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Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy insists his League One leaders still have significant room for improvement despite extending their unbeaten run to five matches with a 1-1 draw at struggling Leyton Orient on Saturday, with the Irish coach highlighting areas where his side can develop further.
Barry-Murphy Demands More From Cardiff Despite Maintaining League One Lead
A rare error from goalkeeper Nathan Trott gifted Orient the opener at the weekend, but the on-loan FC Copenhagen stopper responded impressively to help Cardiff secure a valuable point. Barry-Murphy praised Trott’s recovery, stating the goalkeeper played really well after the mistake and made a great save before delivering a pretty flawless performance in the second half.
The Cardiff boss highlighted Trott’s maturity in recognising when to play longer and get the ball away from dangerous areas, describing it as a sign of the goalkeeper’s growth. Barry-Murphy emphasised there was no shame in the situation and commended the young keeper’s ability to bounce back from his early error with such composure.
A superb solo goal from Yousef Salech pulled Cardiff level, but Barry-Murphy felt his side lacked composure in front of goal throughout the match. The manager criticised some of Cardiff’s shooting as wild and reckless, contrasting it with Callum Chambers’ excellent strike against Wigan the previous week and expressing his desire for the team to shoot from better central areas.
Cardiff faced injury concerns with Omari Kellyman forced off with a suspected groin issue, while Dylan Lawlor was unable to play in east London as he was not fully fit from a hamstring problem suffered the previous week. Barry-Murphy stressed that such setbacks create opportunities for other players, particularly highlighting Joel Colwill who has trained exceptionally in recent weeks and is pushing for more minutes.
While not fully satisfied with his side’s overall display, Barry-Murphy was encouraged by Cardiff’s response after the break, stating the team performed admirably as the game wore on. The manager confirmed Cardiff understood what was needed in the second half much better and expressed his pleasure with how the players handled the situation, before turning attention to their crucial trip to third-placed Bradford on 17 January.
