Cardiff's Dave Jones is the longest-serving Championship boss

Dave Jones insists Cardiff City will have no advantage playing their final leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at their new home.

Cardiff's 3-2 triumph over relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday all but guarantees Jones' men home advantage in the pivotal play-off second leg.

"I've been in the play-offs playing at home first and playing at home last - and I've failed both ways," said Jones.

"The best way to prepare for the play-offs is going into it with momentum."

Jones was part of Stockport County's backroom staff when the Edgeley Park club failed in three successive play-off campaigns between 1992 and 1994.

Stockport qualified for the 1992 and 1994 League One play-offs final - progressing after playing their home leg first in 1992 and the home leg last in 1994.

Jones later guided Wolverhampton Wanderers into the Championship play-offs in back-to-back seasons in 2002 and 2003 - and only qualified for the final showpiece in 2003 when playing their home leg first.

But Jones' Wolves had crucial momentum in 2003 as they were unbeaten in their previous nine games before beating Reading in both play-off semi-finals legs.

Wolves then beat Sheffield United in the final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to win a Premier League place..

Cardiff, like Jones, also have a chequered play-off past as the club have won promotion just once in three attempts.

The Welshmen failed in 1997 when Northampton beat them in the League Two play-off semi-finals after the Cobblers visited Ninian Park first.

While Stoke City's success in the 2002 League One play-off semi-final was even though Cardiff had the seeming benefit of playing the second leg at home as they were humbled 2-0 at Ninian Park.

But Cardiff finally ended their play-off hoodoo in 2003 - beating Bristol City in the semi after a home first-leg - as Andy Campbell's winner against QPR fired Cardiff into the Championship at the Millennium Stadium.

So both boss Jones and fourth-placed Cardiff's only play-off successes have been when they have been away in the second leg.

But Jones insists: "It doesn't matter who or when you play, if it's your year then it is your year.

606: DEBATE Things are going so well at the moment that it has to be to good to be true as good things don't happen that often to Bluebirds Blue Prophet

"We're in the play-offs because we have earned the right to be in there and now we'll play anybody in the play-offs.

"It's a nice feeling but we can't take our foot off the gas."

Teams that finish third or fourth in the Championship table have the supposed benefit of being at home last and Cardiff are virtually guaranteed that.

The fourth-placed Bluebirds can leapfrog third-placed Nottingham Forest - who are two points clear - only if Jones' team win at Forest's rivals Derby on Sunday and Billy Davies' men lose at struggling Scunthorpe.

Fifth-placed Leicester, who confirmed their play-off place with a win at Preston on Saturday, trail Cardiff by three points.

The Foxes can only overtake them if they beat Middlesbrough, Cardiff lose and the Bluebirds' seven-goal advantage is overturned.

Cardiff's victory over Wednesday was their seventh win in their ten-game unbeaten run.

But Cardiff's potential play-off rivals are also in form as Forest have lost just one in five games, Leicester have won four in a row while sixth-placed Blackpool have won six of their last seven games.

Only Swansea, who slipped out of the top six for the first time since December at the weekend are out of form winning just three of their last 12 games.

"Everyone is going into the play-offs with good momentum," added Jones.

"All the teams will be tough, the key is keeping it going."

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