CAPTAIN Graham Kavanagh shot the Bluebirds back to the top of the table with a 79th minute strike to break visitors Wycombe's dogged resistence at Ninian Park.
Kavanagh lashed home a 15-yard shot, having seen one effort blocked, as City toiled hard to secure a win they merited on balance of player.
Peter Thorne had failed to make four earlier chances count as City bossed the game for long periods, but gree increasingly frustrated as they failed to find the killer touch.
City boss Lennie Lawrence made two changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Wigan, restoring the rested Andy Legg to an attacking wide left role, while handing a debut to former Manchester City goalkeeper Martyn Margetson.
Margetson, a summer free transfer from Huddersfield Town, got his chance with Neil Alexander away on international duty with Scotland.
Wycombe, meanwhile, included ex-Swans winger Stuart Roberts, and Craig Faulconbridge, latterly of Wrexham.
Wanderers were searching for their first victory against City, having lost twice and drawn once on the three occasions the two sides have met in the past.
City kicked off playing towards the Canton Stand, and, after a subdued opening, Robert Earnshaw went close to adding to his 12-goal haul so far this term on six minutes, when he tested Martin Taylor in the Wycombe goal with a raking cross-shot from the right-hand edge of the visitors' penalty box.
Earnie had been released by Thorne's clever cushioned header, from an angled ball from half-way by Rhys Weston.
Wycombe were making it tough for City to get into their stride before the Bluebirds produced their most incisive spell of possession so far - and Thorne should
have put City in front.
The former Stoke man, who is searching for goals having only struck twice so far this term, was cursing his luck when his downwards header at the far post cannoned off the post.
He'd been picked out unmarked by Kavanagh's cross from the left of the penalty area, after the skip-per had been played in by a clever reverse ball from Gareth Whalley.
That narrow escape for Wycombe came on 12 minutes, and three minutes later Thorne was left wondering what he'd done to upset the
football gods when he struck the woodwork again - this time seeing a towering header thump off the bar after he'd been found by Kavanagh's free kick from the right.
Wycombe had barely threatened before Michael Simpson struck a speculative effort from a tight angle straight at Margetson on 18 minutes.
Andy Rammell served City with further warning that Wanderers were not just there to make up the numbers when he had Margetson diving full-length to his right, having headed unmarked from nine yards.
Weston did his level best to break the deadlock on 26 minutes, when he drove forward from the right, cut inside and struck a shot that Taylor could only parry. Earnshaw, however, couldn't quite latch on to the rebound.
City's first corner of the game, on 29 minutes, came to nothing before Roberts flashed a half-chance wide for Wycombe.
Steve Brown became the first name into the referee's book on the half-hour, when he was penalised for a late challenge on Weston.
Legg's resulting free-kick flashed agonisingly across the face of goal.
Margetson was tested by Faulconbidge's header after 37 minutes, after he'd been found by a throw from Wycombe's left.
The dangerous Faulconbridge threatened again three minutes later, when he tried a cheeky lob from the right.
Roberts was replaced by Sean Devine just before the break, but with City failing to carve out further chances, home fans were left frustrated by a goalless score-line at half-time. HT: Cardiff City 0, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Seven minutes in to the second period, Thorne failed to make the most of another golden opportunity, when he headed straight at Taylor having slipped away from his marker, Paul McCarthey, at the back post.
His attempt was a poor dividend for Willie Boland, who had nonchalantly skipped past Chris Vinnicombe and bent over an inch-perfect ball for Thorne.
Boland was instrumental again two minutes later, finding Gareth Whalley on the penalty spot, but the former Bradford City man failed to connect properly with his shot.
Gary Croft tried an acrobatic volley from Legg's cross before Kavanagh had a shot charged down after Earnshaw had over-hit a cross for the marauding Thorne.
Legg was then booked for allegedly diving on 62 minutes, but the veteran wing-back should have had the last laugh moments later when he broke free before looping over a tantalising cross. But the hapless Thorne, and Kavanagh, got in each others way as they strained to get on the end of Legg's ball, leaving another chance to go begging.
Wycombe went close twice to breaking away and breaking the deadlock twice in quick succession. First, Margetson held on to an Andy Rammell strike from 20 yards, before Sean Devine couldn't take Wycombe's clearest opportunity of the game, with Margetson moving smartly to smother a lose ball 10 yards out.
City made two substitutions in quick succession; first Whalley made way for Andy Campbell, before Chris Barker replaced Gary Croft on 71 minutes.
The changes prompted a change in formation, with City switching to operating with wing-backs. Thorne was left thumping the turf in frustration when he failed to get enough power behind another header, having been picked out by Legg.
Finally, City made an opportunity count when Kavanagh broke Wycombe's hearts, threading a right-foot shot into the bottom left-hand corner on 79 minutes having been allowed two bites of the cherry.
Barker had broken superbly down the left, echoing his days as a winger at Barnsley, and had found Kavanagh free in the box with an angled ball. Kav's first shot was charged down by Andy Thomson, but the he was first to the loose ball, and decisive with a low shot, having stepped inside Thomson.
Wycombe's frustrations were compounded when McCarthy was booked for flooring Earnshaw on 89 minutes.
And there were to be no last-minute scares for City as the Bluebirds played down time.
