Cardiff 0, Albion 0

Chris Hughton called it a missed opportunity, Dale Stephens said it wasn't good enough.

They were both right but one remarkable statistic survived a bore-draw in Wales, one which is underpinning Albion's challenge for automatic promotion.

They are so difficult to puncture, particularly when disadvantaged playing away from the Amex.

The latest clean sheet means the Seagulls have conceded just one goal on their travels in the last six games, deep into injury-time at Sheffield Wednesday when another shut-out beckoned.

Such security guarantees a point which can often turn into three, given the game-changers within Hughton's ranks.

It did not happen on this occasion, due to a combination of Cardiff's doggedness and Albion's absence of penetration in the final third.

But it was still enough to stretch the only gap that really matters at this stage, between the Seagulls and Reading in third place to five points, rather than how close they are to leaders Newcastle.

Stopping opponents from scoring against you, especially on their own territory, does not happen by accident. It requires a lot of organisation, concentration and perspiration.

Midfielder Stephens said: "It's what we pride ourselves on. As a team we defend together and hope we can nick a goal. It's something we work a lot on in training. This could turn out to be a good point, given other results."

 

Reading leaked five goals at Fulham, just like Huddersfield. Norwich also let in five, of course, at the Amex. It is inconceivable that Hughton's side will suffer anything like the same fate anywhere.

He will have to make a change in defence for the key visit of Leeds on Friday evening, after which the space between the teams could be as high as ten points, as low as four.

Gaetan Bong, already banned this season for five bookings, is suspended after he was sent-off in stoppage time.

He can have no complaints. The left-back, cautioned midway through the second half for a routine foul, scythed down Kadeem Harris in the closing moments.

The last time Hughton had to amend his back four was for the 0-0 draw in September at Ipswich, where Seb Pocognoli did a steady job deputising for Bong. The former Belgian international on loan from West Brom is capable of doing the same against Leeds.

The Argus: Lewis Dunk (above) will also be banned again at some point, for two matches. It is a case of when, not if, he reaches double figures in bookings.

Dunk collected his eighth caution of the campaign for throwing the ball back at the crowd after they were holding onto it. Like several of his yellow cards, it was unfortunate but needless.

The worry when Dunk is removed from the rock-solid defence is not a lack of cover but a lack of match minutes for both Connor Goldson and Uwe Huenemeier.

Neil Warnock (below) has defensive concerns for different reasons at Cardiff, stuck uncomfortably for now in the relegation zone.

The Argus: They should not be there and they will not be once Warnock, who replaced Albion's new assistant Paul Trollope in October, makes further signings other than free agents in January.

It is a sticking plaster job for him at the moment and, without the injured Rickie Lambert, you could not blame him for setting up with limited ambition against opponents he feared.

Cardiff only had 33 per cent possession, extraordinarily low for a home side. They were content to let Albion have the ball in their own half under no pressure - whether by accident or design it was more often than not at the feet of Shane Duffy.

The end justified the suffocating means. The worst aspect of the result for Albion was becoming the first team to fail to score at Cardiff and only the second overall since the Welshmen drew 0-0 at Birmingham on the opening day.

They were only marginally more threatening than the hosts, whose only real threat was from set plays and a close range header wide by Sol Bamba at the start of the second half.

Glenn Murray would be celebrating his first away goal since January if a cross from partner Sam Baldock following an early mistake by ex-Seagull Joe Bennett had not fallen just behind him.

Apart from that Albion did not look like scoring until the introduction of Anthony Knockaert, relegated to the bench after two below-par performances since the death of his dad.

The Frenchman enlivened their attacking efforts. Murray converted from a Knockaert corner, via the head of Duffy, but it was correctly disallowed for the latter climbing on the back of Bamba.

Knockaert also set up Baldock for a shot on the turn parried behind by Ben Amos in a game where the biggest problem for both goalkeepers was keeping their hands warm. As a spectacle it vied with the Ipswich stalemate for Albion's worst game of the season.

Hughton said: "They blocked the holes very well, had a back four that were fairly resilient and five across midfield as well.

"I thought we were better second half and out of the two teams looked likelier to score but they defended very well."

Albion's 'thou shall not pass' attitude on the road is serving them well. They are slightly easier to score against at the Amex - Fulham, Aston Villa and Preston have all managed it in the last five home games - but much harder to halt.

As Leeds manager Garry Monk might be about to discover after signs that Knockaert has rediscovered his mojo.