Andy Campbell's goal two-and-a-half minutes into stoppage time dramatically earned Cardiff an FA Cup third-round replay after Coventry had looked to be cruising through at 2-0 up with 15 minutes left.

A Lee Mills strike and a Gary McAllister penalty put the Nationwide Division One club in control, but Rob Earnshaw's 25th goal of the season set up a grandstand finish and Campbell had the final say, slotting the ball home in virtually the last action of the Ninian Park tie.

It kept alive the chances of Lennie Lawrence's side performing more Cup heroics this season after they dumped out Leeds at this stage of the competition last year.

Cardiff started much the better side and their defender Spencer Prior had the first attempt at goal, heading the ball over from an Andy Legg cross with two-and-a-half minutes gone, and six minutes later Jason Bowen forced the first save from Coventry goalkeeper Morten Hyldgaard.

Peter Thorne also tested the Dane after 11 minutes with a left-foot shot which the goalkeeper could only parry, while the visitors responded with a Mills shot and Calum Davenport header that both went over.

The hosts were dealt a blow after 14 minutes when Prior had to be replaced by Scott Young due to injury, but they were still having the better of it and 24-goal Rob Earnshaw forced a brilliant save from Hyldgaard with a close-range header which was tipped over the crossbar.

But all the Bluebirds' early possession and dominance came to nothing as Coventry took the lead after 26 minutes. Player-manager McAllister crossed and Mills turned well before drilling home an angled shot.

Jay Bothroyd had a fine chance to put the Sky Blues 2-0 up after 32 minutes but Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Alexander did superbly to turn his close-range shot round the post. From the resulting corner taken by McAllister, Dean Holdsworth, who this week signed until the end of the season from Bolton, headed over.

Thorne headed wide as Cardiff sought an equaliser, while Alexander held long-range efforts from Holdsworth and Bothroyd.

Cardiff had to make a second substitution two minutes into the second half when Legg had to go off due to injury, with striker Campbell replacing him, and almost immediately they could have gone two goals down if Holdsworth had found the target with a close-range header.

But it took Coventry only six more minutes to double their lead with Holdsworth again involved. The former Wimbledon striker was hauled down by Gary Croft, giving McAllister the chance to score his ninth goal of the season from the penalty spot.

Kavanagh and Young had opportunities to get Cardiff back into the game but put the ball wide and the hosts had to wait until 14 minutes from time before getting on the scoresheet. A good move down the right ended with Bowen supplying a cross to Earnshaw, who headed the ball home.

Croft cleared a Bothroyd header off the line and as Cardiff pressed to try and earn a replay, Hyldgaard produced another fine block from a Bowen shot, while Earnshaw and Rhys Weston fired wide.

But the Welsh club's increasing desperation reaped a dividend right at the end, Bowen again the provider as Campbell, whose goal for Middlesbrough helped send Manchester United out of the Cup last term, secured them a second bite at Highfield Road.

Teams:

Cardiff: Alexander, Weston, Prior (Young 15), Barker, Croft, Boland, Kavanagh, Legg (Campbell 48), Bowen, Thorne (Fortune-West 69), Earnshaw.

Subs Not Used: Maxwell, Margetson.

Booked: Croft, Boland.

Goals: Earnshaw 76, Campbell 90.

Coventry: Hyldgaard, Caldwell, Konjic, Davenport, Gordon, Betts, Eustace, McAllister, Bothroyd (Pipe 90), Holdsworth, Mills (McSheffrey 67).

Subs Not Used: Montgomery, Partridge, Strachan.

Booked: Eustace.

Goals: Mills 27, McAllister 55 pen.

Att: 16,013

Ref: G Poll (Hertfordshire).