As far as first games go, it couldn’t have gone much better for Brian Barry-Murphy.
Rubin Colwill, his choice as deputy captain, ran the show and scored the sort of free kick that was good enough to grace a far higher level than League One. Matt Turner, the goalkeeper he promoted from third choice to first, didn’t put a foot or glove wrong all day. Even David Turnbull, a key player who was dropped for an internal code of conduct breach, was not missed and a disciplinary marker was laid down.
There’s more. Far more. Cardiff looked well coached, everyone knew exactly what was expected of them, they were aggressive rather than their usual passive selves and their press was not one leg in, one leg out. It was a deliberate, full press. Cardiff actually looked like Wales and the way Craig Bellamy sets out his side. Dominating possession, both on the ball and territorially.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was also an extremely young group. The side had an average age of 22 and Ryan Wintle was comfortably the oldest player at 28. He was probably the best in show too. I know Wintle has his critics and deservedly so in some respects, but he was all over the place yesterday, in the best possible way. He did all the donkey work, carried the water and kept Cardiff ticking over nicely. He’s going to be massively important this season, so all now needs to be forgiven.
To see so many academy players on display, and thriving was so exciting. There were 10 graduates, with nine featuring and seven starting, accounting for both goals. Seeing Rubin and Joel Colwill both patrolling the midfield was as inspiring as it was cute. Like the Welsh national side, they’ve come through together and will have a bond that you can’t fabricate.
The most pleasing thing of all was to see Cardiff respond so well to the disappointment of going a goal behind, very much against the run of play. This is a group of players that are coming off a grim campaign and it takes a lot to change a losing mentality. They were fragile last season, couldn’t absorb pressure and often didn’t put up much of a fight. For them to overturn a half-time deficit, take the lead and hold on to it will be huge for morale and help put distance between this year and the last. It will also act as a great advert for Barry-Murphy’s methods.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt won’t all be plain sailing though. I think Dylan Lawlor is an outstanding prospect and the club need to address his contract situation as a matter of urgency, but he found the going tough yesterday. Superb in possession, he struggled a bit off the ball, earning an early yellow card that could easily have become a red on the half hour after another reckless challenge in the lead up to conceding a penalty. He was withdrawn after an hour or so, but he will learn from the experience. He won’t have played against many savvy, streetwise centre forwards yet and likely will every week at this level. He also doubled his career total of league minutes yesterday, so its very early days for him. All the signs are very good though.
Ronan Kpakio, who only just turned 18 and is almost two years Lawlor’s junior, stole the show yesterday, undertaking what can maybe considered a slightly easier task. Bellamy recently discussed his “ridiculously high potential” and that was evident for all to see. He patrolled the right flank all game, defending and overlapping on his way to bagging the winning goal. He flagged late on and made a couple of mistakes that could have proved costly, but that is to be expected at that stage of the game and his career. He looks a gem, but will not be able to do it twice a week, every week, so Perry Ng’s eventual return will be a huge help.
All in all, yesterday was a great advertisement for relegation and this season looks set to act as a desperately needed reset. I know people are despairing at the lack of transfer activity, but I really appreciate how keen Barry-Murphy appears to be to improve what he already has. Football has created a disposable culture, where players are cast aside in favour of the new, by managers and supporters alike. This group is talented and has seriously underachieved, so I don’t blame him for thinking that he can get far more out of them.
Embed from Getty ImagesAlso, when you look at the group as a whole, they don’t need a lot. Left back cover certainly, but they’re well stocked in all areas. In fact, the challenge will be keeping what he has happy. Its all well and good Mehmet Dalman saying that Yousef Salech and Calum Robinson are going nowhere, but neither will be accepting of sitting out games at this level.
You only get one chance to make a good first impression and after a few miserable years, everyone now can’t wait for the next game. That alone is no mean feat. The high watermark for first games was when Steve Morison inspired a similar culture change and defeated recently relegated Norwich. That was three years ago and the only current player that featured then was Wintle. This game may have topped that because the fear was that Cardiff may have still been licking their wounds. Instead, they were licking their lips and I’m here for it.