Omer Riza spoke to the press following our win over Sheffield United in the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
A superb first half finish from Cian Ashford was enough to secure victory for the Bluebirds, who produced an impressive performance.
“Cian is excellent," Omer began. "He listens, he learns and he wants to do well. I’ve said since the start of the season that he has a lot of potential and we believe in him. His performances have been key to some of our results. I’m delighted for him.
“Both teams had changes. Sheffield United had a lot of players missing, like we did tonight. I’ve got massive respect for Sheffield United, Chris Wilder and the staff they’ve got here. They’re a good side, but I thought we played well tonight. In the first half, we created opportunities to get at their goal, probably could have scored one or two a little earlier as well. To hold on and make the changes that we made, I’m really happy to be in the next round.
Omer made seven changes to the starting XI that faced Middlesbrough last time out, giving opportunities for others to impress.
He continued: "I think it was a resilient performance. It was great to see Will [Fish] out on the pitch today and great to see Ethan [Horvath] playing. It’s lovely to give these guys the opportunity, because it’s frustrating for them as well having to train every day and work really hard, but not get the minutes at times.
"It was nice to see youngsters playing as well. To come here and get a clean sheet, they put us under pressure, but we dealt with it and I’m really happy to get a result."
Next up for City is a home clash with Watford on Tuesday evening, as the Bluebirds return to Cardiff City Stadium.
“The team spirit and morale is high. We’re unbeaten in four now and we’ll keep working hard," Omer added. "I’ve said all along, there have been games where we should have got three points but haven’t got results.
"It’s all a part of the pressures of the game, but I think the boys are dealing with it well. We need to kick on and keep trying to pick up points.
“We’re always looking to get positive results and to win games. That’s what we’ll try and do in two big games next week, we’ll be trying to get results in both.”