Cardiff City enjoyed their first victory in a Nationwide League Division One after gallantly holding on to clinch a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.
The game started brightly for the Bluebirds when they hit two goals in the first seven minutes at the City Ground.
There was only 75 seconds on the clock when Cardiff scored their opener through last season's top goalscorer Robert Earnshaw. The big striker had a high bouncy ball to contend with as well as the towering figure of Forest's Michael Dawson, but he got the better of both and slotted home from eight yards out.
Minutes later, Cardiff rocked Forest again when they were awarded a free kick 22 yards out and captain Graham Kavanagh scored with a right-footed shot that glided over the five-man Forest wall and into Darren Ward's top right corner of the net.
Shell-shocked Forest had their first shot on the visitors' goal on the quarter-hour mark. This was from the boot of David Johnson from a tight angle on the right.
Forest picked up their game nearer the 30-minute mark and started to hold the ball and quell the Cardiff onslaught.
Five minutes into the second half, Johnson had two shots on target making Cardiff's keeper Neil Alexander work for the first time in the game.
Cardiff continued working well to hold on to their precious and well deserved lead, but with 20 minutes left to play Forest got themselves a goal. A cross from Mathieu Louis-Jean took a deflection off the Cardiff defence and landed at the feet of Marlon Harewood who made no mistake when he blasted in from 25 yards out.
Minutes later, Cardiff could have secured the points when first goalscorer Earnshaw was one-on-one with Ward, a simple tap would have done, but in front of the travelling fans he blasted well over the bar.
With five minutes to go Cardiff picked up again and forced a number of saves from the Forest keeper.
However, Cardiff held on to take maximum points for the first time this season.