Dylan Lawlor says Cardiff and Wales jobs feel like one

Dylan Lawlor says he barely has to adjust when he swaps Cardiff City for Wales.

The 20-year-old defender says Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy want the same things from him. It makes the step up feel simple, he told the BBC's Welsh-language podcast Y Coridor Ansicrwydd (Corridor of Uncertainty) BBC Sport.

Lawlor described both coaches as detailed and close to his own view of football. He said they have a similar outlook on games and a similar approach to former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

That comfort matters because his rise has been fast. He made his league debut as a second-half substitute against Norwich City on the final day of the 2024-25 season after getting his chance under interim boss Aaron Ramsey. Barry-Murphy then took charge in June 2025 following Cardiff's relegation from the Championship, and Bellamy handed Lawlor his first senior Wales cap in September 2025.

Lawlor has since made six Wales appearances in the past year. Ramsey and Lawlor share another link beyond Cardiff. Both are former pupils of Ysgol Cwm Rhymni in Caerphilly County.

Barry-Murphy has previously pointed to the stylistic overlap between his Cardiff side and Bellamy's Wales as a factor behind Cardiff's recent run of call-ups. Lawlor agrees. He said it is easy to switch between club and country because the two managers are so similar.

Fitness is now his focus. Lawlor said he is targeting Wales' November games against Portugal and Norway BBC Sport.

For fans, this explains a lot. A young centre-back, a central defender, usually has to learn two playbooks. Lawlor feels he only has to learn one.