Brian Barry-Murphy was left disappointed after Cardiff City were forced to settle for a draw against Sheffield United, but believes the performance was another significant step forward for his side.
The Bluebirds had to come from behind twice at Cardiff City Stadium before eventually drawing 2-2 with the Blades, and were left wondering how they failed to claim all three points after dominating the second half.
It meant Cardiff had to settle for their third draw of the Championship season and they remain without a victory, but there was plenty to encourage Barry-Murphy.
Performance offers encouragement
Indeed, the statistics reflected the control Cardiff had over large periods of the game and, more importantly, the performance against one of the division's established sides offered further evidence that the Bluebirds are capable of competing at this level.
"Disappointed not to win, obviously," Barry-Murphy said. "We felt as if we could have and maybe should have, but we understand Sheffield are a very strong team in this division, so today we had to accept the draw."
"But over the course of the game, we created enough chances to win, and that's all I can ask from the players really."
Cardiff's response to falling behind was particularly pleasing for the manager. Having conceded twice in a frantic opening seven minutes, there was a danger that the Bluebirds could have abandoned their game plan. Instead, they continued to play with attacking intent and eventually got themselves level before half-time.
Game plan held despite early setbacks
"The game plan for us was very specific," Barry-Murphy said. "We knew the strengths of Sheffield United and we knew what we had to do to try and be effective in the game."
"When you lose two quick goals, it's easy to go away from that game plan, but the players showed a lot of courage and a really strong mentality to still play really brave football, really committed football, and create good chances."
"Which ultimately gave us a second goal and created a chance in the second half to win the game, but we just didn't take them."
That attacking endeavour has been one of the defining features of Cardiff's start to life back in the Championship. They have now drawn all three of their league games, but there is a growing sense that the first win is not far away if they can continue producing performances of this level.
Transfer plans remain active
Attention now turns towards the final days of the transfer window, with three-and-a-half days remaining before Tuesday's 11pm deadline. WalesOnline understands the Bluebirds would ideally like to add a striker, winger and full-back before the window closes, although Barry-Murphy was unwilling to go into detail when asked about his recruitment plans.
The Cardiff boss was, however, clear that the club are still looking to strengthen the squad. Asked whether anything had moved on in the transfer market, he said: "No, nothing, no changes. I probably don't want it to be over too quickly so that we can actually do something."
And when asked whether he was confident Cardiff would get the deals they need over the line, Barry-Murphy replied: "Yeah, I hope so. I feel confident."
The manager has previously made clear that he wants to improve the squad rather than simply add bodies, and reiterated that stance when asked about Chris Wilder's comments on Cardiff's transfer activity. "We have time yet," Barry-Murphy said. "We've been pretty consistent. We want to improve the squad. The players that we've brought in, we feel have done that. But there's more to come."
Bielik impresses on debut
Cardiff have already added Nathan Trott, Jack Moylan, Calum Scanlon and Krystian Bielik during the window, with Bielik making his debut at centre-back against Sheffield United after joining the club late in the week. Barry-Murphy was delighted with the Poland international's contribution, particularly given the short preparation time available to him.
"I thought he had a great debut, really good through the game," he said. "He hasn't played a lot, so he'll probably be feeling the pace of the game. I think throughout the first half, but in the second half, I thought he showed his real quality and calmness and composure."
Bielik was forced off in the closing stages with what Barry-Murphy believes was cramp, rather than a more serious injury. "I was just slightly concerned when I saw him go down, but I think it's just pretty bad cramp, so hopefully he'll be OK," he said.
