Birmingham City, Eiran Cashin claim made after Coventry City cameo - he "hasn't looked comfortable" | OneFootball

Eiran Cashin replaced Lewis Koumas in the first half of their fixture against Birmingham following Jack Robinson's red card.

Eiran Cashin came on as a first-half substitute in Birmingham City's 3-0 defeat away to Coventry City following Jack Robinson's second yellow card in less than ten minutes, and his cameo has done little to impress Blues fans.

Irish defender Cashin spent his entire youth career with Derby County before breaking into the Rams' first team in the 2021/22 season under then-manager Wayne Rooney.

Cashin spent the next two seasons thereafter as a mainstay in Derby's defence in League One, as he played a crucial role in defence as the club earned promotion back to the Championship under Paul Warne in 2024.

He'd remain as a constant in the club's starting fold upon their first season back in the Championship. However, his performances alerted the attention of Premier League club Brighton, who paid Derby a £9 million fee in January 2025 to sign him on a five-and-a-half-year deal.

Upon his move to the top flight, the Irishman found his game time limited, playing just 19 minutes of football in two Premier League games in the second half of last season, and was made available for loan at the beginning of this campaign.

Birmingham swooped in to sign Cashin on loan, as well as James Beadle from Brighton, but both have struggled to integrate themselves into manager Chris Davies' side since their move.

Eiran Cashin has looked "weak defensively" for Birmingham City this season

In Birmingham's most recent outing, a 3-0 loss away to Coventry, Cashin was substituted on in place of Lewis Koumas in the late stages of the first-half, following Robinson receiving a second yellow for pulling back Haji Wright.

Cashin played the entire second-half, and it would be safe to suggest that the 23-year-old Republic of Ireland youth international did not do much to endear himself to the Blues faithful.

Prior to Coventry, Cashin's Championship action so far this term has been limited to a one-minute substitute appearance vs Blackburn Rovers and a 10-minute one against Swansea City respectively, whilst also starting both of Blues' League Cup games vs Sheffield United and Port Vale respectively.

We asked our Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore: 'What have you made of Eiran Cashin so far in a Blues shirt?'

"He's not looked very good, to be honest," Jason told Football League World.

"He hasn't looked comfortable on the ball; he's looked quite weak defensively. I've been unsure on him when he's in a defensive one-on-one with his man.

"He gives it his all to be fair when he is playing, but I've not been impressed so far.

"His defending for Coventry's third was really poor. [Against] Port Vale, he was pretty poor on the ball. He's been pretty bang average so far.

"I've been pretty disappointed with Cashin."

Jack Robinson's suspension may provide Eiran Cashin a Birmingham City lifeline

With Robinson having been sent off in Birmingham's last outing, there is a vacant position at the heart of defence alongside Christoph Klarer to be filled.

Phil Neumann was once again dropped to the bench by Davies at the CBS Arena, as he was in their previous game against Swansea City, with Cashin being preferred over him when the Blues boss turned to his bench.

With Klarer predominantly operating on the right side of defence, Cashin's strong left foot may prove to be the difference between him and Neumann for the Blues' next fixture at home to Sheffield Wednesday in midweek.

Having played just 57 minutes of Championship football so far this season, with the bulk of them coming in the last outing, Cashin has had little opportunity to get up to speed at St Andrews thus far, and the midweek outing against Wednesday may prove to be a good opportunity for that to change.

If Cashin can force himself into Davies' starting lineup from the start, then he may finally get a fair chance to show Birmingham fans what he is capable of.