Following a poor run of results by Cardiff City during November 2009, Ledley was the focus of criticism over his performances, most notably from Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale who commented that, due to his ongoing contract talks, Ledley was "playing like he is somewhere else already". However, Ledley received backing from both Cardiff City manager Dave Jones and club captain Mark Hudson, before later stating that he needed surgery on a hip injury that had plagued him for the previous three months and subsequently hindered his performances. On 9 December, Cardiff confirmed that Ledley needed a hip operation before the end of the season. He scored his first goal of the season on 28 December with the opener against Peterborough United, and 17 minutes later he scored again with a header. On 29 January 2010, Ledley underwent surgery on his hip problem which was expected to rule him out for the rest of the season, but made an early return as a substitute during a 2–1 win over Swansea City. On 17 April, Ledley scored against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road to ensure Cardiff a 1–0 win and also a Championship Play-Off place for that season. He scored in the 36th minute of the Play-off Final against Blackpool on 22 May during a 3–2 defeat.