Headline: Cardiff City Rallies to Dramatic Draw with Wrexham Thanks to Rubin Colwill’s Late Free-Kick
Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy praised the impact of substitute Rubin Colwill following a thrilling draw with Wrexham in a Welsh derby match. Barry-Murphy acknowledged he might have brought Colwill onto the field earlier than he should have.
The Bluebirds appeared on course for defeat in their Championship season opener after Kieffer Moore’s goal put Wrexham ahead in the early minutes at the Cardiff City Stadium.
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Despite Wrexham’s missed opportunities to secure a win, Cardiff struggled to equalize until Colwill struck a powerful free-kick during the eighth minute of stoppage time.
“I thought he had a big impact on a big game,” Barry-Murphy commented.
Colwill started the match on the bench due to a recent ankle injury. He entered the game just after the hour mark as Barry-Murphy made a series of substitutions to shift the momentum.
“He’s only trained for two days really, so I probably shouldn’t have put him on as early as I did,” the Cardiff head coach remarked.
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“But the way the game was going, I felt as if we needed a bit of something different and he can do that from deep. We just take it day by day with him and see how he is.
“He’s an impeccable professional, loves the game, loves the club, so he’s a huge figure for us here. I can’t deny that. He just needs to find some rhythm and volume in his training because he hasn’t done much, so we can’t rush him back to avoid putting him at risk unnecessarily.”
Colwill’s equalizer signifies a positive start for Cardiff in the Championship, with a draw that felt nearly as rewarding as a win.
Amid the wild celebrations following the late goal, Barry-Murphy received a yellow card for stepping outside his technical area.
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When asked if the booking was warranted given the circumstances, he laughingly replied, “No, no, no. I don’t want to be paying any fines. I was a bit embarrassed.”
Brian Barry-Murphy toasted substitute Rubin Colwill’s impact in Cardiff City’s dramatic Welsh derby draw with Wrexham – after admitting he should not have come on as early as he did.
The Bluebirds seemed destined for defeat in their opening game of the new Championship season after Kieffer Moore’s early goal at the Cardiff City Stadium.
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On a night when Wrexham missed chances to put the game to bed, Cardiff huffed and puffed, but looked like lacking the quality to find an equaliser until Colwill lashed home a free-kick in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
“I thought he had a big impact on a big game,” Barry-Murphy said.
Colwill began on the bench having struggled recently with an ankle injury.
The Wales international was introduced just after the hour as Barry-Murphy made a flurry of changes in an attempt to turn the tide of the contest.
“He’s only trained for two days really, so I probably shouldn’t have put him on as early as I did,” the Cardiff head coach added.
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“But the way the game was going, I felt as if we needed a bit of something different and he can do that from deep, so we just take it day by day with him and see how he is.
“He’s an impeccable professional, loves the game, loves the club, so he’s a huge figure for us here, I can’t deny that. He just needs to find some rhythm and volume in his training because he hasn’t done a lot of training, so we can’t rush him back because that would just put him at risk for no reason.”
Colwill’s goal means Cardiff are off and running in the Championship with a draw which felt almost as sweet as a victory.
Amid frantic celebrations after the leveller, Barry-Murphy was cautioned for leaving his technical area.
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When asked whether the booking was worth it in the circumstances, he said with a smile: “No, no, no. I don’t want to be paying any fines. I was a bit embarrassed.”
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