Cardiff City 2, Wolves 3 (Story by IC WALES) Cardiff City's poor start to the season at Ninian Park continued last night as the Bluebirds were given a mauling by a determined pack of Wolves. It was a bitterly disappointing result for Cardiff, who have managed just one league win in front of their home supporters all season, and one which raises serious questions about the direction in which manager Dave Jones’ side is heading this campaign. City succumbed here to two strikes from Wanderers’ Michael Kightly and a header from the visitors’ captain, Jody Craddock. In between all that Cardiff had managed to come back and were ahead at half-time thanks to a Robbie Fowler penalty and a neat finish by fellow striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink. Jones had taken stringent action in an attempt to stop his defence conceding after recent games had seen a string of sloppy goals given away resulting in them keeping just one clean sheet in the Championship thus far. Club captain Darren Purse came into the heart of defence with Roger Johnson dropped to the bench, but it was a measure that failed on the night as Cardiff again were unable to hold firm Apart from the introduction of Purse, it was the same City side which dominated proceedings at Southampton on Sunday, but still came away defeated. Paul Parry kept his place on the right ahead of Trevor Sinclair, who is just back from surgery on a knee problem. Scottish striker Steve Thompson was fit to take his place on the bench after recovering from an ankle injury. Wolves boss Mick McCarthy went with the same personnel who overcame Charlton at Molineux last time out, meaning once again Welsh international Freddy Eastwood had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes. The game started at a fair old lick as you would expect from two sides not wanting to see the door of the promotion party developing at the top of the table prematurely slammed in their face. On four minutes Wanderers’ Andy Keogh squeezed a bit of space on the edge of the Cardiff box, but hooked his shot wide. Three minutes later the Bluebirds created their first chance. A Paul Parry corner from the right went deep and Gavin Rae headed it back across goal. Purse arriving, slammed his shot over the bar though. With their next attack Cardiff should really have taken the lead. A Stephen McPhail free-kick from halfway was brilliantly dummied by Hasselbaink and Fowler was sent through one-on-one with Wales international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy. The advancing shot-stopper made himself big and it was enough to spook the Bluebirds striker, who sent his shot spinning wide of the post. It was a costly miss as just before the quarter hour the visitors took the lead. The whole thing had an element of bad luck about it from a City perspective. Jay Bothroyd turned Purse, but when he off-loaded his shot it took a wicked deflection off Glenn Loovens and fell perfectly into the path of Keogh, he had the simple matter of laying it across goal for Kightly to tap it home for the opener. The question was, how would City react to the setback? The answer. With grit, gusto and great determination. With the Cardiff defence starting to settle after a shaky start, City had a platform to build from driving forward and on 25 minutes got their reward. A ball in from the left from Tony Capaldi was intelligently headed back by Hasselbaink to Joe Ledley, the Welsh international took a touch and was clattered to the floor in the box by Karl Henry. It was a definite spot kick and it only required Fowler to amble languidly up and bury it from 12-yards to put Cardiff level. It was only the second goal Hennessey had conceded in seven-and-a-half hours of football, but the youngster did not have to wait long to pick the ball out of the net again. Four minutes later Parry, who had the measure of the Wanderers’ defence down the right, put in a low ball that found Fowler on the byline. He stroked it back for Hasselbaink and the striker made no mistake, drilling the ball into the corner. Cardiff went off a half-time well satisfied with their work and deservedly ahead after 45 minutes of top-notch entertainment at Ninian Park. One thing was for sure as the second period got under way, Cardiff’s defensive unit, criticised of late, was going to get a stern examination. One they were to fail miserably. This was made plain when, after both sides exchanged long-range efforts early on, Kightly driving wide and Rae putting one straight into Hennessey’s midriff, McCarthy introduced Eastwood for Keogh on 50 minutes to try to shake things up in the Wolves attack. And so it proved, with Cardiff having to endure a nervy period as the visitors pushed on in search of an equaliser. True to form that duly arrived on 67 minutes in direct and disappointing fashion for Cardiff. A simple ball over the top caught the Cardiff defence flat-footed and it was Kightly again, out-muscling and outpacing Loovens in the process, who fired it into the corner from the angle. It was a blow. Jones brought on Thompson for the tiring Fowler in the hope of getting the ball to stick up front and provide some relief at the back. But things took a turn for the worse on 74 minutes when Wolves got their noses back in front through their skipper Craddock. Again it came from a set-piece, so often the easiest way to expose the Bluebirds defensive shortcomings this season. Bothroyd swung in a corner from the right and Craddock rose frighteningly unmolested to head past the despairing grasp of home keeper Michael Oakes. Wasteful Cardiff once more had to try to claw their way back into the game and on came striker Steve MacLean, in place of Hasselbaink, to try to help rescue what was becoming a desperate situation. On 84 minutes it was Thompson who almost did it. Cutting inside, his shot was brilliantly saved by Hennessey showing why he is so highly-rated. Three minutes later a Parry free-kick hit the wall and went ricocheting around the Wolves box without ever falling kindly to a Cardiff player. It was symptomatic of the kind of misfortune which seems to be haunting the Bluebirds’ stuttering start to the season. As the game fizzled out a lone supporter got to his feet and aimed chants of, ‘Jones out!’ at the City dug-out. He was a lone voice last night, but if Cardiff continue in this manner you have to wonder for how long.