Steve Morison has a long time to prepare for his first south Wales derby.
The break between Championship games may not be ideal, but the Bluebirds’ growing confidence heading into the biggest fixture of Morison’s brief reign is unlikely to be affected by a spell of inactivity.
The Stoke win was Cardiff’s seventh in their last 12 league outings, a run which has featured only three defeats.
They have taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer, the best sequence of a season which began with hope, then brought considerable concern and looks certain to end with a mid-table finish and optimism about what the next campaign may offer.
Cardiff host Swansea on Saturday, 2 April, the first game after the international break. A two-week build-up has become even longer for Cardiff because this weekend’s trip to Middlesbrough has been postponed thanks to the Teesside club’s continued interest in the FA Cup.
Morison admits he would rather Middlesbrough ad gone ahead has planned – but says the change will not alter what happens in the derby.
“We know what we are going to do – we know what we do as a team,” said the Cardiff boss.
“We might tweak a couple of things. We know what they (Swansea) do – they do the same thing all the time, the same way we do.
“Atmosphere we don’t have to worry about [in the derby]. [We] don’t have to worry about intensity, don’t have to worry about geeing the lads up.
“It will just be a case of who performs best on the day.”
Cardiff will be seeking revenge for a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the Swansea.com Stadium back in October, when Mick McCarthy’s reign was stumbling towards its conclusion.
They will also aim to avoid becoming the first club in the history of this fixture to lose both league matches in a single campaign.
In a season where neither Cardiff nor Swansea are in contention for promotion or relegation, the race to finish above the neighbours may be a significant motivation.
There is just a point between them as things stand, with Swansea 15th and Cardiff 17th, although Russell Martin’s side have the chance to stretch that gap when they host Birmingham City this Saturday.
Even after that game, the Swans will have a game in hand on their biggest rivals.
Jordan Hugill, scorer of the winner against Stoke, says Cardiff’s quiet spell “is not ideal” because of a desire to maintain momentum having been “excellent for the last six weeks”.
Morison is less concerned. He feels Cardiff will be well placed when Swansea’s visit comes around courtesy of the “belief” and “calmness” built since victory over Nottingham Forest on 30 January marked the start of a significant upturn in fortunes.
“We say the same message all the time – believe in yourselves, enjoy playing football, be calm and don’t worry about the noise around you, just do what we are asking you to do and then it’s on my head,” Morison said.
“The players are doing that. That’s why we have gone from we were to where we are now.
“We are a group, we are aligned – from the staff all the way to the players – and it’s a good place to be at the moment.”
