Wrexham v Cardiff City talking points: Happy phone calls and defensive concerns

Before kick-off, Brian Barry-Murphy and Rubin Colwill stated their desire for Cardiff to show they can compete with Championship teams.

And they did far more than just compete against their Welsh rivals.

The Bluebirds dominated the majority of the opening half and added attacking threat to their control.

Even after a brief wobble when Moore equalised for the hosts, the Bluebirds regrouped admirably and created further chances – with Will Fish doing the business to get his Cardiff account up and running in fine fashion.

“Our players believe we can get to that level for sure, and that’s our intention this season,” Barry-Murphy told BBC Sport Wales.

“To put ourselves in a game like this against a team who have been so impressive recently was a real test for us because you never know how it’s going to go, so to perform in the manner that we did gives us great hope for the future.”

There was some talk of the ownership of the two clubs ahead of the contest.

But it will be Vincent Tan who has a beaming smile on his face rather than Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after south trumped north.

And Barry-Murphy admitted Bluebirds owner Tan will be an incredibly happy man after watching his side’s triumph over Parkinson’s men.

“We’ve got a very demanding owner who is very insistent that we have more shots, so hopefully he’ll be very pleased tonight,” said the Irishman.

When asked if he would have a happier phone call with the 73-year-old next time around, Barry-Murphy simply responded: “Fingers crossed.”