Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Cardiff City: Bluebirds the better side but lack of cutting edge sees them left frustrated

Cardiff City's penultimate pre-season friendly against Shrewsbury Town ended in a goalless draw, a match which highlighted their desperate need to bring in a striker or two before the season begins.

For all of City's dominance, they simply could not find the back of the net. On the positive side of things, they created a number of very good opportunities and scarcely looked in any trouble near their own goal.

The wing-backs, wingers and, in the second-half at least, the midfielders all got City up the pitch and around the Shrews' penalty area, but when the visitors needed composure to find the back of the net it just didn't happen for them.

The Bluebirds produced a really encouraging start to the game and had the only opportunities of the match, really. In truth, they should have taken a very early lead.

With just four minutes on the clock, Sheyi Ojo found space to whip in a lovely cross for Max Watters, only for the striker to glance his effort wide of the mark.

Cardiff were patient and accurate in their build-up, something which has clearly been worked on in pre-season, but they also had some creativity in the final third thanks to Ojo, Callum O'Dowda and wing-backs Vontae Campbell and Joel Bagan. Bagan was, in fact, the next man to trouble the Shrews when he jinked beyond two defenders before rattling a shot against the near post from a narrow angle.

But after the early onslaught, the Shrews found some joy down their right. After winning a free-kick there, they had their best chance of the half, too, when Tom Bayliss found Chey Dunkley at the back post, but the defender's bullet-header whistled wide of the mark.

There was an injury scare, too, as Joe Ralls fell to the ground in a heap on the half-hour mark, needing