Michael Jolley has moved to bolster his squad with the arrival of vastly experienced defender Neal Eardley on loan from Burton Albion.
The 32-year-old Welsh international, who is predominantly a right-back but can also operate anywhere across the defence or in midfield, will remain with The Bluebirds until the end of May.
Eardley came through the ranks at Oldham Athletic where he turned professional in 2006 and soon became a regular in the side, being voted in to the PFA League One Team of the Year in 2008/09.
His strong defending combined with an ability to provide quality deliveries into the box earned him a move to Blackpool where he helped the club gain a historic promotion to the Premier League and went on to be a regular for The Seasiders in the top flight.
A switch to Birmingham City in 2013 began encouragingly but a serious knee injury put paid to his debut season at St Andrew’s and he eventually moved on to Hibernian in the summer of 2016.
Eardley returned to England to join Northampton Town but moved on to newly promoted Lincoln City in 2017 and was subsequently named Player of the Season during his debut campaign before playing a key role in their promotion to League One the following year.
He joined Burton during the summer following his departure from Sincil Bank and has made 14 appearances for The Brewers this term, but new boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has now allowed him to move on loan.
Eardley will wear the number 29 shirt at The Progression Solicitors Stadium and goes straight into contention to make his Bluebirds debut in Saturday’s League Two game against Scunthorpe United.