Cardiff City were lucky to escape with a point after being outplayed in Thursday's goalless draw at Port Vale in League One.
Vale overpowered their opponents physically and came close to scoring in the first half through a Jesse Debrah header and a misdirected clearance from Cardiff captain Calum Chambers which hit the post.
The visitors were no better after the interval, struggling to cope with Vale's set-pieces and offering next to nothing going forward.
Home captain George Byers headed against the bar from an offside position as Darren Moore's men continued to dominate but had to be content with a first point of the season at the second attempt.
Cardiff had shown promise in their first game under new head coach Brian Barry-Murphy on the opening weekend, as the youngest Bluebirds line-up for a league game this century beat Peterborough United with a fluent attacking display.
But their visit to Vale Park was a stark reminder of the challenges facing the Welsh club in League One this season.
What was the main talking point?
This was a first league meeting between these sides for 22 years - the last time Cardiff had been in the third tier.
Even last season there were two divisions between them, but the gap disappeared when Vale won promotion from League Two and Cardiff came tumbling down from the Championship.
There was no evidence of any enduring gulf in class here. In fact, it was Vale who looked likeliest to score as they roughed up their opponents.
Byers and Debrah both headed wide from first-half Ronan Curtis corners, while Chambers was inches away from scoring an own goal, one of many mistakes in a shaky display from the former Arsenal and England centre-back.
The set-piece barrage continued after the break, while Cardiff barely figured as an attacking force.
The sight of an isolated Yousef Salech told its own tale, the Bluebirds striker with blood on his face having caught a stray boot in the first half from Debrah, who manhandled the Dane throughout - a running battle which summed up the game.
Which players stood out?
Vale right wing-back Mitch Clark excelled in and out of possession, constantly turning defence into attack with his direct and energetic running.
The former Wales youth international had the ball in the net at one stage in the second half but the flag had already been raised for offside.
Curtis' set-pieces caused havoc for Cardiff, but his team-mates could not provide the finishes his deliveries warranted.
Debrah and fellow centre-back Connor Hall also did a solid job of repelling the few attacking attempts that Cardiff offered.
Cardiff City: Trott, Kpakio, Lawlor (Fish 61'), Chambers (C), Bagan, Wintle, J. Colwill (Turnbull 61'), R. Colwill, Tanner (Ashford 61'), Willock (Davies 90+2'), Salech (Robinson 77').
Substitutes: Turner, King.
