Cardiff City have made a solid start to season on their return to the Championship following relegation from the Premier League last term.

Neil Warnock's side are currently sitting 11th in the table after their first 11 games, but they have just seen their seven-game unbeaten run slip away following a 4-2 defeat away to West Brom prior to the international break.

This is one of three matches that the Bluebirds have lost so far this term with the other two losses also coming away from home, meaning Cardiff's unbeaten home record has provided reason for optimism at this early stage of the season.

Cardiff managed to achieve automatic promotion from the Championship with the same manager and a very similar squad during the 2017/18 season, so they will be hoping to take lessons from that successful campaign into this season.

Here are three things they can learn from during their last promotion success...

Defensive strength can provide platform for success

Cardiff's triumphant season stemmed from a strong core including the likes of Sean Morrison, Bruno Ecuele Manga and Sol Bamba who helped keep the joint-best defensive record in the division.

They kept 19 clean sheets and only conceded 23 goals away from home over the course of the season, with Morrison picking up the club's Player of the Season award.

Morrison and Bamba are still at the club for this campaign, and they are now also joined by experienced Championship defender Aden Flint, so there is no reason why Cardiff cannot use their defence to propel them to success yet again.

Hoilett and Paterson can be key players when they find form

Junior Hoilett and Callum Paterson were both vital players during the 2017/18 season with Hoilett picking up the Players' Player of the Season award and Paterson winning the Young Player of the Season prize.

The two players remain at the club for this campaign and Warnock has used both of them frequently with the aim of helping them rediscover the form that saw them spearhead Cardiff's promotion push last time out in the Championship.

Warnock should continue to persist with this duo as Paterson scored 10 goals in the 2017/18 season, while Hoilett registered a combined total of 20 goals and assists during the same campaign.

These are two players who can truly thrive in the Championship and Warnock must work towards finding a system that gets the best out of both players.

A prolific goalscorer is not essential as long as the rest of the team is functional

Over the summer, Cardiff completed the signing of Robert Glatzel who Warnock hoped would lead Cardiff's line this season, but he has only managed to score two goals in his quiet start to the season.

Danny Ward has been among the goals when he has come off the bench, but Cardiff fans should still rest safe in the knowledge that they were promoted in the 2017/18 season without a prolific goalscorer carrying them over the line.

Leading striker Kenneth Zohore scored nine goals over the course of the campaign, but Cardiff could still thrive even without him netting double figures as the likes of Paterson, Hoilett, Joe Ralls and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing were all also among the goals.

They would obviously benefit from a prolific season from Glatzel or Ward, but the Bluebirds proved two seasons ago that they can still get over the line with widespread contributions from the rest of the side.

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