Barry-Murphy: Chelsea ‘In the Past’ as Focus Shifts to Lincoln Test

Brian Barry-Murphy insists that his side have already moved on from Tuesday night’s clash with World Champions Chelsea, with the head coach demanding full focus ahead of Saturday’s trip to the LNER Stadium to face Lincoln City.

Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy (Photo by: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

It was a competitive performance against the Premier League giants that ultimately ended in a Carabao Cup quarter-final exit.

However, the Irishman was clear that there was little time for reflection as he revealed the squad quickly turned their attention to preparation for league matters.

“It was an amazing evening for us all,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll look back on it with fond memories, if not quite as fond as we would have liked it to have been. But it’s in the past, and we’re looking to the future.”

Barry-Murphy claimed that by Wednesday lunchtime, all the Chelsea discussion had already been dismissed as preparations ahead of Lincoln took priority in what is a crucial clash in the race for automatic promotion from Sky Bet League One.

“It’s very easy (to come down from the Chelsea game) if you look at who we are going to play on Saturday, how good they are, and how good we’re going to need to be,” he explained.

The head coach was quick to push back on the suggestion that the step up in opposition afforded his players more time on the ball, insisting that space was tough to find against the Blues.

“I think sometimes there can be different narratives that come up with different games, the Irishman said. “There were times when the ball went into Callum Robinson’s feet where it didn’t look as if he had a lot of time,” he admitted.

All eyes now turn to a trip to the Imps led by Michael Skubala, a side Barry-Murphy spoke of in glowing terms as they currently sit third, just two points outside of automatic promotion, unexpectedly after an impressive start to the season.

He describes them as one of the strongest teams in the division and a club that consistently develops high-quality players.

“I think they’ve been a brilliant club for a number of years in terms of how they’ve operated,” he said. “They’ve recruited a calibre of player that is very effective and developed a lot of players themselves.”

The 47-year-old was quick to point out the challenge his side will face at the LNER Stadium, labelling it as a “daunting” venue but one his side are relishing.

“It’s a brilliant stadium to play at, a good old-school ground, and a very daunting task, but one we’re looking forward to and one we’re going to try and overcome.”

With his side four points clear at the top of the division, Barry-Murphy was clear in that confidence is not an issue within his group, but insists there is still massive room for improvement.

“The ambition of the team is clear,” he said. “But we have a lot of things that we need to improve, and that’s been evident in all of our games.”

With Lincoln up next on Saturday for the Bluebirds, the Cardiff head coach has firmly put on the record that all attention is on the next challenge as they aim to tighten their grip on the top spot in the division and begin to pull away.