Max Power picks perfect moment to break Wigan Athletic duck

The 29-year-old's sixth-minute spot-kick broke his duck in the second tier, spanning two spells, seven years, seven managers (including caretakers) and 82 appearances.

But with regular penalty taker Will Keane on the bench, Power stepped up to be counted - and smashed his kick into the top corner of the net,

“I practice penalties most days, and I’ve had to wait a while (to take one)," he said.

"If Keano was on the pitch, he would’ve taken it but I’m always there and ready to step up.

“It was an important moment and any chance we get now to win games is going to be huge.”

The victory has cut the gap to fourth-bottom Cardiff to five points with seven matches still to play.

And Power says the squad is full of belief they still have time to claw their way to safety.

“With the situation that we are in, every point between now and the end of the season is going to be vital if we are to retain our status in the division," he said.

“Pretty much everyone in the country has written us off, but we want to prove everyone wrong.

“We know that it’s going to be a difficult task, but all we can do is approach each game and try to win.

“I could feel the togetherness in the last ten minutes when we had to dig in.

"They have a lot of good players, but we stood up to the challenge, and it was a huge three points."