Cardiff City

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Cardiff City host Blackpool on Saturday (12:30 GMT) with Brian Barry-Murphy adamant his team are in good shape despite their recent dip in form.

With the finishing line looming into view, Cardiff are enduring their trickiest run of a fine season having taken only seven points from their past six League One games.

But the Bluebirds, in second, remain a healthy 10 points clear of third-placed Bolton Wanderers in the race for automatic promotion.

And despite a midweek home loss to Wycombe Wanderers – when Cardiff had Gabriel Osho sent off before half-time – Barry-Murphy is in confident mood.

"The squad is in a really good place physically. We played Exeter [last weekend] and for large parts it was our most dominant physical performance, so the lads are in a great place," the Cardiff boss said.

"Tuesday night [against Wycombe], the way the game goes, we play with 10 men for such a long period, meaning the result is what it is.

"But physically the lads looked brilliant and I couldn't be happier with them. We will now try to show again that we can win and play really well."

Having been formidable on their own patch for the majority of the season, Cardiff have suffered back-to-back home losses.

They have the chance to make amends as they take on a relegation-threatened Blackpool side who beat Barry-Murphy's team at Bloomfield Road earlier in the season.

"I think we have been so good for so long at home that whenever you do lose a game it seems not normal," he added.

"There were spells last season I am sure where you couldn't win a game at home and it becomes normal.

"The new normal these players have created is that we are brilliant at home, play great football and win games, but we can never take that for granted. We have to fight to try to play well and win [against Blackpool]."

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Omari Kellyman has welcomed the imminent return of Yousef Salech – even if it could spell the end of his time as a makeshift striker.

Salech is set to make his Cardiff City comeback after two months out injured when the Bluebirds return to action after the upcoming international break.

In Salech's absence, on-loan Chelsea youngster Kellyman has regularly been deployed up front by Brian Barry-Murphy.

And despite being more used to operating as an attacking midfielder, the 20-year-old has responded by scoring five goals in his past 10 appearances.

"It has been a different challenge but it's definitely one that I have been enjoying," Kellyman said.

"It's a more physical position. You have seen Yousef do it throughout the season, the fights he gets into with centre-halves.

"But I will play wherever Bri [Barry-Murphy] tells me to. I just want to be on the pitch and help in any way I can."

Salech has not played since being carried off with a neck injury during Cardiff's draw with Stockport on 24 January.

Despite his lay-off, the powerful Dane remains Cardiff's top scorer this season with 13 goals.

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Kellyman says it is up to Barry-Murphy to decide what role he will play when Salech returns to the Cardiff frontline.

"I am sure whatever he chooses to do will be the right thing," he added.

"Yousef is a goalscorer so if we can have him on the pitch scoring the goals that would be great. Then we just need the players behind him to give him the service."

Kellyman could again lead the line when Cardiff look to respond to their midweek defeat to Wycombe when they host Blackpool on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Barry-Murphy's side are five points behind League One leaders Lincoln City having lost three of their past six games, but Kellyman insists there is no panic in the dressing room.

"One thing that's stayed consistent throughout the season is that we know what we are capable of," he said.

"We know we are not going to get results all the time, but we have proved multiple times throughout the season that what we do works.

"Hopefully a win [against Blackpool] can put us another step in the right direction and carry us into a little bit of form."

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Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts says Cardiff City are on course to achieve their goal for the season despite a dip in results hitting their League One title hopes.

Cardiff have led the way in the third tier for much of the season, but have been surpassed by Lincoln City having won only two of their past six league games.

With eight games remaining this season, the second-placed Bluebirds trail Lincoln by five points – but remain 10 points clear of Bolton Wanderers in third.

Roberts says that while it would be "great if they could win the league", Cardiff should be happy with either automatic promotion spot.

"The main objective before the first game of the season was to bounce back to the Championship, however they did it," he told this week's Feast of Football podcast.

"They are in a great position. They are five points behind Lincoln who got a 93rd-minute equaliser at Huddersfield [in midweek].

"Bradford only drew, Stockport won but they are not going to catch Cardiff, Bolton drew. It's still in their hands."

After Tuesday's home loss to Wycombe Wanderers, Cardiff have the chance to bounce back when they host relegation-threatened Blackpool on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

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Cardiff City's Dylan Lawlor has won February's League One goal of the month award for his sublime solo effort against Doncaster Rovers.

The defender carried the ball 70 yards, beating three Doncaster players in doing so, before notching up his second goal of the campaign in a 4-0 win at the Eco-Power Stadium on 28 February.

Discussing his goal, the Wales international said: "It was the best goal to date in my career.

"It just opened up for me. I took on the first man, and fair play to the boys around me for making the right runs. I couldn't not shoot at the end.

"There's no feeling like any goal, but when it's one like that, where you've run 70 yards, it's an unbelievable feeling. The adrenalin rush when you run off to celebrate is incredible."

Lawlor beat Bluebirds team-mate Perry Ng, Barnsley's David McGoldrick and Wycombe Wanderers' Caolan Boyd-Munce to the award.

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman, the leading judge in the competition, said: "Dylan Lawlor scored the standout goal in League One last month.

"He picked up the ball on the edge of his own box and burst through the heart of the Doncaster midfield before continuing his run and calmly slotting past the keeper.

"His run was all about pace, power, balance and finesse, and it was capped off with incredible composure and a deft finish."

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Wales international Sam Vokes insists there is no need for concern at Cardiff City as they bid to avoid the "catastrophe" which would be missing out on automatic promotion.

Cardiff are in the midst of their trickiest run of the season after a home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in midweek, their third loss in six matches.

Having led the way in League One for much of the season, Brian Barry-Murphy's team are now five points adrift of Lincoln City in second place.

But with 10 points separating the Bluebirds and third-placed Bolton Wanderers, Vokes reckons Barry-Murphy's men will get over the line.

"I think we expect them to go up," he told this week's Feast of Football podcast.

"After the season they have had, it would be a catastrophe if they fell out of it. I don't see that happening at all.

"Cardiff are the biggest team at that level. The football they have played this year has been probably without doubt the best in the league.

"Dropping points [against Wycombe] is a bump in the road but I expect a full reaction come the weekend at home to Blackpool."

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Cardiff City's Good Friday fixture at home to Port Vale has been moved to Wednesday, 22 April [19:45 BST] due to Vale's progress in the FA Cup.

The Bluebirds were set to take on the Valiants on Friday, 3 April but the League One strugglers will now travel to Premier League giants Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, 4 April.

Vale are bottom of League One but have impressed in the FA Cup this season, reaching the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history - their previous appearance in the last-eight was 72 years ago in 1954.

Brian Barry-Murphy's side, who are currently second in League One, will be hoping for all three points this time having shared the spoils when the sides when they met at Vale Park in August.

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Former Cardiff City captain Jason Perry says he believes the Bluebirds are missing injured top goalscorer Yousef Salech.

The striker sustained a neck injury in a collision with Stockport County's Brad Hill on 24 January and has not appeared on the pitch since.

Perry believes City have missed their striker in recent weeks and especially in last night's 2-0 defeat at home to Wycombe.

"Wycombe deserved the three points, I thought they were very disciplined and clever, their game plan was executed well," Perry said.

"Cardiff being without a striker like Salech does make me slightly concerned.

"The sooner they can get him back the better, because at the moment they look like they're missing him."

Despite an initial positive run after the striker's injury, Brian Barry-Murphy's side have stumbled of late, losing three of their past six league games.

Omari Kellyman has been deployed as a false nine in recent weeks instead of a striker, which Perry believes has cost Cardiff.

"I think teams are working out Cardiff with their false nine," said Perry.

"And for that reason they're coming here, holding and keeping their ground and then beating Cardiff on the break."

The Bluebirds have lost their grip on first place but are still in a strong position for automatic promotion as they sit 10 points clear of Bolton Wanderers in third.

Perry has also questioned some of Barry-Murphy's decisions after he decided not to put on a central defender after Gabriel Osho's 43rd-minute red card.

"Wintle dropped into centre-half and I was trying to work out why, because you've got Callum Chambers who also plays there on the bench," said Perry

"The second goal from Woodrow is because he's not positioned himself where a centre-half naturally would, so the ball is headed back across the six-yard box and I'm sure Chambers would have just headed it out.

"For the first time I'm maybe disagreeing with the substitutions Barry-Murphy has made. But he's been on it with them so many times this seasons, so I think you just have to say well done to Wycombe."

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Michael Duff savoured his return to south Wales having lost on his previous visit to the Cardiff City Stadium when in charge at Swansea City.

Duff's Swansea side were jeered by the travelling fans after a 2-0 loss in the Welsh capital in September 2023.

The visitors' miserable display that day was one of the lowest points during Duff's disappointing spell as Swans boss.

But it was a different story for the former Burnley defender on Tuesday as his Wycombe Wanderers team beat the Bluebirds 2-0.

"It's fair to say I enjoyed this one a little bit more than the last time I was here," Duff said.

"I got stuck in the car park last time as well… Cardiff is a big football club and I have a lot of respect for them."

Wycombe's victory saw second-placed Cardiff lose ground on League One leaders Lincoln City.

The Chairboys, meanwhile, are two points outside the play-off places in ninth after late goals from Andre Vidigal and Cauley Woodrow sealed victory over a Cardiff side who had Gabriel Osho sent off before half-time.

"They are a good team and even with 10 men they hurt you," Duff added.

"The wingers are very good and the runs they make from midfield - I think Ryan Wintle is the best midfielder in the league – they can hurt you in lots of different ways.

"If it had ended up at 0-0 playing against 10 men I would still have respected that point because they are so good at what they do.

"The encouraging thing is [Wycombe] have come to one of the best two teams in the league, a huge football club, and competed really well and overall deserved to win."

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Brian Barry-Murphy reckons Cardiff City could benefit from defeat to Wycombe Wanderers as they prepare to host Blackpool on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Cardiff lost further ground on League One leaders Lincoln City after two late goals saw Wycombe triumph in the Welsh capital on Tuesday.

The Bluebirds are enduring their trickiest run of the season having lost three of their past six league games, but an upbeat Barry-Murphy insists his team are in good shape.

"Over the course of the season we have been amazingly consistent," said the Cardiff boss.

"There will be spells over any season where it's not perfect and our results at the moment are not perfect.

"But it's really beneficial for the players to have a feeling of what it's like to feel like you deserve to win and don't. How you bounce back and play in the following game is the most important thing."

Cardiff have lost back-to-back league games only once all season – at Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool in October – with Barry-Murphy believing his team have shown "great signs" in consistently responding to setbacks.

Their cause against Wycombe was not helped by defender Gabriel Osho's contentious sending off late in the first half.

A second successive home loss means Cardiff are five points adrift of Lincoln City, though the gap to third-placed Bolton is a healthy 10 points with eight games of the season remaining.

Barry-Murphy says his players must now focus on their meeting with relegation-threatened Blackpool rather than the league table.

"We know what parts of our performance need to improve," he said.

"We just have to try our best to play the way we want to play and win the game."

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Gabriel Osho's red card during Cardiff City's 2-0 home defeat by Wycombe Wanderers should only have been a yellow, according to Bluebirds head coach Brian Barry-Murphy.

Cardiff were dominating Tuesday's League One encounter when centre-back Osho was sent off for a wild lunge on Ewan Henderson shortly before half-time.

The home side were still on top despite that dismissal, before succumbing to two late goals from the visitors.

"I felt as if we were in good control of the game. The sending off naturally changes a lot of the game, but the players' efforts were incredible," said Barry-Murphy.

"I thought Gabriel tackled with one foot, his studs were close to the ground. It was a yellow card."

Barry-Murphy was booked during the second half and explained: "I think it was a misunderstanding. I think the referee thought I was looking for a yellow card [for a Wycombe player], but I wasn't.

"He informed me that waving your hand looking for a yellow card is a yellow card offence in itself, but I wasn't."

A second successive home defeat saw Cardiff fall further behind League One leaders Lincoln City, who scored an injury-time equaliser at Huddersfield Town to extend their lead at the top of the table to five points.

The Bluebirds also saw their advantage over third-place Bolton Wanderers cut by one point to 10 following the Trotters' goalless draw at home to Doncaster Rovers.

Despite a third defeat from six league games, Barry-Murphy is not concerned about his team's form.

"I think we're in pretty good form performance-wise," he added.

"We have eight remaining games. Our intention is to try and win every single one like it was on Saturday at Exeter [when Cardiff won 4-0] and today.

"The players are in great form and I'm very confident moving to Saturday [Blackpool at home]. I'm very pleased with the players and very happy where we are."

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Cardiff City midfielder Rubin Colwill insists they are still aiming to win the League One title despite falling behind leaders Lincoln City.

The Bluebirds' long reign at the top of the League One table ended when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Lincoln a few games ago, and they now find themselves four points behind the Imps.

Following a 1-1 draw with Barnsley last week, Cardiff, inspired by Colwill's double, returned to winning ways on Saturday as they eased past Exeter City 4-0 to maintain pressure on Lincoln.

The Welsh international said: "They [Lincoln] have had a really good season but it is on us to chase them and hunt them down.

"We are looking up, we want to win the league and our main focus is on that."

Having only won once in four games, there was some pressure on Brian Barry-Murphy's side going into Saturday's game at St James Park, but the Bluebirds cruised to victory as they bid for automatic promotion to the Championship.

"We have high expectations of ourselves," said Colwill, who recently returned from a three-month injury.

"We haven't got the results we wanted but I wouldn't say there's any extra pressure there."

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Cardiff City striker Yousef Salech is aiming to return to action in April after receiving "positive updates" on his neck and chest injury.

Cardiff's top scorer has been absent since being carried off during the 1-1 draw with Stockport County in January.

The Dane has missed nine League One matches and will sit out at least three more, with boss Brian Barry-Murphy hoping Salech will be back in full training later this month.

"Yousef has had really positive updates from the specialist on Monday so he's back in more advanced running," said Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy.

"We anticipate he'll be back in training I would say maybe at some stage during the international break, which would mean he could be available to play at some stage after the international break.

"The areas of his neck and chest that were causing concern are really improving and he's feeling great so I'm really pleased for him that he's making good progress."

Salech, who has scored 12 league goals this season from 24 starts and three substitute appearances, returned to light training last week.

Cardiff travel to Exeter on Saturday before home fixtures against Wycombe on Tuesday, March 17 and Blackpool four days later.

They were due to go to Huddersfield Town on 28 March but that game has been postponed because of international call-ups.

The Bluebirds will return to action with a trip to Peterborough on April 6, with their home fixture against Port Vale three days earlier postponed due to the Valiants' progress in the FA Cup.

Barry-Murphy, meanwhile, says Isaak Davies is "making good progress" after a hamstring injury but will not feature at Exeter.

Defender Gabriel Osho missed Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Barnsley because of illness but is expected to be available at St James Park.

Back-up goalkeeper Harry Tryer has missed the past two matches after suffering a back spasm and will again be absent this weekend.

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Cardiff City's League One trip to Huddersfield Town has been rearranged due to international call-ups.

The Bluebirds had been set to face the Terriers on Saturday, 28 March, but the fixture will now take place on Tuesday, 14 April (19:45 BST).

Wales name their squad for World Cup play-offs next week, with the likes of Ronan Kpakio, Dylan Lawlor and Joel and Rubin Colwill in contention to feature.

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Brian Barry-Murphy says Cardiff City's players relish long coach journeys as they prepare for their second away game in four days.

The Bluebirds get back on the road for a trip to Exeter City this Saturday after a 1-1 draw at Barnsley on Tuesday which left them four points behind League One leaders Lincoln City.

And while Exeter is one of Cardiff's shorter away journeys, head coach Barry-Murphy says the hours spent travelling will be well used by both players and staff.

"I think you have time to study as much as you can on the coach and the Cardiff players in general have given me a whole new perspective on travel," he said.

"They love travelling together and it creates a really tight-knit bond. We're blessed with the quality of travel that we have and all in all it's a pretty enjoyable experience.

"It's like the Cardiff lads love being on the coach, they stay on there forever. There's many different days we get to the end of our journeys which can take up to six, seven hours and they'll remain on the coach doing all sorts of extra-curricular activities."

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Barry-Murphy's previous jobs at Rochdale, Manchester City and Leicester City tended to involve fewer long journeys, with players and staff often travelling to matches by air or rail.

"It's a whole new experience for me," he added. "It's something that I didn't even think about if I'm being honest when I joined the club.

"In previous seasons [at Cardiff], I was told there was a lot of flying and stuff and different forms of travel, which was the same when I was at Manchester City - everything was a train journey or a flight.

"But what I've seen is the real positives and benefits of it are that the lads genuinely are really close and a lot of friendships have been formed over a long period of time.

"I suppose it is one of the things that is truly unique to playing for and being part of this club, but it's been a great experience for me."

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Cardiff City's title push faltered again with a 1-1 draw at Barnsley on Tuesday night, a result head coach Brian Barry-Murphy called "very frustrating."

He insisted, however, that the setback will not distract the Bluebirds from focusing on themselves.

Rubin Colwill fired City into an early lead with his first goal since returning from injury, and Ollie Tanner twice went close to doubling the advantage, only to be denied by Barnsley goalkeeper Owen Goodman.

"We started the game pretty much exactly how we wanted to. We attacked from the first minute, were hugely dominant, very aggressive, in front of our own supporters, scored a great goal," said Barry-Murphy.

"And then really Ollie Tanner's chance was a great chance for us to extend our lead and dominate the game completely, but we didn't."

Barnsley hit back 11 minutes later through Scott Banks, which in Barry-Murphy's opinion gave the home side "momentum" and "complicated" first-half proceedings.

Despite David McGoldrick threatening for the hosts, Cardiff controlled possession with 73% of the ball and Barry-Murphy felt a winner was always possible even if clear chances were limited. Colwill's second half effort was the Bluebird's best opportunity after the break.

"I always believe. I believed we will on Saturday [against Lincoln] but it wasn't to be," said Barry-Murphy.

"I thought later in the game [against Barnsley] we were very dominant. Again, we were very conscious of getting more balls in the box, but in a certain way and making sure that we can create chances.

"It wasn't quite to be. We didn't create enough chances to stand here and say we should have won the game clearly."

Cardiff have now won just once in four games, slipping four points behind League One leaders Lincoln City after sitting top for 105 days prior to Saturday's defeat.

Still, they remain nine points clear of the chasing pack in the promotion race, though Bolton could close that gap to six on Saturday lunchtime before Cardiff's trip to Exeter.

Barry-Murphy insists the challenge is maintaining consistency: "I'm looking at our own team, making sure we're improving all the time. The league campaign is never meant to be straightforward.

"The ambition of the dressing room is clear for me to see. I can feel it every single day. The players tried to do everything asked of them tonight and we could have won the game quite easily but we didn't.

"It's the best time of the season. There's great excitement from the whole club and real ambition in the dressing room.

"We don't need help from anyone else, we have to focus on ourselves, try to improve all the time and have an insatiable appetite to be hungry and try and win for this club."

Ioan Griffiths

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Cardiff City will once again be without their top goal scorer at Barnsley on Tuesday, as Yousef Salech is still recovering from a neck injury.

The Danish striker was injured after landing awkwardly during City's 1-1 draw with Stockport County in January.

The Bluebirds missed their striker on Saturday as they slipped to second In League One after what boss Brian Barry-Murphy described as a "very disappointing" 2-0 home defeat by title rivals Lincoln.

"The narrative is whatever it is, I think always when you lose you naturally think about what you don't have," said Barry-Murphy.

"But obviously our focus is on what we do have because it's all we can control."

After Saturday's disappointment in front of more than 27,000 at Cardiff City Stadium, the Welsh club will be looking to bounce back as they travel north to face Barnsley on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

Barry-Murphy insists his side can manage without 13-goal Salech, having gone five games unbeaten after his injury prior to the weekend's setback.

"We've scored a bucket full of goals when Yousef's been missing, but we want him to be available as we do with all of our players," added Barry-Murphy.

"He's not going to be available for the Tuesday night game, so we have to try and find a solution with the players we have and I'm very confident we can do that."