Josh is smiles happier
JOSH MURPHY says Mick Mccarthy has put a smile back on his face and revitalised Cardiff City.
The winger, 25, was a bit-part figure under former boss Neil Harris and was linked with a loan move in the January transfer window.
But since veteran boss Mccarthy has succeeded Harris, Cardiff – and Murphy – look completely different.
Mccarthy, whose side go to Luton tonight, has taken the Bluebirds up to seventh and is yet to lose since taking charge.
“I’ve got a smile on my face,” said Murphy, who scored Cardiff’s third in a 3-1 win over Coventry City on Saturday. “I think you can see the team morale at the moment.
“Everyone is thriving, looking forward to games and putting a shift in. In the past we weren’t getting the rub of the green and now things are falling our way.”
But Luton will be happy to win ugly. The Hatters scored from a Harry Cornick long throw at Birmingham on Saturday.
Boss Nathan Jones said: “We want to be a fluent footballing side but it is all about creating chances.
“We had a long throw on Saturday and Dan Potts scored from it.”
From Back Page safe now – 40 points is safe. I can’t get carried away.
“We’re enjoying it at the moment – how could we not be? I want the players to just keep improving. There’s a lot more to come, we can play better.”
Rice buried the first-half penalty after a tug-of-war with on-loan Jesse Lingard.
Rice said: “I just said to Jesse, ‘I don’t want to be battered by the gaffer in the changing room if I don’t take it’. I was buzzing to put it away.”
Sheffield United’s defeat left them 14 points adrift of safety with 14 games left and manager Chris Wilder said: “If we make the mistakes we made tonight, we’ve got no chance.”
The Blades had John Egan carried off late on and Wilder added: “It doesn’t look good.”