Callum O’Dowda spoke to the press ahead of Saturday’s home tie against Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Republic of Ireland international has been captain of the Bluebirds in the last three fixtures due to the absence of Joe Ralls.
“It’s a different perspective.” Callum began. “It’s been insightful, and I’ve enjoyed it. But I’ve got to give credit to Joe Ralls. There’s a reason why he’s club captain and it’s been insightful to see the stuff he has to deal with, whether on a matchday or not.
“Everyone sees the type of player and leader he is for us. Obviously on the pitch, it’s hard when he’s not available because he is a real leader who people would look too. Having that club captain present on the pitch is a massive boost, but the stuff he does behind the scenes sometimes can go unnoticed. Whether it’s in the training ground or travelling with the group to the two away games despite not being available.”
Only two points separate the two sides in the Sky Bet Championship table, with the Potters recently playing out a 1-1 draw with Luton Town.
“Us as players, we know how important these last few games are because of the impact it can have. Every single player knows exactly how big this and what is at stake. I know the impact it can have on every fan, player, staff member and the city as a whole.
"Results haven’t gone our way this year.” Callum added. “But over the last four weeks or so, we may not have played at our best, but we are still picking up points. I can tell there has been a shift as well from the lads. We need to win. We need to win games of football, it’s as simple as that.”
City come into the fixture unbeaten in their last four games, having twice recovered from a goal down against Preston North End to earn a valuable point last time out.
“Everyone here knows how much of an influence the fans can have.” Callum concluded. “Because it is Cardiff City. I remember years ago coming here as an away player, I never wanted to come here and play.
"You’d come here and you’d know what you’re going to get from Cardiff, it’s going to be a hard game. You’re going to be up against it, you have to be switched on for 90 minutes plus, and it’s creating that again this weekend.”