After Omer Riza had shaken hands and posed for photographs with Cardiff City's newest signing, Yousef Salech, on Thursday afternoon, he jumped in his car and quietly drove east down the M4 for London.

None of Cardiff's players knew why he had to make the trip back to England's capital, that is indeed the Bluebirds manager announced the sad news that his father, Josh, had passed away on Thursday evening.

It came as a shock to the Cardiff squad, who had been training earlier that day and preparing for their biggest game of the season against Swansea. When Riza arrived back at Cardiff's training base on Friday, he didn't even mention the torturous 24 hours he had just endured.

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Riza somehow managed to park his grief and remain laser focused on the seismic task at hand. His players carried out his game plan with precision, with Callum Robinson proving the hero with two sweetly-taken goals to help down Swansea 3-0.

"He is a credit to himself," Robinson said of his manager after the game. "On Friday, he didn't mention it. All the boys sent love to him and his family, but he didn't mention it. He was straight into the meeting room on about the game, never said anything.

"Today, just literally three or four words before the game, he obviously mentioned it and said that he'd had a tough time. I respect that. Because he didn't want to make it about himself and what's been going with his family. Some managers wouldn't have even been here today, I know that.

"But the way he loves the game and the way he loves us, I knew he wouldn't let us down. Today I'm so happy we got a result for him and his family. The skipper (Joe Ralls) said it, there's more to football, health and family is important to everyone and we got the job done."

Robinson says he is unsure of the hours Riza puts in every day, but believes he works around the clock, desperate to seize this chance which has been handed to him.

Robinson and Riza appear to have a tight bond. The striker ran over and hugged him on the touchline at Watford after scoring early on, knowing the pressure his manager was under. That result at Vicarage Road sparked a six-game unbeaten run the club are currently enjoying. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.

It's the human touches which endear Riza to Robinson, he says. "He is a good human being. He hasn't mentioned about his dad at all to me or the players, we didn't know anything was going on and that just proves the man he is," the forward added.

"He is always asking about the lads' families, how we are doing, how was our day off, 'Were you with your family? What were you doing?' It makes you think now, did you ask him?

"But he will be so happy with that result. Forget about the red card, the geezer has obviously taken him out and he knows what he's doing and he's lost it and has every right to be angry.

"The fans applauding him proves we are all with him.

"It's been tough for him. We started well and then a few results didn't go our way. We've really got a bit of stability over the last two or three weeks, hopefully we can really push on."

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It's not been all rosy since Riza took charge. A six-game unbeaten streak during his interim tenure was the height of his short reign, but Cardiff have the chance to match that league record in midweek against Millwall.

There have been highs and lows since Riza took the helm, but since he took charge, Cardiff are a mid-table team. If we took away the first six games of the campaign, for which Erol Bulut was in charge, Cardiff would be 13th - although it's not quite as straightforward as that, of course.

Robinson believes the negativity Riza has had to sometimes face has been unwarranted.

"He has got the job now, a young manager. I just feel like he has always been battered. People are always saying, 'Oh, is he the right man? Go out and get someone...'

"Just give him his chance. I don't know about the chance but since he's been in, I don't know where we'd be, maybe mid-table? It's his first job and we are nowhere near finished in this season yet.

"Cardiff City have given him the opportunity, let's see what happens."