![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_JS394439289.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Bluebirds boss spoke after a convincing 4-0 win over Barnsley<\/p>\n
22:38, 27 Jan 2026Updated 22:44, 27 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
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Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)<\/p>\n
Brian Barry-Murphy hailed a “very pleasing” night\u2019s work after Cardiff City dismantled Barnsley 4-0, while providing a reassuring update on top scorer Yousef Salech.<\/p>\n
The Bluebirds produced one of their most complete performances of the season on Tuesday night, with goals from Perry Ng, Omari Kellyman and a Chris Willock brace capping a dominant display.<\/p>\n
And Barry-Murphy admitted he was delighted with both the outcome and the manner of the victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the moon with the result and the performance, because we did a lot of work on Barnsley and prepared in a very detailed manner,\u201d he said. \u201cThe players understood how big the challenge was and we\u2019re very pleased to score the victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barry-Murphy\u2019s decision to deploy Omari Kellyman through the middle in the absence of Salech, who was forced off in Saturday\u2019s draw with Stockport County after Brad Hills landed awkwardly on him during an aerial duel, paid dividends, with the Chelsea loanee really impressing in a different role<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Salech incident sparked real concern on Saturday, with the striker sent to hospital for precautionary scans at the weekend, given his importance as Cardiff<\/a>\u2019s leading scorer. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kellyman, however, seized his opportunity, scoring once and providing an assist in a tireless display that underlined the depth of attacking options at Barry-Murphy\u2019s disposal.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I just see him very much as a centre-forward,\u201d the Cardiff boss explained. \u201cI\u2019ve seen him play as a centre-forward many times before when he was younger, so I was very confident he could do the job. I felt it was the right solution for this game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very pleased with his performance and also very pleased with Callum (Robinson) and Isaak\u2019s (Davies) performances when they came on. All those players are hungry to play and are giving me a lot of food for thought in the absence of Yousef.\u201d<\/p>\n There was welcome news, too, on Salech\u2019s condition, with Barry-Murphy confirming initial scans had eased fears of a serious injury, even if a clear return date remains unknown.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s had very positive news on the initial scan,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s having some further tests just to determine things, but there are no fractures and no breaks, which is a big relief.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t have a timescale because he\u2019s still in some discomfort. We\u2019ll just have to determine the extent of what\u2019s happened and assess it on a day-by-day basis.\u201d<\/p>\n Barry-Murphy added that, while the priority is to get Salech back as soon as possible, the situation has highlighted the flexibility within his squad.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously our first priority is to get Yousef back as soon as possible, but there\u2019s opportunity in everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe major positive for us is that it\u2019s not going to be a long-term issue for Yousef. Other players will step up and be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n There was less positive news regarding Dylan Lawlor, who missed the match and is now facing a spell on the sidelines.<\/p>\n \u201cDylan\u2019s damaged his medial ligament,\u201d Barry-Murphy confirmed. \u201cThe scan suggests it\u2019ll be between two and three weeks before he plays again.\u201d<\/p>\n With less than a week to go until the transfer window closes, Cardiff don’t have much work to do in terms of incomings. Barry-Murphy reiterated that Cardiff\u2019s recruitment focus remains unchanged as the deadline approaches. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the position of high priority that we identified as needing help,\u201d he said of the club\u2019s search for a left-back, \u201cand nothing\u2019s changed elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bluebirds boss was also asked about reports claiming Ethan Horvath has agreed a deal with MLS side New York Red Bulls and the Irishman confirmed that the goalkeeper has travelled to the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s completed,\u201d he said, before adding: \u201cHe\u2019s in America.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n *Sign up to our daily Bluebirds newsletter here<\/a> and our WhatsApp channel here<\/a>. Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here<\/a>, on Instagram<\/a>, on TikTok<\/a> and on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bluebirds boss spoke after a convincing 4-0 win over Barnsley 22:38, 27 Jan 2026Updated 22:44, 27 Jan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[79748,40156,148265,218,101,56,54,55,148266],"class_list":["post-394602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-brian-barry-murphy","tag-cardiff-city-fc","tag-ethan-horvath","tag-football","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-yousef-salech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}