Games at Middlesbrough often represent one of the longest away days in Cardiff City’s season.

For the Bluebird whose home games require a 14-hour flight – and that’s if it’s direct – it suddenly doesn’t seem so arduous.

“Fortunately, I manage to sleep most of the way,” laughs Neil Etheridge, the Cardiff goalkeeper who has made his long journeys ‘home’ to the Philippines for almost a decade.

And that’s not including any further flights, such as the one from Manila to Kathmandu the 27-year-old international will make for next month’s game with Nepal.

It begs the question why, especially given the summer signing from Walsall is trying to best to establish himself as Neil Warnock’s go-to goalkeeper while Lee Camp edges back to fitness in the background.

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

There are those who dismiss the attraction or importance of international football, plenty who have called time on commitments to their country to focus on club matters.

Having accepted the invitation to represent the Philippines at the age of 18 and having been part of the developing football nation’s most historic moments, Etheridge is not among them.

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“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he says of his 56-cap career for the ‘Azkals’ – the nickname of the national team that translates as ‘stray dogs’.

“I’ve been able to travel and see some fantastic, interesting places and different cultures. I’ve never regretted it.”

It’s easy to understand. Already an England Under-16 international, the tall shot-stopper was approached by the Philippines FA while he was a youth-team player at Fulham.

With his mother, Merlinda, born in the Tarlac province in the north of the south-east Asia island country, they had eyed the Enfield talent as a potential recruit as they looked to boost the credentials of their national team.

He initially turned down the offer, citing both an ambition to play for England and being aware of the barriers of travelling and language.

By 2008, when he had begun to break through at Craven Cottage, he was persuaded by former teammates at Chelsea’s junior sides who had already declared an allegiance.

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

Together with those friends – brothers James and Phil Younghusband – Etheridge has gone on to make history several times over.

They recorded a run to the semi-finals of AFF Cup (a tournament between the southeast Asia nations) in 2010, won their first-ever World Cup qualifier in 2012 against Sri Lanka, and now stand a couple of results away from qualifying for the full Asian Cup for the first time.

As the player in the Philippines’ ranks at the highest level of club football, Etheridge is considered quite a star.

It may not be on the level of the Philippines’ greatest sporting export Manny Pacquiao, but his efforts for the Azkals – and a spot of modelling – have helped him build up a Twitter following of more than 700,000.

For some context, that’s three times as many as Cardiff City’s official account.

It’s on social media that he keeps an illustrated diary of his trips, from snaps in the secretive North Korea to details of the culture his international football life has granted him access to.

“Sometimes it can be a case of just seeing the four walls of a hotel and the stadium,” he says.

“But I always try and make time to see some of the places and get a feel for the culture of the places I go. I’ve seen all sorts and it’s very, very different.”

Not that it will all be glamour.

“It is very different playing out there,” he says.

“It was quite something going there from a Premier League set-up with Fulham, and the finances haven’t always been there.

“But as we’ve progressed we’ve had more backing and, if we succeed in getting to the Asian Cup, then we can get even more sponsors on board and take another step forward.

“It’s something I’m very proud of. The national team took centre stage in the country for a brief period in 2010 which was fantastic and we’re now top of our group to qualify for the Asia Cup. There’s many different times I’ve been able to say I’ve helped make history.

“I was 20 playing in front of 100,000 people in the AFF Cup semi-finals against Indonesia, which is a lot to take in, but helps make sure there’s not a lot to be fazed by even though I’ve stepped up to the Championship from League One this season.”

Which is what is on Etheridge’s mind for now, even with the trip to Nepal coming up. Staying as Warnock’s No.1 is clearly the number one priority.

“I’m happy with the progression I’ve made,” he says of his start to life as a Bluebird.

“It’s been a step up, but slowly I feel I’m starting to perform much better and, after 12 games, I feel it’s been a good transition. I’ve enjoyed every minute so far and hopefully I can keep the shirt as long as possible.

"Yes, Campy is getting fitter, and there is competition, but there was competition the moment I walked through the door. It’s the same at every club in every position.

"Murph (Brian Murphy) is keeping me on my toes and Campy will do the same, but of course I want to play for the rest of the season.”

He will do so at Middlesbrough, with the articulate international admitting there has been a greater bite to training following last weekend’s loss to Birmingham.

With the Bluebirds flying to Teesside, a difficult trip north suddenly seems less daunting for the stray dog who’s not afraid to travel, but is making Cardiff City his home.