Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:15 pm
Matchwinner Josh Bowler says his goal at Vicarage Road gave him more confidence and says the arrival of new players at the club will push the team on.
Bowler scored a superb left-footed drive against the Hornets in what transpired to be the only goal in Hertfordshire to put the Bluebirds back on winning ways. The winger was delighted with his strike.
"It felt really good," he said. "I've had a few chances like that over the past few weeks, and I either haven't hit them well or they've gone just wide, so for that to fall in, it's a great feeling.
"It was a frustrating game; it was one of those games where things weren't coming off. Maybe I was beating myself up a bit too much, and then that happened. It gave me a bit more life and a bit more confidence.
"In training this week I've been practising that bend to the far corner, because a lot of the time I go for the near post. In the moment I don't think like that, it's subconscious, but obviously that has played a part. It was there to be hit, and I hit it well."
Cardiff signed Ryotaro Tsunoda, Famara Diedhiou, Nathaniel Phillips, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Ethan Horvath and David Turnbull during January and Bowler believes fresh blood as the Bluebirds head into the final third of the season will really lift quality and spirits.
He did, though, experience a nervy finish on Saturday - one he could have done without.
"I can't lie, when I came off for the last 20 or 30 minutes, it was really nerve-wracking," he admitted. "I'd rather have just gone for a shower and not watched! But thankfully the boys dug in real deep.
"The lads who came on played a massive part, and we got the win. Having new boys coming in pushes players. To see the quality they've got, it's only going to make us stronger.
"The gaffer demands high standards, and I'm happy to pay him back with that goal, and for it to be the winner is a great feeling."