The Bluebirds boss spoke after a 2-1 defeat against the Imps ended a five-match winning streak in League One
Brian Barry-Murphy says Cardiff City’s young side have been taught a lesson in how to chase a game after their 2-1 defeat to Lincoln City.
The Bluebirds suffered defeat at the LNER Stadium, despite enjoying long spells of control, particularly in the first half. Barry-Murphy felt his side played well for large parts of the contest but admitted Lincoln’s late physicality and game management proved decisive as Cardiff searched for a winner.
City fell behind just before the break before Perry Ng scored a stunning goal to level things up. But as Cardiff chased the match, it was the hosts who regained the lead through Sonny Bradley in the 67th minute, which ultimately proved to be the winner.
“There were many parts of the game I was hugely pleased with,” Barry-Murphy said. Sign up to our Cardiff City WhatsApp channel here.
“But the most significant part of the game we will improve on is how we chase the game. They made good substitutions and imposed their physicality on us at the end of the game.
“We have a very young group of players who will learn so much from that, in terms of how we chase the game, based on whatever scoreline we are facing.”
Cardiff dominated possession in the opening period but struggled to convert control into clear-cut chances, something the head coach acknowledged, while also crediting Lincoln’s defensive discipline.
He felt the Bluebirds were at their best during spells of the second half and believed momentum was firmly with his side after their equaliser. Unfortunately for him and the travelling Bluebirds fans, dominance with the ball was not converted into enough meaningful chances.
“It’s a very disappointing result for us,” he added.
“The players played a really good game for us, dominated the first half but didn’t create a lot of chances. Credit to Lincoln for how little they restricted us to. But there were spells in the second half where we played as well as we have for a long time.
“The goal was a real sign of that — so good.
“We were looking to kick on, but that second goal just knocks us a little bit and credit to Lincoln for stepping on the gas later on.”
Barry-Murphy was keen to stress he had no complaints with his players’ application, insisting the defeat was more about game management than effort or intent.
“I thought there were spells in the game where we were really at our best,” he said. Sign up to our daily Bluebirds newsletter here
“Once we scored that goal I thought we’d go on and create more chances to try and win the game. It just didn’t work out that way today. I have no criticism of the players.”
The Cardiff boss also explained the absence of goalkeeper Nathan Trott, who missed the trip to Lincoln after picking up an injury during the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
“He damaged his hand in a challenge against Chelsea,” Barry-Murphy confirmed. “He didn’t complete training yesterday and as such he wasn’t available for today.”
Cardiff head into Christmas top of League One, with a game in hand over the Imps, who are now second, and a three-point cushion.
—
*Sign up to our daily Bluebirds newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here. Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here, on Instagram, on TikTok and on Facebook.
