Hull City 0 Cardif City 2: Tigers are ready for daunting test of character

That, however, is the reality facing the Tigers this week due to their next assignment being a visit to Nottingham Forest.

Billy Davies’s men last tasted defeat in a league game at the City Ground 36 games ago so Hull will have all on to extend their own impressive 12-game unbeaten run on the road.

Nevertheless, defender James Chester feels taking on Forest is the perfect game to get defeat to Cardiff out of City’s system.

The 22-year-old, whose proud record of never having been on a losing Tigers team ended in his ninth appearance, said: “We are all disappointed because we have been on such a great run.

“They took their chance when (Michael) Chopra scored and it killed us a bit. That was a setback at a time when the game was tight.

“We had started the game well and felt, at half-time, that we’d had the better of the game. Their goalkeeper made a great save from Matty Fryatt’s strike and had that gone in then it might have been us who went on to win the game.

“Unfortunately, it was Cardiff who got the breakthrough and went on to win the game. But there is no need to panic after one setback. There are positives to take from the game, even if we could have done a lot better with the two goals we conceded.

“It is one defeat and the first time we have not collected a point from a game since I arrived.

“But we dust ourselves down. We can’t be too down about the result. The gaffer came into the dressing room afterwards and said we had been slightly off the pace in the second half but not to let our heads go down.

“We have proved in the games previous to this that we are a good team.

“We need to bounce back next Saturday against Forest. It is a big game and a great one to bounce back from a disappointment like this.”

The defeat meant the gap between Hull and sixth-placed Leeds United, who earlier in the day had lost 3-0 at Swansea City, remained at five points.

Chester added: “There are still 12 games left so if we can get back to the run we had before losing to Cardiff then, hopefully, we can sneak into the top six.

“We need to do what Blackpool did last season and go on a run. They got in the play-offs and got promoted. We have to take confidence from what they did.

“We have to be positive at Forest. We went 4-3-3 against Cardiff and were definitely looking to win the game.

“It will be tough down there but we have a good squad and are confident we can get a result.”

That Cardiff became the first team to do the double over the Tigers this season is no disgrace considering the array of talent at Dave Jones’s disposal.

Few, if any, Championship managers can call upon quality such as Jay Bothroyd, who earlier this season became the first Bluebirds player to win an England cap, and Craig Bellamy.

Likewise, Stephen McPhail remains one of the best passers outside the Premier League and Aaron Ramsey a terrific talent.

Against Hull, however, it was Chopra who was the outstanding performer.

Having been denied a first-half goal by Anthony Gerrard’s outstanding clearance off the line and having had two strong penalty appeals turned down, the Cardiff striker could have been forgiven for thinking it was not going to be his day.

Instead, Chopra never let his head drop and was rewarded with his 11th goal of the season.

Admittedly, the Hull defence played their part in the 65th minute strike by leaving him unmarked in the six-yard box.

But, even so, Chopra showed tremendous poise and ability to expertly steer Kevin McNaughton’s left-wing cross beyond the outstretched dive of Brad Guzan.

It was a predatory strike worthy of winning any game, though one that was outdone in the quality stakes deep into stoppage time by Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

Collecting the ball inside the City penalty area, the former Doncaster Rovers loanee twice flicked the ball over an opponent before beating Guzan, making his final appearance before returning to parent club Aston Villa, at his near post.

For Hull, it meant there was no way back into a game in which they had battled hard but had never quite hit the heights of previous weeks.

The Tigers did go close with Fryatt bringing a stunning save from goalkeeper Tom Heaton on 28 minutes and then Nick Barmby wasting a gilt-edged chance moment after being brought off the bench.

But, in truth, Cardiff were full value for a win that leaves Pearson looking for a response from his players in Saturday’s trip to Nottingham.

By then, Hull could have a new face on board with the club’s manager revealing that Manchester City’s Nigerian striker Kelvin Etuhu, who played for Cardiff in their 2010 Championship play-off final defeat at Wembley, is on trial at the KC Stadium and that he is hoping to move into the loan market with a midfielder likely to be his intended target amid suggestions Fulham’s Jonathan Greening may again be on the radar.