Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy named a matchday squad without a substitute goalkeeper for the second time in four matches as the Bluebirds claimed a convincing 4-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night.
The bold selection choice echoes a tactic occasionally used by former Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock during his time at Sheffield United, though during Warnock's tenure between 1999 and 2007 clubs were permitted only five substitutes rather than today's nine.
Barry-Murphy, however, insists his decision stems from the intense competition in his squad.
"The competition within the squad is so fierce," he said. "It just depends on the players who start the game. If I feel we're likely to need several changes, then sometimes it's important to have more outfield options."
January signing Harry Tyrer, who arrived from Everton on a permanent deal, has yet to make his Cardiff debut.
Despite being eligible for six matches, he has only featured on the bench four times.
Tyrer's first omission came in Cardiff's 3–0 win at Rotherham on 7 February, when Barry-Murphy also chose to go without a back-up goalkeeper.
In the event of an emergency, Perry Ng appears the most likely makeshift option between the posts, having played there during Cardiff's game against Rotherham in 2023 when goalkeeper Ryan Allsop was dismissed.
In his five minutes as Cardiff stopper, Ng did claim a clean sheet, but Barry-Murphy hopes not to "cross that bridge" anytime soon.
The head coach emphasised his preference is always to include a keeper, but squad management sometimes requires flexibility.
"Ideally, we would have a goalkeeper on the bench. We've previously had Harry available. But depending on the specific game, if we think we have players who probably won't go the distance, and enough of them, then we go with seven outfield players.
"It's not something I want to do regularly, but we have a very competitive squad. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
He added: "The players on the pitch feel the pressure of who's on the bench. Cian Ashford has been flying and pushing hard to play. Ronan Kpakio is the same.
"Rubin (Colwill) is back fit now. All of them know they have to produce because the competition is so fierce, that's a huge driving factor in itself."