Cardiff City FC spend some time in Dubai

Cardiff City are the latest professional football club to head to Dubai for a training camp.The Bluebirds are currently flying high at the top of the npower Championship and the management staff clearly feel that a mid-season break in the UAE will help them achieve their dream of reaching the Premier League.City have a gap in their fixture list after being knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league outfit Macclesfield Town, so they have plenty of time to soak up the sun in the Middle East.However, manager Malky Mackay told Wales Online that the five-day trip would not be a holiday and the players will be expected to train hard during their stay."It's only the squad and members of staff who focus on training, fitness and conditioning going to Dubai. It's not an end of season jolly, but a working week. Our recruitment and analysis team will continue to work in South Wales," he was quoted as saying.Mackay appears to be following up his promise, as Cardiff captain Mark Hudson has tweeted a photograph of himself working out on an exercise bike, as well as a snap of the glorious beach next to the hotel.The South Wales club have built an unwanted reputation for blowing their promotion chances in recent years.They have come excruciatingly close to reaching the Premier League on a number of occasions but have always fallen at the final hurdle.Having opened up a ten-point gap over second place Leicester City, they will be hoping that 2013 is their year.The Bluebirds are not the only team to take advantage of the magnificent facilities in Dubai this winter.German side Borussia Monchengladbach also spent some time training in warm conditions earlier this month before they returned to Bundesliga action.Of course, the emirate is also a wonderful place to take a holiday and a number of footballers head to the Gulf each year.Celtic trio Gary Hooper, Joe Ledley and Adam Matthews were seen in Dubai at the start of January, as they took full advantage of the Scottish Premier League's winter break.