West Brom striker Nathan Ellington came off the bench to score his eighth goal of the season and earn Albion a 1-0 Hawthorns victory over Cardiff.

Ellington, who has not started a game for West Brom in more than three months, broke the deadlock with a spectacular second-half strike to give the Championship promotion chasers a ninth win in their last 10 home games. It takes them to just one point behind leaders Derby who play on Wednesday.

But defeat drew a line under Cardiff's five-game unbeaten run.

It was the hosts who had been on the offensive early on as Robert Koren tested City goalkeeper Neil Alexander with a left-foot shot tipped around the post.

But Cardiff responded through Steven Thompson who headed a Peter Whittingham corner narrowly wide.

As play swung again, Koren set free Kevin Phillips who then moved the ball to Jason Koumas who could only fire over the bar.

Again Koren was the architect when, in the 17th minute, he supplied Phillips who backheeled for Richard Chaplow to rifle wide.

Darcy Byrne, making his senior debut for the Bluebirds, forced a point-blank save from Dean Kiely after the Albion goalkeeper advanced but then retreated following Whittingham's left-wing cross.

Next, Alexander saved from Koumas at the other end but Phillips had the ball in the net with 24 minutes gone only to see his header from a Koumas cross ruled out by an offside flag. But with 10 minutes to the break Thompson hit the Albion crossbar after Kiely miskicked a free-kick to the Cardiff striker.

The start of the second half failed to match the tempo of the first and only opened in earnest when, in the 57th minute, West Brom captain Paul Robinson header a Koumas corner from the left wing over the Cardiff crossbar.

Kiely was off his line and out of his penalty area to tackle Paul Parry, who had broken clear along the City right, before Albion made a double substitution on the hour as John Hartson replaced Chaplow and Ellington came on for Phillips.

And the switches almost paid immediate dividends as Parry backheeled into the path of Robinson who in turn fed Ellington, although the ball stuck on a stodgy pitch under the forward's feet.

Suddenly the Bluebirds were seeing more of the ball though as Joe Ledley pushed a chance wide before Ellington's inspired 25-yard effort speared from the Albion left channel over Alexander and into the far top corner.

Koumas was replaced by Darren Carter and Cardiff boss Dave Jones replaced Byrne with Iwan Redan ahead of Thompson pitting an 18-yard volley at Kiely who pushed the ball over the crossbar.

Parry was replaced by Willo Flood and former Albion striker Kevin Campbell was swapped for Thompson late on but to little avail.

Teams:

West Brom Kiely, Albrechtsen, Clement, McShane, Robinson,Greening, Chaplow (Hartson 61), Koumas (Carter 71), Koren,Kamara, Phillips (Ellington 60).

Subs Not Used: Daniels, Gera.

Goals: Ellington 66.

Cardiff Alexander, Gunter, Johnson, McNaughton, Ledley,Parry (Flood 80), McPhail, Blake, Whittingham,Byrne (Redan 71), Thompson (Campbell 86).

Subs Not Used: Forde, Gilbert.

Booked: Gunter.

Att: 18,802

Ref: G Laws (Tyne & Wear).