Colwills join Bluebirds' band of brothers
- Published
Cardiff City's winning start to life in League One not only laid down a marker – it was also a milestone.
The Bluebirds' win over Peterborough underlined that there will be a freshness about things at Cardiff City Stadium under new head coach Brian Barry-Murphy.
In their first outing since relegation from the Championship, the 2-1 victory showcased a new playing style to go with their promotion ambitions.
It also suggested the new man at the helm will place his faith in youth with the starting XI's average age at just 22, ten of the matchday squad academy graduates - and two from the same family.
It was the first time Rubin and Joel Colwill started a league game for Cardiff together – and the first time two brothers began a game for the Bluebirds in more than 40 years.
While they had previously appeared together for a few minutes off the bench in a defeat to Rotherham in 2024, as well as bench outings in EFL Cup games, you have to go back to 1983 and the presence of Gary and Dave Bennett (pictured below) for the last time siblings kicked off a league game for Cardiff.
In what could be seen as a good omen for supporters, that was in a season where the club gained promotion from the third tier having been relegated the season before.
The first brothers to play for Cardiff were George and John who featured together between 1911 and 1915, with captain John the first Cardiff player to score in a south Wales derby.
Included in Wales defender Ron Stitfall's 453 appearances for the club were a handful of games with brother and fellow defender Albert, but goalkeeping brother Bob never made it onto the field at the same time.
Similarly, while Paul and David Giles racked up close to 150 games between them in the late-70s and 1980s, their times at their hometown club never overlapped.
But the most iconic example is the period between 1963 and 1965 where Welsh football's legendary brothers – Mel and John Charles – were both Bluebirds.
The pair, though, never managed to play for Wales together during their time at Ninian Park – something for nine-cap Rubin Colwill and Under-21 international Joel to aim for now they've set a club milestone as Bluebird brothers.