“ MICK McCARTHY / JONATHAN WOODGATE “

What have the managers said?





Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy:

"I've got the team in front of me here. It’s a very, very good squad of players they have got.

"They started really well and just had a bit of a blip. But they've been winning games, Jonathan has had some good results.

"Apparently not played well, who is bothered? You win games.

"I know that being in the top six, that brings pressure because you don’t want to drop out of it. For the rest of us chasing, you just try and get results and hope you get in there. When you get in there, then that's when the pressure comes.

"But that’s a really good squad of players."




Bournemouth manager Jonathan Woodgate:


"We have two very difficult games against Cardiff, who are on a big run, and Watford, who are up near the top of the table as well.

"Every game in this Championship is so difficult and Wednesday and Saturday will be very difficult.

"You want games coming thick and fast and that's what we have got now.

"You can't spend a lot of time on the training pitch because of fatigue and stuff like that, but you are playing three games a week so it is great for players."

Mick McCarthy held a pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday evening's trip to AFC Bournemouth (7:45pm, Cardiff City TV).



Unbeaten in his Cardiff City tenure and with five wins on the spin, Mick began by praising the spirit of his Bluebirds troops.




MICK McCARTHY:


"They've bought into everything that we've asked of them," he began. "But certainly they've had to graft for it.

"It's not too far away we were 2-0 down at Barnsley. I just thought they showed a great attitude there and that's been continued all the way through.

"We've got talented players. I'm not teaching them how to play football, that's for sure, because we've got good players and experienced ones.

"But there just seems to be a togetherness, a real good team spirit and a willingness to work hard. Then, if you do that, the ability will come through."


Saturday's win over Preston North End saw four City players get on the score-sheet, but Mick was keen to give credit to the Bluebirds' goalkeeping department following Dillon Phillips' superb penalty saves.

"Dibs [Andy Dibble] got a warm round of applause," he continued. "He said that goalkeepers don't get too much credit, but they did on Saturday!

"They're very detailed and we're all very detailed in what we do in terms of reports on players.

"Goalkeepers are particularly so because it's very specialised position and we have to give them credit where it's due.

"It was brilliant to save the pair of them. It's very rare but if you do see a second penalty given, they usually score them and Dillon defied that. I have to say, I'm glad he did because the last 25 minutes at 2-1 would have been a tough old ask."

A victory at the Vitality would put City level on points with the sixth-place Cherries, but Mick finished by explaining why his players won't feel any additional pressure in the contest.

"There's been pressure on every game," he continued. "When we went to Bristol City, if we'd lost that we could have been 17th. That's the difference in this league.

"I'm not putting pressure on anybody. I said keep performing the way we're performing and we've got a better chance of winning games. Then, if we win more than them, we'll catch them.

"But we've got 14 more after this so playing them tomorrow doesn't really matter – the performance matters and then we'll see what happens with the result. It's the end of the season that matters, not Thursday morning."

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