Following Saturday's victory at the bet365 Stadium, Omer Riza spoke to the press to discuss the fixture.
City booked their place in the Fifth Round of the Emirates Cup by defeating the Potters, following 120 minutes of open play and a dramatic penalty-shootout which saw Ethan Horvath make a key save before Rubin Colwill fired home to secure the result.
While the Bluebirds led 2-0 in the first half before conceding the lead in the second, Omer reflected on how City reacted to adversity in a memorable cup tie.
“We made hard work of it, they showed good character to get back into it from being 2-0 down," said Omer. “We weren’t good enough at the start of the second half and got punished for it, but the boys showed good character to come back and win the game at the end, so that was satisfying.
“Rubin’s been excellent today, and out of possession h’s worked really hard. As I said, the boys showed really good character today and togetherness, so I think it’s really important moving forwards.
“I said to the boys afterwards that the togetherness and result elevates us, and I’m just really happy to be in the Fifth Round."
With eyes now set firmly on a quick turnaround into Tuesday night's return to league action, Riza discussed the significance of Saturday's result in building confidence within the squad.
“This is about momentum for us. We’ve got the league in mind and now through to a another round in the Cup, and it’s good for morale for everybody. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re ready for our league games.
“Coming through that today, with all of the subs that we made and seeing the unity in the team, that sees us through until the end of the season. It could be a really big turning point for us.
“We’re in the Fifth Round now for the first time in 11 years, which is a good thing for the Club. It brings the fans together as well as the Club and the players, but now we’re focussing on what’s coming on Tuesday, which is a really tough game at Portsmouth. We’ll be ready for it.”