Cardiff City struggled to break the habit of starting slow in games last season and it seems to be continuing into the current campaign.
The Bluebirds waited until the second half to come alive against Burton Albion on the weekend with Kenneth Zohore striking late to secure the win.
And again in mid-week, Warnock’s men didn’t find their rhythm until the second half when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s goal was enough to take the Carabao Cup tie with Portsmouth to extra time - Greg Halford eventually striking the winner.
And the slow starts are an issue the Bluebirds are aware of, according to Tuesday night’s hero Greg Halford.
“It was the same last season, we never got off to the best starts in the first half and sometimes we ended up chasing games,” said the experienced midfielder.
It’s a concerning factor for the Bluebirds who next welcome league favourites Aston Villa to the Cardiff City Stadium this Saturday afternoon.
Warnock’s men will need to be quick out of the blocks against Villa to avoid being punished by the millions of pounds worth of talent assembled by Steve Bruce this season.
A first half resembling anything like that of the Burton and Portsmouth fixtures and it could well leave the Bluebirds with too much to do against a team like Aston Villa.
Neil Warnock revealed he was thrilled with his teams fitness in the first two games of the season, and it has to be said, it has been impressive with the team getting stronger and stronger as the games progress.
And that in itself could prove critical with Aston Villa having the likes of 36-year-old John Terry in their ranks, experienced players who will have a big say on the game, but crucially players who will tire later on in the game.
However, Neil Warnock will also know that his team will need to get their first-half act together if they are serious about beating Aston Villa this weekend.
The Bluebirds scored just three times in the first 10 minutes of games last season, but their goals were more or less evenly split with 25 in the first half of games and 35 in the second.
The first statistic, however, highlights what we already know in that it takes this Cardiff team time to settle into games and at times, it did cost them last season.
If Warnock is serious about a promotion push then they will have to eradicate that issue this season, or they will find themselves lost amongst the undeniably high standard of this year’s Championship.
(Featured image: Jon Candy)