By Tom Prosser
With the new season now just days away, Cardiff manager Mick McCarthy will be hoping that playmaker Lee Tomlin will be available for their opening league match against Barnsley on Saturday.
Tomlin came on as a substitute in Cardiff’s 2-0 win over Newport on Saturday but after the game he told McCarthy about concerns of a hamstring injury.
After an injury hit year, Cardiff fans will be hoping Tomlin will be fit enough to play a key part in the forthcoming season and his inclusion seems all the more important after the departure of Harry Wilson who has now joined Fulham on a permanent deal.
However, manager, Mick McCarthy is is keen to manage his workload over the next season.
“I love the ability of Lee Tomlin,” said McCarthy.
“Like everybody else, you can see why everyone’s attracted to him.
“But the key is keeping him fit and some how that is his problem.
“ I’ve just spoken to him, and apparently he’s done his hamstring, which I hope isn’t the case.
“I spoke to him before pre-season, and we had the discussion and we both agreed ‘I’m not sure about 90 minutes’, I can only see him as a substitute until he proves his full fitness.
“But certainly that kind of a cameo appearance. He put the ball through for Tom Davies, we can all see that, the reverse pass.
“So it would be lovely to have him, but we’ll see if he’s fit or not.”
The experienced manager was not only pleased with the win but also with the returns of his captain Sean Morrison and Joe Ralls.
“It’s always nice to win, of course if you get beaten in pre-season you come away saying ‘it’s not that important’, but it can be,” said McCarthy who has previously won promotion from the Championship with Sunderland.
“Having lost on Tuesday night to a really strong Southampton team, it was good to get some players back; Sean [Morrison]’s had some time.
“Sean was never going to play the full 90, that would’ve been ridiculous. Although, when I shouted at him he did look over his shoulder to somebody else, he knew full well who I was talking to!
“Getting Rallsy back on the pitch was great too, and what a goal he scored. What was pleasing is that we didn’t just cross it, we kept the ball and it ended up in the back of the net. Joe’s been very good in pre-season.”
With Coronavirus restrictions set to ease in Wales on Saturday, Cardiff are planning to welcome a crowd with no capacity limits for first time in 18 months.
Meanwhile, Newport will be hoping to compete at the top of end of the League Two table again this season after narrowly missing out on promotion to Morecambe in the Play-off Final at Wembley two months ago.
Michael Flynn has had a busy summer in the transfer market bringing in 10 new players including striker Jermaine Hylton from Ross County and Walsall duo James Clarke and Cameron Norman.
“There are a couple who I’ve said can leave the club. You just want to freshen things up,” said Flynn who has managed Newport since 2017.
“We always knew we were going to lose Josh Sheehan and there was nothing we could do about that.
“The players we’ve bought in, I felt we needed to freshen it up going forward because when you look at it last season our top goalscorer had seven goals.
“It’s something that I’ve tried to look at but we’re never going to get the most sought after in the league.
“We’ve missed out on a lot of strikers because of finances, and what they’ve been offered elsewhere, and also location.
“A couple of players I’ve wanted to bring in have wanted to stay closer to home and it is what it is.
“We’ve just got to try and get the best in that we can afford and hopefully improve on our scoring exploits of last season.”
