These are your Cardiff City headlines on Tuesday, March 8
Connolly: First-team football was a shock
Cardiff loan man James Connolly says his first few games for Bristol Rovers were a shock to the system but the youngster says he is loving being exposed to first-team football.
Connolly was thrown in at the deep end when signing for the Gas, put straight into the starting XI on the day he joined the club.
Since then he hasn't looked back and has been an almost ever-present for Joey Barton's side.
He says he has loved every minute of his stay so far, adding he wasn't expecting to play so much.
“It has been a surprise (playing so regularly),” Connolly said. “When I came here, I wanted to play as much as possible, but the gaffer has thrown me in, maybe through a little bit of luck.
“I’ve done OK and the team’s done well so I’ve kept my place so hopefully I can keep it going. When the team does well all individuals tend to do well so as long as we’ve got a good base, it’s easy to perform.
“I love it (at Bristol Rovers). It’s such a good club. The best club I’ve been at probably. The fans and the lads are really good. I love the gaffer and all the coaching staff; I’m really enjoying it.”
At his tender age of 20, there is no substitute for getting game-time under your belt and doing it in the rough and tumble of League Two will have toughened Connolly up.
“Everyone was telling me it’s important to get experience and now I’ve come here I can see why,” he said.
“The first few games were a bit of a shock to me. The ball is getting lamped on you a little bit more than under-23s football, but you have to learn. You get thrown in you’ve got to swim. So, I took it game by game and just tried to improve every day.
“There are some good players in League Two. It’s a good league and there are some physical players as well. Every game is different, but we’ll just take it game by game and play to our strengths and, hopefully, the team will do well."
Flynn eager for Tomlin to build on 'solid' first start
Walsall boss Michael Flynn is hoping Lee Tomlin can build on his first Saddlers start at the weekend.
After a couple of substitute appearances, the 33-year-old was handed a start during the 1-1 draw with Barrow on Saturday, his first league start since playing for Cardiff against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship back in October 2020.
Speaking to the Express and Star, Flynn said of Tomlin’s display: “I thought it was a solid performance.
"With his experience and movement, he was trying to get into pockets.
“The pitch being so bobbly killed him a few times. Having got in a good position, it either bobbled off his calf or his knee.
“But the ball he put across goal in the second half, that’s got to be a tap-in.
“With a bit of ruthlessness, somebody’s on the end of that. I don’t care if they slide and scrape all their teeth on the floor.
"As long as it goes in, that’s the desire and passion they’ve got to have. Put it this way, if that’s Alan Shearer, it’s in. It’s a goal.”
Doyle likely to attract interest
Cardiff may well face competition from some of their Championship rivals should they wish to snap Tommy Doyle up for another season on loan.
The Manchester City midfielder has emerged as a key man under Steve Morison since his arrival in January, and the Cardiff boss has already said he'd like to bring the 20-year-old back next season.
Simon Bajkowski, Manchester City writer for our sister title the MEN, believes a return to the capital could well be a possibility, but admits City are unlikely to be the only ones taking an interest, pointing to Huddersfield Town as another potential suitor.
"It's definitely a possibility but I imagine it will depend on how the ambitions of Cardiff can match those of City and Doyle. I'd place Doyle in the same bracket as Jack Harrison, who went on loan to Leeds United for a year in the Championship.
"He went back there the next season because the first year had been so good, but also because Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa remained a promising option as a club that were pushing for promotion.
"Huddersfield Town were one of the clubs really interested in Doyle at the start of this season and they have obviously had a better, more stable season than Cardiff so there will likely be teams out there in the summer window who will also be keen on signing him."
Read his full verdict here.
Fans deliver verdict on out-of-contract stars
Cardiff fans have had their say on what should happen to the club's out-of-contract stars this summer, and have emphatically backed Joe Ralls as the man they'd most like to keep.
Out of the supporters that took part in WalesOnline's survey, 95.5 per cent said they'd like to see the midfielder offered a new deal.
Goalkeeper Alex Smithies also received overwhelming backing, with almost 82 per cent calling on the Bluebirds Boards to strike a new deal with Cardiff's expert shot-stopper.
Others receiving the thumbs-up from fans are Flint, with 63.5 per cent saying keep him, Morrison (57.5 per cent) and Vaulks (62.5 per cent).
You can read the survey in full here.
For the latest Cardiff City news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our newsletter here.
