After going a goal down Cardiff City rallied and ran riot at the Pirelli Stadium.
After a disappointing draw at Torquay and the defeat at Rotherham it looked as if yesterday's trip to Burton was going to be another slog as the home side took an early lead. Liam Boyce picked himself up after a foul by Joe Ralls and scored a 12th minute penalty.
Cardiff looked out of sorts in the opening half hour but then it all clicked. Junior Hoilett's free kick was headed into his own net by Jake Buxton on 33 mins. Kenneth Zohore rounded the keeper to make it 2 -1 to the visitors seven minutes later and here was time before half time for a Nathaniel Mendez-Laing special to make it 3 - 1.
Just one sub at the break. Neil Etheridge replacing Alex Smities in goal. Ten minutes into the second half and Bobby Reid made it 4 -1 before City made five substitutions. But this time the changes did not disrupt the flow and Callum Paterson, one of the players introduced, score City's fifth goal in the 72nd minute and the game ended Burton Albion 1 - 5 Cardiff City.
There was an injury scare as Lee Peltier was taken to hospital after a clash of heads with Boyce.
"He has gone to hospital," Cardiff assistant manager Kevin Blackwell confirmed.
"He can't remember being knocked out. That is always a precautionary thing we do. Hopefully we will get some good news. It was quite a sickening clash."
With City's planned game at Greenock Morton on Tuesday called off there is just one more game this pre-season. The Bluebirds welcome La Liga side Real Betis to CCS on Saturday, ko 5:15pm.
Cardiff City: Smithies (Etheridge, 45); Peltier (J.Murphy, 70), Morrison (Manga, 62), Bamba, Cunningham; Ralls, Gunnarsson (Damour, 62), Reid (Paterson, 62); Mendez-Laing, Hoilett, Zohore (Madine, 62)
Burton Albion: Bywater; McFadzean, Allen, Buxton, Turner, Lund (Hodge, 76), Sbarra, Akins, McCrory, Harness, Boyce.
Subs unused: Fox, Campbell, Beardsley, Hart
Goals: Burton, Boyce (12),
Cardiff, Buxton OG (33), Zohore (39), Mendez-Laing (44), Reid (56), Paterson (72)