Cardiff sit in seventh in the Championship after beating Coventry 2-1 at Ninian Park.
Bothroyd and McCormack score for Bluebirds, Dann nets for Sky Blues
Cardiff sit in seventh in the Championship after getting back to winning ways against Coventry at Ninian Park.
The Bluebirds, who had lost their unbeaten league record to Birmingham last time, beat the Sky Blues 2-1 to move to just outside the play-off zone.
Jay Bothroyd gave the home side the lead on 31 minutes and then Ross McCormack doubled the advantage from the penalty spot with five minutes to go after he had been fouled by Isaac Osbourne in the box.
Scott Dann headed home on 89 minutes to score a late consolation for the visitors but they could not salvage a point.
Tom Heaton was tested as early as the seventh minute as Michael Doyle darted into the penalty area before drilling straight at the Cardiff goalkeeper.
Five minutes later, Johnson rose well to meet Peter Whittingham's corner but his near-post header was kept out by Keiren Westwood, and the Coventry goalkeeper needed to be alert to gather McCormack's 20-yard shot at the second attempt shortly afterwards having fumbled the initial effort.
A poor backpass from McPhail after 16 minutes handed Clinton Morrison a clear sight at goal as the game flowed from end to end, but the Republic of Ireland international fired wide with only Heaton to beat.
McCormack fired just over with a 25-yard effort shortly before the half-hour mark but the home side were not to be denied as Bothroyd broke the deadlock after 31 minutes.
Whittingham cut in from the right wing before finding Bothroyd, and the former Arsenal trainee did the rest, firing past Westwood with a low, 12-yard angled drive.
Celebrations cut short
Gavin Rae shot wide from distance shortly before the interval as Cardiff went in search of a second and Westwood parried Purse's rasping volley as the hosts picked up where they left off after the restart.
Westwood continued to keep Coventry in the game with a fine display as he denied McCormack with 49 minutes gone after the former Rangers striker shrugged off his marker 18 yards out.
Coventry then appeared to have scored a goal out of nothing just before the hour as Freddy Eastwood found a way past Heaton to momentarily silence the majority of the Ninian Park crowd.
But the celebrations were cut short when referee Roger East bizarrely disallowed the effort and instead awarded a free-kick to the home side near the half-way line for a handball by Marcus Hall some 10 seconds prior to Eastwood netting.
East's decision infuriated Sky Blues boss Chris Coleman and Aron Gunnarsson was booked for leading the Coventry protests.
Bothroyd had a towering header saved by Westwood as the game continued to ebb and flow at a frantic pace, while Jay Tabb blazed wide from close range at the other end.
The lively McCormack went close on two further occasions and Leon Best headed Daniel Fox's free-kick wide before the game was effectively ended as a contest five minutes from time when Isaac Osbourne hacked down McCormack and East awarded a penalty.
McCormack dusted himself down and dispatched the spot-kick low past Westwood.
There was still time for Dann to stoop to head home Hall's left-wing cross after 89 minutes to set up a grandstand finish but that was as good as it got for Coventry.
