Cardiff City

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Isaak Davies says Cardiff City's band of academy products are relishing the chance to shine in Brian Barry-Murphy's first team.

Cardiff continued their unbeaten start to 2025-26 on Tuesday as Davies' stoppage-time goal secured a thrilling victory at AFC Wimbledon.

Davies came off the bench to make the game's decisive contribution after Barry-Murphy picked another youthful squad featuring eight academy graduates.

Davies' strike means seven of the Bluebirds' eight goals so far this season have come from players who emerged from the club's youth ranks.

"You see every week now that the youngsters are performing," said Aberdare-born Davies, who joined Cardiff as a seven-year-old.

"It's good to see boys you have come through the academy with on the pitch.

Image source, Rex Features

"The boys really deserved the win. To be fair to Wimbledon they made it tough for us, but the boys didn't stop right until the end and we got what we deserved."

The Wimbledon win was a first away success of the season for Cardiff, who have now taken 10 points from four league games under Barry-Murphy.

That impressive start has lifted spirits following relegation from the Championship last term, with Cardiff thriving despite signing only one player, goalkeeper Nathan Trott, so far this summer.

The next challenge is perhaps the sternest yet for Barry-Murphy's side, who travel to Luton Town – who were also relegated from the second tier last season – on Saturday.

"I think every game in League One is going to be tough," Davies added.

"We need to play our game, focus on ourselves and obviously watch a bit of the opposition as well. We need to carry on doing what we are doing."

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Brian Barry-Murphy says improvement on the road is the next challenge for Cardiff City as they head to AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

Barry-Murphy is yet to lose since taking over as Cardiff boss in the summer, with his side sitting second in the early-season League One table having taken seven points from their first three third-tier games of the season.

But while Cardiff have impressed in home wins over Peterborough and Rotherham, they were fortunate to avoid defeat in their one away game to date, a goalless draw at Port Vale.

And Barry-Murphy says better will be required if Cardiff are to topple a Wimbledon side who have made a positive start to the season.

"The players have been incredible to work with. They have been really open-minded and really dedicated," Barry-Murphy said.

"That allows us to be really aggressive in how hard we can push them so soon because it is never easy when you have been working together for such a short space of time.

"We now go to another different venue and we need to improve our away performances based on our performance at Port Vale to give ourselves a chance. If we repeat that performance, it won't be good enough.

"But we are an improving team and are definitely capable of putting on a better show than we did at Port Vale."

Wimbledon, managed by former Spurs and Charlton midfielder Johnnie Jackson, have settled impressively after winning last season's League Two play-offs.

Following defeat at Luton on the opening weekend, the Dons beat Lincoln at home and won at Reading on Saturday, while they also overcame Gillingham on penalties in the Carabao Cup.

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We asked you to sum up Cardiff's start to the season after the Bluebirds maintained their unbeaten start in League One with a 3-0 victory against Rotherham.

Here are some of your comments:

Harry: "BBM has transformed the way we play. We are positive and controlled. I am extremely excited about the future and what BBM and his staff can do with the academy prospects we provide them.

Paul: "They have started well but will face many challenges this season as the season progresses. We do need a real experienced central midfielder and a left footed winger."

Andy: "It's very promising how so much young talent has been on display this season so far. They'll grow into a very useful championship side under Brian Barry- Murphy playing a style of football that suits the skills of the players and is very pleasing to watch too. I know it's League One but a season of this side playing together will help them gel and improve with the experience."

Csider: "A great start. Three games against sides that are unlikely to feature in the top 10 means that we shouldn't get carried away. Encouraging to see the young players getting results and playing with purpose and energy. The manager appears to have a system that scores goals, hopefully he develops a more robust defence than previous managers. A long way to go, but good start."

Rhiannon: "We couldn't have started the season any better but we have to fix our away form if we want to go straight back up. We need a few more signings, preferably experienced players as this is a relatively young squad. The only negative thing about the style of play is that we seem to be focusing all of our attacks in the wide areas.

Alan: "It's been a breath of fresh air so far. The youngsters have stepped up and it's great to see home grown talent - keep it up."

Jamie: "The first three games have shown that our home form is going to be imperative this campaign; BBM has us playing some of the best football I have seen in many years at the Cardiff City Stadium. The issue is going to be away games; a rough away game against Port Vale where we were lucky to walk away with a point is going to be the story for most away games I fear. Teams are going to be overtly physical to put our young guns off their game. A seasoned signing or two would be the cherry on top of a very exciting upcoming team."

Bluewibbo: "Very early days for the City yet. The sides they've played have been pretty poor. Get an experienced centre half, full back and winger in, then we'll see how they look."

Russell: "It is refreshing to see Cardiff playing possession football albeit against substandard sides . Hopefully they will get into the habit for our return to the Championship."

Steve: "With the best crop of young talent in living memory, Brian Barry-Murphy could prove to be the best signing in many years. We need to keep the more experienced players and make a couple of quality additions in central defence and on the wing. It's a positive time to be a Cardiff fan, even with the continuing controversies at higher management levels of the club.

Kevin: "Really pleased. Can't argue with second in League, unbeaten, scoring and playing good football. Still feel we need some players in before end of window."

Ellen: "Cardiff under Brian Barry-Murphy look a different side. Apart from the flat goalless draw which was 0-0 at Port Vale, we've dominated games, scoring five and conceding just once in the first three matches. Thankfully the defence hasn't been tested much yet, but with an inexperienced back line and no defensive signings yet, better sides like Stevenage could challenge us. Murphy's possession-based style is there, and players like Colwill and Kpakio are improving. Cardiff are a transformed side compared to Riza's regime."

Lee: "Very happy with the start we've made. Solid defence, clear structure. I like what BBM is building off the pitch too, with some shrewd additions to his backroom staff. A few more quality and/or experienced heads in the first team wouldn't go amiss, however.

Andrew: "It's a good start, unbeaten in all comps IS good, but there are points where Cardiff have struggled with teams willing to sit in and defend. The young team has done well, but we need not just quality signings but also experience to supplement the youth."

Russell: "An encouraging start, much more desire in the team than last year. A couple of players before the window shuts, absolutely essential - a right full back, creative centre midfield, and a striker that can hold the ball up!"

Image source, BBC Sport

Three games into the League One season, and Cardiff City find themselves in the top two on seven points.

Wins at home against Peterborough and Rotherham came either side of a goalless draw away at Port Vale.

The Bluebirds also progressed in the first round of the Carabao Cup with victory over Swindon.

Three goals - including two sublime free-kicks - in four games from new vice-captain Rubin Colwill has helped bring belief back to the Welsh capital.

But while new head coach Brian Barry-Murphy is yet to taste defeat as Bluebirds boss, their struggles against Port Vale proved the team is still a work in progress.

So how would you sum up Cardiff City's start to the season?

Have your say here!

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Brian Barry-Murphy insists Cardiff City are "very appreciative" of Callum Robinson and Calum Chambers despite leaving the duo on the bench until the closing stages of Saturday's win over Rotherham United.

Forward Robinson, last season's top scorer, is yet to start a league game this season while Chambers was dropped despite being named Cardiff captain earlier this month.

Robinson came on after 82 minutes of the Rotherham triumph, while Chambers did not arrive until six minutes later.

Barry-Murphy gave the two 30-year-olds limited roles despite picking another youthful starting side with an average age of just 22.

"It's a team that has a lot of young players but we are also very appreciative of our older players – Callum Robinson, Calum Chambers," the Cardiff head coach said.

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"They won't be happy at being on the bench but they have been exceptional in training and have given us healthy competition to allow us to pick the best team based on what we see in training and what we see from the opponents - and it's picked irrespective of age.

"That benefits the younger players, but it's the same for the older players. We are not going to pick anyone just because they are younger.

"It is just whoever is best and it is important for Calum and Callum to know that because of how good they have been."

Robinson and Chambers will hope for more game-time in what is another busy week, with a trip to AFC Wimbledon (19:45 BST) to come on Tuesday before Cardiff travel to Luton Town next Saturday (12:30 BST).

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Joel Bagan believes he will become a better player under Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy.

And he says others in the youthful Bluebirds squad are just as excited at seeing their games develop under the former Manchester City coach.

Barry-Murphy helped the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis during his time as under-23 boss at Premier League giants City.

Now defender Bagan says he and the rest of a fresh-faced Cardiff side are hoping to benefit.

"From the first day he came in, there was a really refreshing feeling around the place and really positive," academy graduate Bagan said.

"The thing that exited me the most about coming in was the experience he's had working with young players at Manchester City and Leicester.

"And I've already learned a lot. Some of the details on the work we've had in such a short space of time is not something I've seen before.

"I'm really looking forward to how the rest of the season can plan out."

At 23, Bagan was the second oldest player in the Cardiff side fielded against Peterborough United in the win on the opening day of the season.

Having first broken into the side in 2020 under Neil Harris, he is also the club's longest-serving first-team player following captain Joe Ralls' departure in the summer.

Having joined the academy at 16 after starting out at Southampton, Bagan says Cardiff feels like home - but has not begun discussing his future with a year left on his contract.

Instead he wants to focus on performances, starting this weekend against Rotherham where he says the side are keen to learn lessons from the goalless draw at Port Vale which he described as "probably the most physical" game he has played.

"They made it tough for us and it showed, not every game is going to go to plan and teams won't let us play as we want every time," he said.

"It was frustrating but we came away with a clean sheet and we're still unbeaten."

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Cardiff City have appointed another Manchester City backroom graduate as part of Brian Barry-Murphy's coaching staff.

Barry-Murphy was named Bluebirds boss this summer having served under Pep Guardiola as Under-23 boss at the Etihad side's academy.

At the time of his appointment he drafted in Lee Riley as his assistant having worked with him at City.

Now he has brought in 27-year-old Kieron Lovelady – another ex Man City academy coach – to bolster the team's analysis department.

Lovelady had been working as a coach with Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor but will now link up with Barry-Murphy again as a first team analyst to work alongside Matt Jenkins.

Barry-Murphy said: "When I first came to the club, I didn't know he workings of the club totally but I've seen that the level of Matt's work is of the highest quality.

"I wanted to secure the staff who are exceptional at their job – which Matt is – and Kieron will now come and join that department and also as a coach to help.

"A lot of the individual development will be led by him and will implement what we do on the train, so it's a very, very important role."

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Cardiff City are waiting on fitness assessments for Will Fish and Ryan Wintle prior to Saturday's visit of Rotherham United.

However, Brian Barry-Murphy will soon be boosted by the availability of Perry Ng and Alex Robertson who are nearing a return to action.

The Bluebirds are aiming for a second successive home win in League One when they welcome the Millers on the back of the midweek EFL Cup success against Swindon Town.

Midfielder Wintle – who has played every minute under the new head coach will be checked after what Barry-Murphy called "a bang" against the Robins.

The availability of defender Fish was also being reviewed, with fellow centre-back Jesper Daland seemingly unlikely to feature given he remains in discussions over a possible exit.

But Ng could boost the Bluebirds' defensive options for next weekend's game at Luton Town having returned to full training.

The 29-year-old has been absent since picking up a knee injury early in pre-season.

Barry-Murphy says midfielder Robertson – who suffered a gash to his leg in a friendly with Notts County - is "almost on a par with Perry in terms of timescale" although is yet to return to full training.

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Cardiff City will host League Two Cheltenham Town in round two of the Carabao Cup, with the tie to be played in the week beginning Monday, 25 August.

Cardiff overcame another fourth-tier side, Swindon Town, on Tuesday thanks to goals from Cian Ashford and Rubin Colwill.

Brian Barry-Murphy's team will now face the Robins, who are managed by former Newport boss Michael Flynn, after they beat League One side Exeter City on Wednesday.

The tie could see Cardiff youngster Joel Colwill face one of his former clubs, having enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Cheltenham in the first half of last season.

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Brian Barry-Murphy says Cardiff City's win over Swindon Town in the EFL Cup was "very important" as his side continue to impress in the early stages of the manager's tenure.

Goals from Welsh duo Cian Ashford and Rubin Colwill earned the Bluebirds a 2-1 victory over Ian Holloway's side in the Welsh capital as Cardiff progressed into the second round of the competition.

"I'm really pleased. It means a lot to me to get through to the next round and see who we could possibly take on," Barry-Murphy said.

"To win tonight was very important and we treated the game very seriously. I thought that reflected in our performance, so I was happy."

Barry-Murphy kept faith with six players from the side that started the drab 0-0 draw with Port Vale five days earlier.

And the Irishman says his unbeaten side can continue to improve as his players have more time to adapt to his methods.

"We're in the very early stages of working together. We've only trained for 25 days so that's a very small period of time in terms of trying to build something together," added Barry-Murphy.

"The players who came in came in based on how well they've trained and how they've been to starting the other games.

"We felt it was as competitive as the team at Port Vale, and luckily for us the performance, luckily for us, was better than Port Vale.

"I'm aware of so much more that we need to do as we move forward, but if we have that patience and understanding of where the players are at, I think we'll be fine."

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After an opening day win at home to Peterborough United and a draw at Port Vale, BBC Sport Wales asked Cardiff City fans for their views on the start to the League One season.

Marcus: "I predicted City would finish 9th this season and after 2 games with sides likely to finish in the bottom half, nothing changes my view. The squad is light, we need a left back, [Jesper] Dalaand should go, a new centre back and [Chris] Willock should go. A winger is needed and another forward if [Callum] Robinson goes. I'm all for us playing local lads but this team isn't good enough to compete at the top. If [Vincent] Tan doesn't sell soon it will be another failed season."

Jon: "Although Alan Hansen was proved wrong in his statement that you 'won't win anything with kids', I do think we need some experienced players at left back right, back, creative midfielder and a striker. 46 games is a long time for these academy players and we need a bigger squad with more depth in my opinion. A couple of injuries or suspensions in key areas and we are in trouble. That said, great to see our talented kids coming through to the first team!"

Ross: "Reality has set in after a great start against Peterborough, the defence still needs work and reinforcements as it's deficiencies that got us here in the first place."

Gary: "No outfield incomers. Very poor at Port Vale. Already guilty of unnecessary team changes, not likely to stimulate player confidence, especially goalkeepers. Will likely end the season above mid-table."

Alex: "We look like a mid-table side, which is as expected. Can't understand why we brought in another goalkeeper on loan. Makes you question the manager's judgment."

Steve: "We have the right manager for this club. We don't need signings, just belief. In recent years we have invested in young talent only to find they are blocked from the team by panic buys and overrated, over the hill players. This year feels different."

Image source, Getty Images

It is now 13 years since Cardiff City came close to pulling off one of the great League Cup shocks when they made it all the way to the final before losing out to Liverpool in a penalty shootout.

A Bluebirds side featuring the likes Peter Whittingham, Kevin McNaughton and Aron Gunnarsson – plus goalscorers Joe Mason and Ben Turner – pushed Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Co all the way before being beaten in agonising fashion at Wembley.

Cardiff begin this year's crack at what is now the Carabao Cup when they host League Two Swindon Town on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

Brian Barry-Murphy's team will be keen to continue their unbeaten start to the season, even if there will be no great expectation regarding a cup run in a campaign where efforts will be focused on a potential promotion push.

In truth, Cardiff have not had a great deal to shout about in the League Cup since that memorable run to the final, having made it beyond the second round on just three occasions since.

In 2023-24, they overcame Colchester and Birmingham before being well beaten at Blackburn.

That was the first time Cardiff had reached the third round since 2014-15, when they saw off Coventry and Port Vale before being well beaten by Bournemouth.

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Cardiff's one other visit to the third round since Wembley was in 2013-14, when the then Premier League club were knocked out at West Ham having overcome Accrington Stanley after entering at the second-round stage.

Cardiff's uninspiring record over the past 13 years has included several disappointing losses, including two round-one defeats to Northampton Town and a first-round exit at the hands of Bristol Rovers in 2016-17.

Last year, Erol Bulut's team got past Rovers before being outplayed by Southampton in round two.

The hope will be that after an encouraging opening-day win over Peterborough and last Thursday's draw at Port Vale, Cardiff can maintain momentum by getting the better of Ian Holloway's Swindon side.

"There was too much goalmouth action for my liking and we didn't have enough control," Barry-Murphy said in the wake of the trip to Vale Park, where Cardiff were fortunate to avoid defeat.

"That's great for us because it gives us a lot of areas to improve through the season."

Image source, BBC Sport

Cardiff City are unbeaten after their opening two League One games, but there have been mixed emotions among Bluebirds fans given the contrasting nature of performances.

The opening-day win over Peterborough United was exhilirating and encouraging in equal measure, with a youthful Cardiff side coming back from behind thanks to two brilliant goals from academy graduates Rubin Colwill and Ronan Kpakio.

It was the youngest side for a Bluebirds league game this century, performances from other youngsters like midfielder Joel Colwill and goalkeeper Matt Turner providing hope that the club's future is safe in the hands of a new generation.

But then came Port Vale. Something of a reality check for the fans and new boss Brian Barry-Murphy as Cardiff were outplayed in a goalless draw at Vale Park, struggling to create clear-cut opportunities and overhitting several crosses into the box. They were lucky to come away with a point, frankly.

No-one said it was going to be easy trying to get straight back up to the Championship.

But automatic promotion is clearly the aim - Barry-Murphy has said as much himself - and Cardiff are hoping to add to their squad before the transfer window closes at the end of August.

So how do you feel after the opening two matches? Who has impressed you? Where do they still need to strengthen? Let us know your views by clicking here.