Copyright walesonline
Brian Barry-Murphy believes Rubin Colwill can reach the "highest level" after the playmaker starred in Cardiff City's Carabao Cup win over Wrexham. The Bluebirds booked their spot in the last eight of the competition thanks to goals from Yousef Salech and Will Fish, but it was Colwill who drew the lion's share of praise from fans and pundits alike. And there is no doubt in Barry-Murphy's mind that Colwill, 22, has the potential to get to the very top. "He is unusual for a player in that position, because of his stature," Barry-Murphy told Sky Sports after the match. "I am quite hard on him in terms of wanting more from him, because we believe he can reach the highest level. "I am always on his case, probably a little bit unfairly at times. But tonight I thought he showed glimpses of what he has been for us and what he can be going forward. Asked specifically what he meant by wanting more from him, Barry-Murphy said: "He is just such a potent finisher, but he has relied a lot this season on long-range strikes. "They are great, but we feel as if he can score much more goals being closer to the goal. He is a player of the highest level." After a gut-wrenching away defeat by Bolton Wanderers in the league on Saturday, the win over Welsh rivals Wrexham was the perfect tonic for supporters who had travelled to north Wales. Not just the win, and the prospect of facing one of the big boys in the next round of the cup, but the manner of the performance and the dominance they showed against the Championship club. "I just really enjoyed the whole performance," Barry-Murphy continued. "For our young team to see Kieffer Moore and Matty James come on at half-time and have to deal with the equaliser and the emotion of the game the way we did was really rewarding and satisfying for us. "It's been a little bit of a trait of ours this season that we create a lot of chances but could score more. "You are always wary of the artillery they have on their bench because of the depth in their squad. But to respond to that equaliser was very pleasing." While City are sitting pretty at the top of League One and have now gone deep in the cup competition, Barry-Murphy believes there is still much more to come from his players. And given the youthful nature of his squad, he's also sure not to be too critical of them when the inevitable bump along the road rears its head. "The nature of the club is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster," he added. "The swell of support and when we are going well and winning games, it feels like nothing can stop you. But there will be ups and downs throughout the course of the season. "So to get [the players] to remain so consistent in training so that when we have the inevitable downs, like we did on Saturday, conceding in the last kick of the game, we have to just make them aware they are doing really good things. "And we can't be overly critical of them." Cardiff will learn their opponents for the quarter-finals on Wednesday night and Barry-Murphy has just on wish - a home tie. "I've never been anywhere near the quarter-finals in my life!" he added. "I don't know if I'll know what to do when I get there. And hopefully we can have a draw at home. "Those draws [against the big teams] are always great, until you have to play the game! They are always difficult, in my experience. "We do so much travelling and it's so difficult for our supporters to come to these games in midweek, so to get a home draw would be amazing." --- *Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Bluebirds news. Sign up to our daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here . You can also follow us on social media on our X account and Facebook . Our Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here , on Instagram , on TikTok and on Facebook .
