Callum Sheedy believes Cardiff can build on their winning start to the season by turning Cardiff Arms Park into a fortress once again.

Cardiff opened their campaign with a hard-fought victory at Parc y Scarlets, securing four points on the road despite being far from their best.

The fly-half acknowledged that there were opportunities left on the field, particularly during the opening stages, but was encouraged by the impact of Cardiff’s replacements as the game wore on and conditions became increasingly difficult.

“It was far from a perfect performance, but coming away with four points in a derby, away from home, in the first game of the season, we’ll certainly take that,” said Sheedy.

“When the rain came down in the last half an hour, I thought the bench coming on made a massive impact and really took us home. We probably left a couple of tries out there in the first half and second half, which was frustrating watching it back, but ultimately, four points away in a derby is massive.”

That result also highlighted the competition for places within Cardiff’s squad, with Sheedy praising the strength in depth available to the coaching staff.

“Not just the boys coming off the bench, but the boys who are in that non-23, itching to get their chance – there are some real quality players there,” he added.

“I think the strength and depth we’ve got in the squad is really exciting.”

Attention now turns to Cardiff’s first home fixture of the campaign, with Sheedy keen to see the Arms Park once again become a difficult place for visiting teams.

Cardiff endured a number of tight contests on home soil last season, with the supporters regularly playing their part during the closing stages, and Sheedy wants that connection between team and crowd to continue.

“Last year we only lost one game at the Arms Park, to the Scarlets, so we made it a bit of a fortress,” he said.

“Corniel speaks about it a lot – making Cardiff Arms Park a fortress – and I’m really excited to get out there this Friday.

“Hopefully we’ve got a big crowd because I remember back last year, there were a lot of close games and, a lot of the time in the last 10 minutes, the crowd were really getting us over the line.”

Sheedy also highlighted the influence of new head coach Dan Bowden, describing the Kiwi’s approach as energetic and focused on keeping the ball alive and identifying opportunities in broken play.

“Dan’s very energetic. He’s very much about keeping the ball alive, trying to shift the point of contact and lots of transition,” said Sheedy.

“His energy is very contagious. He’s really trying to get into our minds about where the space is and how we get the ball there, which is very exciting.

“You saw a little bit towards the end of the first half against the Scarlets where we found a bit of space off a counter, which was nice. Hopefully we can score some nice tries for the fans.”

Having reached the playoffs last season, Sheedy believes Cardiff should embrace the increased expectations surrounding the team as they look to build on their opening victory.

“I think you’ve got to welcome that expectation,” he said.

“The last two years have probably been about staying in the fight and seeing what happens, and it was great last year that we got into the playoffs. But the good side backs it up, don’t they?

“I’m really confident in the squad. We’ve had a great pre-season, a good start to the season, so let’s see if we can kick on.”

And for Sheedy, the return to the Arms Park is about more than simply playing in front of a home crowd.

The Cardiff supporters have become a significant factor during close matches, with the fly-half admitting that the impact of the crowd is something that can only truly be appreciated from the field.

“Until you’re out there, you probably don’t realise,” he said. “When I watch games on the telly and people say the crowd have got them through this, you think, ‘Yeah, that’s a load of rubbish.’

“But honestly, being out there and hearing the Cardiff chant with five minutes to go when you’re blowing, it just gives you that little two per cent extra to push.

“I can’t speak highly enough of how good they were last year and the year before. I’m really excited to see them on Friday because it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been home.