Full-time: Bristol City 1 Cardiff City 1

Ross McCormack dealt a hammer blow to City's play-off ambitions at Ashton Gate.

Leading through Nicky Maynard's stunning 71st minute strike, the Robins looked set to regain their place in the Coca-Cola Championship's top six.

But calamity struck two minutes from the end, McCormack putting Cardiff level to keep alive the Welsh team's hopes of earning automatic promotion.

Robins keeper Adriano Basso failed to hold Eddie Johnson's shot and the Scot followed up to net his 17th goal of the season and peg City back.

It was a cruel blow for a City side which had worked hard to forge a lead in a game billed as a proverbial "six-pointer" by manager Gary Johnson.

They looked odds-on to take all three points when Maynard ended a two-month drought to score his tenth goal of the season in spectacular fashion, beating on-loan keeper Stuart Taylor with a brilliant drive from the edge of the penalty area.

City had chances to increase their lead thereafter,but failed to take them and paid the price in a thrilling finale.

City had seized the initiative at the start of the second half and threatened to break the deadlock when McIndoe cut into the 18 yard box and unleashed a rasping right-footed shot which was charged down by Kevin McNaughton.

The ball ran as far as Williams, whose first time lob cleared the bar by inches and bounced off the roof of the net. That was the Welshman's last contribution, Williams limping off injured moments later to be replaced by Skuse.

Encouraged by his goal against Coventry last week, McAllister then decided to try his luck from 30 yards and watched as his drive went inches too high.

City manager Johnson made a second change after 57 minutes, withdrawing John and sending on joint top scorer Dele Adebola to partner Maynard at the same time opposite number Jones called upon his leading marksman Ross McCormack, a replacement for the ineffective Paul Parry.

Taylor was distinguishing himself on his debut and saved the Bluebirds twice in a matter of seconds, going full length to keep out McIndoe's shot and then reacting quickly to palm aside Lee Johnson's follow-up.

The Robins were threatening a breakthrough and it came 19 minutes from time. There appeared to be little on for Maynard when he collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area.

But the striker knew exactly what to do and outstripped three defenders to engineer room for a right-footed shot which flew past Taylor and into the left-hand corner of the net. It was the record signing's first goal in two months and nine games and arguably the most important of the 10 he has scored since his move from Crewe last summer.

Cardiff needed to summon a response and almost did so when Peter Whittingham whipped in a free kick, forcing Basso to tip the ball over at full stretch.

Forced to gamble, the Bluebirds left themselves open to the threat of City counter-attacks and the home side should have finished the game as a meaningful contest when Adebola burst clear. But his pass to Maynard lacked accuracy and the chance was gone.

Substitute Eddie Johnson hit the post with a diving header at the other end, but an offside flag rendered his effort superfluous.

Just when City thought they were home and dry, the visitors conjured an equaliser with two minutes remaining.

Basso could not hold Johnson's low shot from range and substitute McCormack raced in to force the loose ball over the line from the narrowest of angles.

McIndoe threatened another twist in the tail in time added on, only for his superbly-struck free kick to be kept out by Taylor.