Cardiff City star makes promotion vow and ex-Bluebird lands job back at club

Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Monday, April 13.

Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Monday, April 13.

Job is still not finished, says Kellyman

After scoring the opener in Cardiff’s vital 2-0 win against promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers, Omari Kellyman has insisted that the focus is solely on the next game.

Speaking after the victory over fourth-place the Trotters, City’s number eight made it clear that he and his team-mates must remain focused on the next match in their bid to return to the Championship.

“We can be happy, enjoy this for now, but the job is not finished,” he said. “We have the next game to look forward to.”

Kellyman has been a key part of Brian Barry-Murphy’s promotion-chasing Bluebirds, scoring his eighth goal of the season on the weekend and receiving the man-of-the-match award for his performance.

With third-place Bradford City losing at home to Stevenage, Cardiff went 10 points clear in second place with promotion to the Championship now within touching distance. A win tomorrow against Huddersfield Town, coupled with Stockport County dropping points on Wednesday, would see the Bluebirds promoted.

But Kellyman said how he and his team-mates are eager to earn promotion based upon their own results and not because of teams around them slipping up.

“We’re not looking for anyone to help us out,” he added. “We want to get the job done ourselves. This is what we’re like as a team.”

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Former Bluebird returns in coaching role

Former Cardiff goalkeeper Lee Kendall has expressed his excitement at returning as head of academy goalkeeping 24 years after leaving as a player.

Kendall, 45, previously represented City from 2000-2002, making two appearances before departing for Shrewsbury Town.

Having made more than 250 career appearances, including spells at Rhyl, Port Talbot Town and Neath between 2007 and 2012, Kendall went on to become a successful goalkeeping coach in the English Football League.

Kendall previously held the head of academy goalkeeping roles at Sheffield United and Cardiff and has been head of goalkeeping and first-team goalkeeping coach at Bristol City, Fleetwood Town and Newport County.

Kendall also boasts international goalkeeping coaching pedigree, working as a national team goalkeeping coach within the English Football Association, as well as being national youth team goalkeeping coach at U15 to U21 level for the Football Association of Wales.

Upon his return to Cardiff, Kendall said: “I’m delighted to be back at Cardiff City in a role that I’m very passionate about. This is a brilliant time to be working within the Academy.

“We’ve seen the talent that has already come through to the first team and they’re thriving, but we want to continue the development of our young players and bring through talented Welsh goalkeepers. There is a lot of potential in the goalkeepers we have in the building and I’m excited to be working with them.”

Academy manager Gavin Chesterfield praised Kendall’s coaching, saying: “Recruiting someone of Lee’s knowledge and experience, who also has a playing connection with the club, will really benefit our young goalkeepers.”

Bluebird’s goal difference record has them rubbing shoulders with big guns

With just five games remaining of the League One season for Cardiff, the Bluebirds sit in sixth place of the best goal difference charts across the top four leagues in England.

With a goal difference of +34, Cardiff sit just below Premier League giants Manchester City who have a goal difference of +36 going into their final seven league fixtures.

Having conceded just over a goal a game, it is Cardiff’s goalscoring prowess that has them sitting so high in the goal difference charts across the English Football League, scoring 76 goals in 41 games.

Despite this ridiculous tally however, the Bluebirds have scored the second most goals in League One this season, only bettered by Lincoln City who once again pip them to top spot.

Cardiff fans will be hoping the return of star striker Yousef Salech to the matchday squads could inspire their team to climb up the rankings even more, overtaking the Premier Leagues top two in Arsenal and Manchester City.

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