Cardiff City

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Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy has been named the League One manager of the month for December.

The table-topping Bluebirds won five of their six league fixtures during the month, collecting 15 points from a possible 18.

"There was a lot of sacrifice during the month of December," said 47-year-old Barry-Murphy.

"We asked a lot because of how important it was with so many games. The lads put in some incredible performances in a condensed period.

"I have a real gratitude for everyone who made it possible for us to have such a positive month."

The former Manchester City academy coach was recruited from Leicester City last summer, following Cardiff's relegation from the Championship.

The other nominees for the December award were Ian Evatt (Blackpool), Michael Skubala (Lincoln City) and former Swansea City boss Luke Williams (Peterborough United).

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Head coach Brian Barry-Murphy says midfielder Joel Colwill is "in my face every single day" on the training pitch to show his "hunger" to play for Cardiff City.

Colwill has had a breakthrough season at his boyhood club, with his form for the League One leaders seeing him land a first Wales cap.

He has started 12 league games and come off the bench on 10 further occasions but his most recent league start came in the win at Stevenage in early December,

Colwill, 21, also started the defeat against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in mid-December, but his league appearances have been limited recently.

Alex Robertson and Ryan Wintle have occupied Cardiff's central midfield positions over the Christmas period and into the new year, while Omari Kellyman's continued improvement has earned him league starts in the number 10 position.

Kellyman is an injury doubt for Saturday's trip to Bradford City after a groin injury forced him off the field in last weekend's 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient.

"He hasn't had the minutes in recent weeks that he would have wanted or that I would have wanted to give him based on how well he's done," said Barry-Murphy of Colwill.

"I just think over the course of the season he's going to be a huge player for us and he's going to have a huge impact.

"If you look back to pre-season he probably wouldn't have expected to play all the games he did at the start of the season and then once he's done that he wants more."

Colwill made his Cardiff debut back in 2023 but spent last season on loan at Cheltenham and then Exeter.

He has established himself at the Cardiff City Stadium this term, making 27 appearances in all competitions so far.

"I just ask him to understand in this moment that as long as he keeps doing what he's doing, his turn will come and then he's going to have a huge part to play in what would be a great season for him," Barry-Murphy added.

"But he's impatient, you know, which is part of who he is."

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Kion Etete has returned to Cardiff City after his season-long loan at Rotherham United was cut short.

The 24-year-old made 14 appearances for the Millers but failed to register a goal or an assist.

The 6ft 6in striker signed for Cardiff in 2022 and has nine goals in 63 appearances for the Bluebirds.

Having coming through the youth team at Notts County, Etete signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 before joining Cardiff three years later.

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Cardiff City midfielder Troy Perrett has joined Yeovil Town on loan until the end of the season, while the Glovers have also signed Joy Mukena on a permanent deal from Crawley Town.

Perrett, 19, has made four senior appearances for the Bluebirds, scoring one goal.

Mukena has made 47 appearances for Crawley and was part of the squad that won promotion to League One in 2023-24.

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Classic question for Cardiff City fans after Saturday's 1-1 draw at League One strugglers Leyton Orient - one point gained or two dropped?

We asked Bluebirds supporters whether or not the performance at Orient gave them the jitters as Brian Barry-Murphy's men push for an immediate return to the Championship.

Here are some of the responses.

James: No jitters at all. Orient have the ability to test anyone and beat Bradford City only a few weeks ago. In fact, I believe Orient are now unbeaten against the current top four at Brisbane Road, so a point gained when not playing as well as we can do, AND coming from behind to grab it, should be seen as a decent outcome.

Jon: Going to sound like a broken record here but far too much passing backwards and sideways, not enough crosses into the box or shooting when the opportunity arises. It's been like it all season and could cost us promotion unless the club act now and bring in reinforcements in January!

Suzanne: Wouldn't criticise anything - can't remember the last time I enjoyed the season so much! I just hope we can keep hold of BBM.

Viv: Leyton Orient looked a good team to me, I'm surprised they are struggling. We looked tired and a bit predictable….all crosses from the wingers, when Salech proved he's far more than just a head.

Steve: Cardiff are not ruthless enough in front of goal and Saturday's result was two points lost - as was Wycombe the (away) game before. Away from home performance has been nowhere good enough all season.

Rich: No jitters here. We have an excellent squad to achieve promotion and a manager who is perfectly equipped for the current job. At the moment we are favourites for promotion. Stay positive. Onwards.

Gino: Anyone who knows the division well knows that Orient away isn't an easy game. As with most of our matches this season, we were made to work hard for the point and any points away from home are welcome. There's a long way to go yet, but we've put ourselves in a good position to kick on for automatic promotion.

Motty: Not really. Four points clear of second, a good way ahead of seventh. We will win this league with ease - we haven't actually played that well yet! Been surprised with the standard of League One, expected a lot more. We're 10 wins from having it all wrapped up.

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy insists his League One leaders still have "a lot" of improving to do despite extending their unbeaten run to five matches with a 1-1 draw at struggling Leyton Orient on Saturday.

A rare error from goalkeeper Nathan Trott gifted Orient the opener, but the on-loan FC Copenhagen stopper responded impressively.

"He played really well after he made a great save for us and in the second half his performance was pretty flawless," Barry-Murphy said.

"There's no shame in that situation in playing longer and getting the ball away from where the opponents are at their most dangerous. He recognised that well and showed good maturity, which is a sign of his growth."

A superb Yousef Salech solo goal pulled Cardiff level but Barry-Murphy felt his side lacked composure in front of goal.

"I know we scored from Callum Chambers' rocket last week against Wigan, but some of our shooting against Leyton Orient was a bit wild and reckless," he added.

"We want to shoot from good areas centrally. I feel as if we can improve a lot."

With Omari Kellyman forced off with a suspected groin issue and Dylan Lawlor unable to play in east London as "he wasn't fully fit from a hamstring issue last week", Barry-Murphy stressed that setbacks create opportunities.

One player pushing for more minutes is Joel Colwill, who the Irish coach says has trained "exceptionally" in recent weeks.

While the manager was not fully satisfied with his side's overall display, he was encouraged by the Bluebird's response after the break.

"As the game wore on, the team performed admirably," said Barry-Murphy.

"We understood what was needed in the second half much better, and I'm very pleased with how the players handled that."

Cardiff now turn their attention to a crucial trip to third-placed Bradford on 17 January as they look to strengthen their grip on top spot.

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On paper, League One leaders Cardiff City should perhaps have been confident when they went to struggling Leyton Orient on Saturday.

But they came away with an unimpressive 1-1 draw and ended the day four points clear of second-place Lincoln City.

Does that performance give Cardiff fans the jitters at what lies ahead as the Bluebirds continue their bid for promotion back to the Championship?

Let us know your views by clicking here.

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy insists he is taking nothing for granted ahead of facing relegation threatened Leyton Orient.

The Bluebirds travel to Brisbane Road on Saturday, 10 January (15:00 GMT) looking to build on four wins from their last six matches.

But they know just how dangerous their hosts can be after requiring second-half goals from Yousef Salech and Callum Robinson to edge a chaotic 4–3 thriller in the reverse fixture in October.

"We saw how many difficulties we had against them here. No doubt Saturday will be equally as tough," said Barry-Murphy.

"They're a very dynamic team and have been very successful over the past couple of seasons with their brand of football."

Orient are just a point above the relegation zone after three successive defeats, which has come as a surprise to the Cardiff boss.

"They're dangerous and potent but our focus is on ourselves," he said.

"We need to make sure we can be better than we were in the corresponding fixture and prove that we have improved from that because we need to."

Cardiff are three points clear at the top of League One having lost just once in their last 10 league games.

But Barry-Murphy insists there is still significant room for growth.

"We have a very young squad and we have some really valuable experienced members who remind the players of the danger of getting carried away or looking too far ahead," he said.

"We're still looking to improve the squad all the time and raise the bar because we want to take the club forward," he said.

"The minute we stand still in this game, we stop progressing at the rate we expect and demand.

"We believe all the players we have can improve a lot individually. If they do that, then the team will get stronger and we'll win the games we need to win."

Yeovil have signed midfielder Dakarai Mafico from Cardiff City on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 19-year-old has also represented Wales at under-21 level and has played four games for the League One side in all competitions this season.

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Sport asked Cardiff City fans what players are needed to be recruited by head coach Brian Barry-Murphy in January and in what positions?

Here are some of the responses we received:

Stephen - We need more creativity in midfield and have missed Rubin Colwill. We also need a regular goal scorer as we miss too many opportunities which inevitably puts pressure on our younger players as the game progresses.

Lyndon - We definitely need cover at left-back, a good playmaker in midfield and another striker wouldn't go amiss. We're doing well but a few signings would keep the team fresh.

Rhiannon - I think if we want to stay at the top we need another left back because if Joel Bagan gets injured we have no senior player in that position. BBM seriously needs to sort that defence partnership out - it changes so often that we are so open to conceding goals. Hopefully we can have [Ollie] Tanner back in January but the main priorities need to be a left back.

Alan - The way we are playing teams off the park, more goals is what's needed. A striker is needed in January for more competition for [Youssef] Salech and [Callum] Robinson.

Andy - They need a left back and possibly another striker. I am extremely happy with the way the team, playing the young players and local lads in the team.

Kevin - Due to the absence of [Rubin] Colwill. Possibly need cover in midfield for an influential, attacking player. Also we only have one left-back - need someone to cover Bagan.

Mike - Out and out ruthless striker who is selfish and not afraid to have a crack at goal.

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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League One leaders Cardiff City face two fresh injury concerns as they prepare to face Leyton Orient and look to build on a strong festive period that earned them 13 points from six matches.

Cian Ashford, who was forced off in their victory against Wigan, is a "major doubt" for the trip to Brisbane Road after suffering a dead leg according to manager Brian Barry-Murphy.

Dylan Lawlor, the subject of transfer interest, is also a concern after coming off with muscle related fatigue in the same match at Cardiff City Stadium.

Despite the setbacks, Barry Murphy says the squad remains in a "pretty good place", praising the conditioning work led by head of performance Kevin Gibbins as Cardiff aim to stay robust at the season's midpoint.

"Kevin Gibbins has done an exceptional job in bringing the players to a place where we can really start to attack the season," he said.

"We believe we're going to improve a lot physically. We've tried to make changes from week to week to give ourselves the best chance to maintain a healthy squad and not lose players to injuries because that will be a major issue for us."

There was also positive news regarding the recovery of Wales international Rubin Colwill, who has been absent since November with an ankle injury.

"Rubin's back running on the treadmill, so we expect him to be out on the grass next week," Barry Murphy said.

"He's a player we value enormously so to have him progressing so quickly is a huge boost. He is the type of player we just couldn't recruit anywhere and so having him back in February is something we're looking forward to."

Eli King is also making encouraging progress in his long term rehabilitation.

"Eli's back on the grass this week doing some straight line running," Barry Murphy added.

"We expect him to train with us before the end of the season. When you come back from an ACL, you need an extended period of training, so we don't expect him to play this season."

Leyton Orient go into Saturday's game with Cardiff (15:00 GMT) in 20th position in League One on a three-match losing sequence.