Joel Colwill Shines in Championship Debut for Cardiff City
Brian Barry-Murphy believes Joel Colwill is only just starting to show his scoring touch for Cardiff City after the youngster struck on his first Championship start.
The 21-year-old’s second-half header rescued a 1-1 draw against Stoke City, halting a run of two straight defeats and injecting some badly needed momentum into the Bluebirds’ stuttering start to the season. He almost turned one point into three as well, rattling the post late on after drifting into space again.
“It was a great finish and very important for us – he carries a big goal threat,” said Barry-Murphy, who watched his side transform after the break with Colwill pushed higher up the pitch. “You saw he got close to another goal. His movement in the box in the second half, particularly, was very good.”
That tweak in positioning changed the tone of the contest. Colwill had operated too deep before half-time, rarely able to hurt Stoke in dangerous areas. After the interval, he was told to play closer to Yousef Salech and attack the penalty area with more aggression.
“Joel played a little bit too deep in the first half, but in the second half he was very good, very close to Yousef [Salech],” Barry-Murphy explained. “A lot of our best moments in the box, he was on the premises, which is a big part of his role for the team.”
Colwill, who hit seven goals last season, looked every inch a player capable of matching or bettering that tally at this level as Cardiff chased a late winner. His manager clearly expects him to shoulder more of the attacking burden in the weeks ahead.
Cardiff had to do it without Joel’s older brother Rubin Colwill, whose absence underlined the thin line Barry-Murphy is treading with key players’ fitness. The influential midfielder missed out with an ankle issue that the Irish coach is determined not to aggravate.
“Rubin’s ankle wasn’t OK yesterday. He didn’t train,” Barry-Murphy said. “There was talk of putting him on the bench, but I wasn’t sure he would be fully fit if he was to come on. That was also the case on Saturday, and I didn’t want to risk it because of what he’s been through with the ankle.”
Cardiff are still chasing their first Championship win of the campaign, and the stakes rise again with Saturday’s trip to Bolton. Barry-Murphy is hopeful Rubin Colwill will be available by then.
If he is, and if Joel continues to attack the box with the same conviction, the Colwill brothers could quickly become central to Cardiff’s push to turn performances into victories.
