So far this season, Cardiff City have had a mixed run under Russell Slade.

With more controversy off the pitch, fans have failed to fill up the 33,000 capacity Cardiff City Stadium.

Nevertheless, we still see Cardiff in the mix for a play-off place and the chance to return to the promised land of the Premier League.

Russell Slade has installed some confidence into his side this season and they look to have momentum going forward.

Most importantly in any play-off race, momentum is a great thing to have. And, if we can see some consistency in their performances, they may well sneak into the top six.

Having said that, they could easily falter if some additions are not added in the loan window.

A prolific striker is hard to come by and Cardiff are proof of that. Although if they could sign a loan player before the deadline on 24th March, they could have an even better chance at gaining promotion.

As their season reaches an exciting climax, here are FIVE things we have learnt about them so far......

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FIVE THINGS!

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A genuine play-off threat

With only 12 matches left in this season's Sky Bet Championship campaign, the Bluebirds have placed themselves in a promising position to reach the play-offs in May.

Sat just three points Sheffield Wednesday in 6th, they will fully back themselves to narrow that gap further and look to get back to the Premier League.

Their season has been impressive thus far with 52 points from 34 matches. Most notably, a 4-1 win on 20th February vs. Brighton who are another play-off contender - sitting pretty in fourth.

As a result, Slade's men will look to finish this season very strongly with just a three point gap to narrow down from Sheffield Wednesday in 6th. The Cardiff faithful will certainly be desperate to return to the big time after their relegation two season ago.

 

Wins don't buy fans

Although the Welsh side have been in fine form this season, they have failed to fill their stadium - much to the disappointment of their gaffer.

Cardiff's FA Cup win against Colchester in January was watched by 4,194 at Cardiff City Stadium.

But why? what's happening behind the scenes in Cardiff...

Well, some fans have boycotted the club since the initial rebrand while others followed suit later. A blogger from the 'View From The Ninian' podcast described the colour change, even after their change back to the traditional blue, as a 'delayed reaction.'

However, Russell Slade remains optimistic of the fans returning by saying "of course you want more and more numbers to come and watch your team and I'm sure in time, if we continue to progress, they will be there."

One thing is for sure, the Bluebirds will need the full backing of the fans if they want their side to finish the season in the play-offs. Otherwise, their impressive season could come crashing to an early end.

2016 could be their year

Ending 2015 in tenth, Cardiff could have been forgiven for thinking their season was going to halt, and see them end the campaign in a predictable mid-table position.

However, with five wins this year, they have put themselves back in the mix.

Momentum is a term consistently used in relation to end of season run-ins and it could not be more appropriate here.

A striker wouldn't go a miss

With 12 different goal scorers in the league this season, Cardiff have struggled to kill teams off at vital times after drawing 13 of their 34 games; their spectacular 4-1 victory over Brighton is an exception to the rule here.

Midfielder Anthony Pilkington is their top scorer with 8 league goals this season and perhaps the addition of a striker in the loan window could be helpful for the run-in.

There is no question to the ability of Cardiff going forward with the likes of Pilkington and Peter Whittingham in their squad. Having said that, a clinical striker could see them push up a gear as they look to finish in the play-off places.

 

The Championship is consistently unpredictable

Given that Cardiff are in a promising position with just 12 games remaining, you'd be forgiven for thinking that their season has been plain sailing.

Ok, they see themselves pushing for promotion which is very good. But, with a bit more consistency, could they have gone further afield and pushed for an automatic promotion place?

Winning as many games as you draw, 13 to be exact, isn't the most impressive form. And, as a result, we see here how the Championship throws up surprise results every single week. You only have to look back two weeks to see Cardiff's freak 4-1 win over Brighton, for example.

Perhaps if Cardiff aren't to reach the play-offs, Russell Slade will kick himself for not installing an element of consistency in such a wide open league that is there for the taking.