Ashford Relishing Cardiff Role Under Brian Barry-Murphy as Promotion Talk Grows

Cardiff City winger Cian Ashford says he is relishing his football this season as Brian Barry-Murphy’s Bluebirds continue to build momentum.

With promotion talk starting to build around the training ground, the 21-year-old is also quietly keeping one eye on a potential future senior Wales call-up.

Ashford has been one of several academy graduates trusted with regular minutes under Barry-Murphy and admits the Irishman has helped make the club a positive place to be.

“He’s come in, and he’s got all the boys playing a good style of football,” he said. “It’s just really enjoyable to be a part of.”

Cian Ashford in action for Cardiff City this season

It continues a strong rise for the Wales U21 international, who made his senior Cardiff debut in August 2023 under Erol Bulut. He came off the bench in a Carabao Cup tie against Colchester at the Cardiff City Stadium, with the match finishing 2-2 before the Bluebirds edged through on penalties.

After plenty of talk around his high potential during his academy days, that early taste of senior football at 18 helped shape his progress into becoming a first-team regular.

With Cardiff preparing for another League One test against Burton Albion, Ashford is expecting a tough afternoon, particularly after the Brewers snuck a late 1-0 victory at the Cardiff City Stadium in September.

“I expect another difficult game,” he said. “They’re a really tough team to break down, and obviously, we want the best result for us.

“The most important thing for us is to stay patient so we’re not rushing into things, and if we do that, hopefully we should get our goal and win.”

Barry-Murphy’s influence has been evident not only in Cardiff’s style of play but in Ashford’s individual development too. The winger explained that the former Manchester City youth coach has been clear and effective in the way he communicates.

“He’s really easy to talk to, and he’s really easy to communicate with,” Ashford said. “When he wants something done, he just gets it across really well, and you can see it working.”

Ashford revealed the manager has focused on key winger details with him, particularly movement at the back post to add more goals to his game.

“He always mentions Raheem Sterling when he scored loads of goals for Man City that one season,” he said. “He always brings up the back post, and then just those little movements to constantly run in behind and not just be a one-dimensional player.”

There is strong competition for places at the capital city club, with Cardiff’s wide options pushing each other week by week.

“It’s good to have some healthy competition,” Ashford said. “There is no complacency in this squad, and the standard of training is just really high this year.”

After relegation from the Championship last season, Ashford says the squad has been determined to respond in the right way.

“No one wants to go through a relegation,” he admitted. “But I quickly got over it and just realised that we’ve got to hit the ground running in League One and take it by storm.”

While promotion talk has been filling the outside noise, the Rhondda born youngster acknowledged that it has started to creep into the squad as well.

“Little whispers of that talk,” he smiled. “We’re trying to just focus on the task we’ve got in hand and then hopefully to be in the Championship again next season.”

After becoming a key player for Wales U21s in recent years, he admitted senior international football remains a dream, particularly with several of his young Cardiff teammates earning debuts this season.

An extra incentive, he revealed, is the potential of playing in a World Cup next year, with Wales on course to qualify with play-off games due in March at the Cardiff City Stadium.

“You’re always thinking about that international call-up,” he said. “I’ll just wait to see if and when it comes, and I’ll just enjoy that moment.”