Brian Barry-Murphy's young Cardiff City side is in the early stages of a magical journey, according to Paul Abbandonato, following Saturday's stunning 5-4 victory over Burnley. The comeback from 1-4 down to win 5-4 is something even Dave Jones' thrill-a-minute team never managed, despite their formidable firepower.
A young team with a high ceiling
The 2026 Bluebirds, with an age demographic that suggests they are yet to reach their peak, are gaining their Championship legs this season as part of the learning curve. Inconsistency is expected, but the experiences of beating Burnley, losing a three-goal lead to West Ham, and narrow losses on the road will benefit them greatly a year or so down the line.
Alex Robertson, 23, in only his second season at Championship level, will gain immense belief from scoring an own goal that seemingly put the Bluebirds down and out, to helping drive them back into the game and eventually scoring a wonder winner. Players like Rubin Colwill, Cian Ashford, Will Fish, Ollie Tanner, Jack Moylan, and Joel Bagan, all 25 or under, plus the even younger Joel Colwill and Ronan Kpakio, will learn loads from what's just happened.
A special connection with fans
There is a special connection between this group and their fans, thanks to home-grown players, the other youngsters, and the easy on the eye manner of football adopted. Cardiff City Stadium positively rocked with 'BBM's Barmy Army' on Saturday. In time, they might even eclipse the popularity of Jones' great entertainers, the promotion sides under Neil Warnock and Malky Mackay, or Eddie May's unforgettable 1993 Fourth Division title winners as the most likeable team of the lot.
As well as ability, what draws them to the people is the team spirit and commitment in abundance. Whoever the opposition, whatever the reputation, they are prepared to go toe to toe. The team spirit was evident in the late-game incident where Rubin Colwill went to protect Yousef Salech, and Joel Colwill instantly jumped in to help as a Burnley player grappled with him. The youngsters weren't taking a backward step, and the fans loved it.
Learning curve and future prospects
Despite no wins in the opening seven games and daft talk of Cardiff possessing a squad of League One standard, there was no reason to panic. Performance levels at home were very good, and it was only a matter of time before defeats turned into draws and draws into wins. Poor away losses to sides like Bolton, Blackburn, and Portsmouth were countered by outplaying current leaders Birmingham, being 2-0 up at second-placed Middlesbrough, and really should have beaten third-placed Stoke.
The defending needs a radical improvement, but the fact that injured players at the back insisted upon playing versus Burnley is another positive sign of the 'we're in this together' mentality. The centre-back crisis means Barry-Murphy hasn't even been able to field his strongest XI yet. A couple of newcomers are required this January to help bolster squad numbers, but Cardiff certainly don't need significant changes. The summer of 2027 is when more significant captures can be made.
This is a team on a journey, chalk and cheese to the rubbish witnessed in recent times under Omar Riza, Erol Bulut, and others. Someone mentioned to me after 5-4, 'Suddenly I know what Newcastle fans must have felt like under Kevin Keegan'. Riding the black and white tiger, KK called it. Even his team's two 4-3 epics versus Liverpool, whilst obviously much higher profile, weren't quite as dramatic in terms of a comeback as Cardiff 5-4 Burnley.
