. Unfortunately for the Cardiff midfielder, injuries have been totting up for him in recent years and the last thing he will want is another spell on the sidelines so soon after penning a new two-year deal.
But on the half-hour mark he fell to the deck in a heap and the game was stopped while he sought medical attention. In truth, it was a surprise that he carried on, but he walked gingerly and ran at half pace until the half-time whistle, which was Ryan Wintle's cue to get warmed up.
A lot has been made of Cardiff's well-stocked midfield following a fruitful transfer window, but with Ebou Adams' nasty-looking shoulder injury against Cambridge United and now this Ralls issue, which appeared to be a problem with his right thigh, those options are just narrowing somewhat.
Fortunately, as will be made in the next point, others are stepping up.
Whether we will see Adams, Ralls, Rubin Colwill, Isaak Davies or Ollie Tanner again before the season begins, though, is something worth keeping an eye on. It's hardly ideal.
Sang becoming impossible to ignore
If we were to list the big winners at Cardiff City during this pre-season, Tom Sang would be right up there near the top.
What a turnaround for someone who started the summer out in the cold, not even up in Scotland on their pre-season trip. He has convinced Steve Morison to give him a shot and, boy, hasn't he taken it.
Let's just assume that everyone is tempering this with the knowledge that Cardiff have played only League Two and League One opposition, but the player can't do anymore than he has been doing.
He has been one of the standouts in every game for the Bluebirds so far and Tuesday night was no different. With his first, sublime touch, he set up a gilt-edged chance for City to take the lead. He flicked a perfectly-weighted, first-time pass around the corner for Jamilu Collins to run on to before the left back drove in a low cross. Mark Harris unfortunately couldn't convert.
He knits the play together so nicely and is rarely wasteful in possession. Cardiff have a new-found and effective mantra of trying to win the ball back quickly and he is one of the best at doing just that in the middle of the park. He made a far bigger impact than Romaine Sawyers, for example, although the former West Brom man will be ring-rusty at the minute.
With Adams, Ralls and Colwill potentially sidelined, and others, like Sawyers, needing minutes in the tank, Sang is emerging as a real contender with the season fast approaching.
Lack of cutting edge
It's been said many times already this pre-season, even by Steve Morison himself, but Cardiff's lack of clinical edge in the final third is an area which needs improvement before the season starts.
Cardiff's two fit strikers, Harris and Watters, have just seven Championship goals between them. While Watters looks a tad more confident in pre-season, having him as your main striker for the campaign represents a massive risk. Harris has his plus-points, too, but being a regular goalscorer is not one of them.
It's ironic, actually, because this new style of play suits them both better than any other time they have been at the club. They could surprise us all, but against Shrewsbury too many chances went begging.
Two quality strikers, possibly on loan, will really give this squad the injection of goals that it so desperately needs.
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