Yakou Meite scored with his first touch to earn Cardiff City a priceless 2-1 victory at Blackburn in mid-March.

Fast forward almost a month and the Ivory Coast international struck in the fourth minute of added time at Preston as the Bluebirds claimed what could yet be a crucial point in their quest to avoid relegation into League One.

Make no mistake, for the majority of the first-half at Deepdale, the visitors were nothing short of woeful.

They certainly improved in the second-half, while the fight to twice come from behind to gain a draw will certainly please Cardiff's coaching staff.

“It was difficult. We weren’t good enough in the first-half. We were off the pace, didn’t cover space or press, which was disappointing," said boss Omer Riza.

“In the second-half, we addressed it, we made the changes we needed to in order to liven it up and I thought my players showed fight, which is really important."

With Derby holding Championship title challengers Burnley to a 0-0 draw on the same night, the Bluebirds remain in the bottom three on goal difference with just five matches of the 2024-25 season remaining.

Despite being unbeaten in four league games, Saturday's home fixture with Stoke suddenly looks to be a must win for Cardiff.

The Potters themselves are right in the midst of the relegation scrap, even more so after conceding in the 91st minute to draw 1-1 with fellow strugglers Luton at the bet365 Stadium in midweek.

Mark Robins' side have lost just once in their last five outings, meaning they sit two points clear of Cardiff ahead of this weekend's crunch meeting between the sides in the Welsh capital.

READ MORE: Cardiff City Are Still Twitching After Yakou Meite Revives Survival Hopes

Six days after hosting Stoke, Cardiff make the trip to Bramall Lane to face a Sheffield United side that - despite losing 1-0 to Oxford and Millwall in their last two fixtures - are still fighting for the league title and an automatic promotion spot.

Derby, meanwhile, will continue to have a major say in the picture at the bottom over the final five game weeks given that they face Portsmouth, Luton, Hull and Stoke during their run-in.

The Bluebirds faithful know their club's destiny is in their own hands, but they're also fully aware that relying on others won't be sufficient, particularly if Cardiff don't take care of their own business.

Wins will understandably make a major difference to the mood around Cardiff City Stadium, but collecting points each and every game day also remains pivotal given the sheer amount of sides who find themselves in the lower reaches of the second tier at present - with all teams from Queens Park Rangers in 15th and below still at risk of falling into the bottom three.

READ MORE: Cardiff City Start Six-Game Survival Bid With No Margin For Error

Some may take comfort from the fact that three of Cardiff's final five games are at home.

But despite claiming seven of their nine Championship victories this season on home soil, the Bluebirds' home record does not compare well at all with the rest of the division.

Only Sheffield Wednesday (five) and Hull (four) have won fewer home league games than Cardiff this season, while the Owls and the Tigers are also the only two teams to collect fewer points at home than the Bluebirds this term.

Just nine wins all season - home or away - is also the second-lowest tally in the division.

The Bluebirds have also lost nine times at Cardiff City Stadium in the Championship so far in 2024-25. No side in the division has lost more matches on their own patch this season.

READ MORE: Omer Riza Insists Cardiff City Can Escape The Drop As Clock Ticks Down

The saving grace for Riza perhaps is that Stoke are hardly impressive on the road. The Potters have won just three of their 20 away league games this season, losing 12 of them.

A win against Stoke would guarantee that Cardiff end the weekend outside the relegation zone ahead of a somewhat daunting trip to Sheffield.

But anything other than victory will leave them in the perilous position of having only four more opportunities to clinch all three points in "must win" fixtures.

"They need to understand that where they are isn't good enough, and the performances they're giving at the moment aren't good enough," former Cardiff striker Nathan Blake said on BBC Radio Wales after the Preston draw.

Riza must set his side up to beat Stoke, make no mistake about it.

But the players have to show the kind of fight, along with far more quality, displayed at Blackburn and Preston of late to back up Riza's comments that this is a squad capable of preserving its Championship status.