The Bluebirds are set to announce another coach joining the first-team staff
Kevin Gibbins while playing for Rochdale against Liverpool
(Image: Getty Images)
Cardiff City are set to add Rochdale head of football science and performance Kevin Gibbins to their first-team coaching staff.
Brian Barry-Murphy has been in the job a fortnight and brought with him Lee Riley, an assistant coach with whom he worked in Manchester City's academy setup. However, there are still voids to be filled on the Irishman's staff, given he had almost a blank canvas after the coaching upheaval last season following the sackings of both Erol Bulut and Omer Riza.
And the news of Gibbins' impending appointment comes just three days after Cardiff's head of performance, Jonny Northeast, announced he was leaving the club to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.
Northeast joined the club in December 2022 following a stint in Turkey with Besiktas. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community
Eagle-eyed supporters will have spotted academy strength and conditioning coach Arron Garrett having stepped in last week to aid Barry-Murphy during the transitional week. Gibbins, however, will now join the Bluebirds' first-team staff.
Gibbins ends his long association with Rochdale, a club Barry-Murphy of course knows so well, having played there and managed there before moving to Man City.
Gibbins himself was a player at The Dale, a midfielder who retired in 2006.
After that, the 39-year-old moved into sports science and performance. He took up a role with Rochdale's academy as an analyst in 2013 before becoming head of football science in 2014.
In 2018, Gibbins left Rochdale for a season with Wigan as first-team fitness and conditioning coach, before returning to Rochdale in June 2019.
He worked alongside Barry-Murphy, who was head coach at The Dale between 2019 and 2021, at Spotland Stadium and has been there since.
Elsewhere Gavin Ward will stay on as the club's goalkeeper coach. Ward, a former Bluebirds goalkeeper, is the last remaining member of Riza's staff.
Ward's contract was due up this week but it now looks as though a new deal has been thrashed out and he will stay on under Barry-Murphy, despite reports of interest in his services from Championship club Millwall. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community