Cardiff beat Millwall 3 - 0, on Feb 1st 1983 to go top of the table with a 2 point lead over Lincoln City. The Bluebirds stayed top despite losing away at Sheff Utd on the 5th of Feb. A 3 - 0 win over Oxford on Feb 12th kept City at the top but the midweek defeat at Bradford on Feb 16th saw Portsmouth go top on goal difference. City were back on top on Saturday Feb 19th after a 1 - 1 draw at home to Bournemouth, that was the last time City topped the table at this level. Even though City won their next game with a 3 - 2 away win at Gillingham, rivals Portsmouth had played and won their games in hand and took over the lead.
A see saw battle until the end of the season saw Portsmouth, Huddersfield, Newport County, Bristol Rovers and Cardiff fighting for promotion.
Newport were looking good as they topped the table with 7 games to go. A 1 - 0 win over Cardiff had given County a 5 point cushion from City who were in 4th place and out of the promotion spots (no play offs in them days). But it went wrong for County and they were overtaken by Portsmouth, Cardiff and Huddersfield who went up in the three promotion places.
The difference was the run in. After County's win over City the Bluebirds took 16 points from the remaining 21 available and were runners up. County only took 4 points from 21 and ended up in 4th place.
City survived the 83/84 season in Division 2, they finished in 14th place in such company as Leeds, Chelsea, Newcastle, Man City and err Swansea and Carlisle.
That was our last season at 2nd (new 1st) division level. In 84/85 were relegated, City won three in a row to leave them in a fight with Middlebrough for the last relegation spot. Three games to play, one point the difference in Boro's favour but City capitulated, losing all three remaining games. The last of them at Plough Lane to Sam Hammam's Wimbledon.