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07
Thu, Nov

Kenwyne Jones vs Wolves
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Cardiff City striker Kenwyne Jones must not be sold during the transfer window, says Bluebirds defender Fabio da Silva.

Jones, out of contract at the end of the season, has been linked with Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday and two of Israel's top clubs.

The 30-year-old made his first start of the season on Saturday, scoring the opener in Cardiff's win over Wolves.

"We have to keep our good players and he is one of them. We have to keep them to fight for promotion," said Fabio.

"He's good in the air, he's good on the ball and he can finish. So he's a quality striker."

Jones was loaned to Bournemouth at the end of last season and said the move prompted him to question whether he had a future at Cardiff.

His involvement for Trinidad and Tobago at the Gold Cup, held in America and Canada in July, disrupted his pre-season preparation and meant he was deemed unfit by manager Russell Slade for the start of the Championship season.

Slade has consistently stressed the striker remains a "big part" of his plans, and said there was "nothing to report" on Jones's future following the win over Wolves.

That was also the message over goalkeeper David Marshall, who remains a target for West Brom.

An ankle injury forced Jones to leave early in the second half against Wolves, having put the home side ahead just before the break when he met Fabio's lofted ball into the penalty area to score his first goal for Cardiff since February.

And former Manchester United defender Fabio, who gave a man-of-the-match performance on his first league start this season, said Jones's imposing 6ft 2in frame makes him such a difficult proposition for any defender.

"It's very tough," said the 25-year-old Brazilian. "He's massive, he's huge. I'm not that big so it's very hard to defend against him [in training]."

Cardiff's victory was their first in the Championship this season, and Fabio said there is a obvious mood change in the squad compared to a year ago when they struggled under the hangover of Premier League relegation.

"The confidence was low after relegation and everyone was sad. That's not good," he said.

"So we have to keep going now. The confidence is making the team play well. When you win everyone is smiling and that's important."