The Bluebirds return to pre-season action this afternoon when they take on Birmingham City in a behind closed doors friendly at The Blues’ training ground (1pm kick-off).
It marks a step up in pace for Mark Cooper’s warm-up schedule, with the Championship side expected to field a strong line-up and provide a stern examination.
After an intensive week of training in Scotland, Cooper is looking forward to seeing his players back out on the pitch in a game situation and he expects them to be excited at the prospect too.
“It will be a good test for the lads, that’s for sure,” he told us.
“It’s going to be another boiling hot day and Birmingham are obviously a strong side with plenty of good players so it’s going to be a big challenge, but one we relish.
“We’ve had one or two injury niggles in the squad but we’re hoping to have some of those back involved this afternoon which is a real positive.
“Everyone who is fit to play will get 45 minutes, some will play more, and we’ll also take the opportunity to have a look at a couple of trialists too.
“It’s a good exercise for us all round in getting some minutes into the players’ legs so hopefully we can couple that with a decent performance too.”
The game is taking place at City’s Wast Hills Training Ground and is behind closed doors so no fans will be permitted. However, we’ll bring you a report here on the Official Website following the final whistle.