Cardiff City boosted their Championship play-off hopes with a 2-0 win over Barnsley on Saturday afternoon courtesy of goals from Will Vaulks and Callum Paterson.

Neil Harris' side produced an impressive fightback to secure a 2-2 draw against promotion-chasing Brentford last week, and the south Wales side continued in the same vein as they achieved another positive result ahead of the final run-in.

Cardiff took the lead through Vaulks' close-range strike in the 65th minute before Paterson doubled the Bluebirds' lead less than 60 seconds later as he placed the ball beyond Brad Collins following Sean Morrison's long ball soon after the restart.

The Bluebirds' first victory in their last five matches means they have now moved to within two points of the play-off spots, with Harris' men now preparing for a massive clash against Championship leaders Leeds United next weekend.

Here, we take a look at three things we learned following Cardiff's clash with Barnsley...

The play-offs are now firmly within sight

Cardiff's season has looked at risk of fizzling out over the last few weeks with the Bluebirds having failed to win any of their four matches leading up to the Barnsley clash, but this victory has now injected a fresh lease of life into their top-six bid.

The Bluebirds deserve plenty of credit for their performance in the second period as they killed the game with two goals in quick succession, and the three points mean they could now be just one victory away from climbing into the play-offs.

It will not be easy for Cardiff given they still face clashes with the likes of Fulham and Leeds over the closing weeks of the season, but Harris' men now find themselves in an excellent position to make a serious push for promotion.

Cardiff need to replicate second-half display across 90 minutes

Cardiff sealed their victory over the Tykes courtesy of two quick-fire goals during a confident second-half performance, but the next challenge for the Welsh side is to maintain this level of quality across the full 90 minutes of matches.

The Bluebirds have looked unstoppable at times during Harris' tenure at the club, but they have never been able to keep this up throughout a full match and this is something they must strive towards if they are serious about the play-offs.

They looked excellent as they took advantage of Barnsley's poor showing in the second period, but the Bluebirds' slow start may have been capitalised on if they were playing against a side of higher quality such as Leeds or Fulham.

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Paterson played a starring role for the Bluebirds

Paterson was an integral figure in this Cardiff victory as he masterfully led the line for his side during a tricky match, with the 25-year-old having been rewarded for his hard-working display when he netted Cardiff's second of the game.

The striker caused real problems for Barnsley's physical defensive line as he particularly posed a serious aerial threat for his side, and his never-say-die attitude means he could be an asset to his side during the final nine matches of the season.

It would be fair to say that Paterson has now established himself in Cardiff's attack ahead of Robert Glatzel and Danny Ward, and his relentless display at Oakwell reflects why he is the perfect man to lead the line in Harris' Cardiff side.