Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd has already hit 12 goals this season

Ex-Wales striker Nathan Blake says that former club Cardiff City must pull out all the stops to keep Jay Bothroyd.

Bothroyd joined from Wolves in August 2008 on a three-year deal and has flourished at Cardiff, hitting 33 goals in 87 league games under Dave Jones.

Blake fears that Cardiff might have to spend £8m to replace the frontman if he leaves on a free after this season.

"He's a player who Cardiff just can't do without, it's as simple as that," Blake told BBC Sport Wales.

"I'm a bit worried that he's coming to the end of his contract and he hasn't signed a new deal yet.

"That's another thing that's slightly at the back of my mind. I would like to hope, think, that come January he's signed up and sealed.

"But if he's not then that's a dangerous game because you're going to either have to find another gem like he has turned out to be, or you're going to have to spend a minimum of £8m to replace him.

"I live in hope that he goes and signs a five-year deal and stays at the club till he's past his 30s because I think he's that important at the moment."

Blake believes that Bothroyd's importance to Cardiff was underlined by their below-par performance in last Sunday's south Wales derby.

With their 28-year-old targetman - who has 12 goals already this season - suspended the Bluebirds lost 1-0 at home to arch-rivals Swansea City, despite having the attacking talent of Craig Bellamy and Michael Chopra on show.

Bothroyd is available again for Wednesday night's Championship game at Reading, while Cardiff face another potentially tricky league trip to Scunthorpe on Saturday.

"I rarely have seen a team miss a player as much as Cardiff miss Jay," Blake said.

"It's almost like the team mentally don't feel that they're the same without him, which is a big thing.

"It's not a case of you look and think the team is raising itself, because they know they're one of their main men short.

"I've seen it a couple of times when Craig Bellamy had played and then didn't play, they kind of almost didn't seem to have the same... belief.

"Against Swansea it was so evident that they didn't believe they were going to win the game, or didn't believe they were going to play the same way as they normally did, without Jay in.

"He's having a fantastic season, it's come off the back of two good years at Cardiff.

"It's all about maturity and growing up, and you get to a point in your life where things come together and for me it's all come together for him."

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