Cardiff City continued their impressive start to life under Brian Barry-Murphy with a dominant 3-0 victory over Rotherham United at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Yousef Salech, Cian Ashford, and Rubin Colwill secured the Bluebirds’ third consecutive home win, keeping their unbeaten record in League One intact and proving they’re serious contenders for promotion this season.
Academy Excellence on Display
What really caught the eye was how many academy lads got their chance to shine. Five homegrown players started the match, which tells you everything about Cardiff’s commitment to bringing through their own talent.
Captain Rubin Colwill, still only 21, has already bagged three goals in three home games this season. Meanwhile, Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio looked supremely comfortable at the back with Lawlor completing 103 from 106 passes made, 100% aerial duel success (4/4) and Ronan Kpakio similarly, was the most accurate passer of the ball on the pitch with 53/54 completed (98%), with 5/6 of his ground duels won as well.
After the match, goalscorer Yousef Salech was beaming about the academy influence: “There are a lot of academy players, which is great for the club and for the fans as well, they’ll enjoy it. Me and Rubin have a good partnership. Hopefully we can keep improving on that and the whole team can improve together.”
First Half Foundation
Cardiff were on the front foot from the first whistle, with David Turnbull and Rubin Colwill tasked with orchestrating the game from the midfield. The breakthrough finally came in the 43rd minute when Salech showed his aerial ability, rising above Rotherham’s Reece James to nod home Turnbull’s perfectly weighted corner.
It was no more than Cardiff deserved after peppering the Rotherham goal all half. Salech had already been denied by keeper Cameron Dawson and had a decent penalty shout waved away, but persistence paid off with his first goal of the campaign.
Yousef Salech heading home for @CardiffCityFC 💪
— Fantasy EFL (@FEFLOfficial) August 16, 2025
⚽️🅰️ for the Bluebirds’ forward to start Double Gameweek 3 #FantasyEFL pic.twitter.com/sl0oi0d6Ju
Second Half Showcase
The first half was impressive, the second was even better. Barry-Murphy’s team came out flying after the break, and it only took ten minutes for them to double their lead through Cian Ashford. The Welsh forward's finish was pure class - an intricate one-two with David Turnbull before curling a left-footer into the top corner to send the Bluebirds faithful into rapture.
The third goal arrived just five minutes later and summed up everything good about Cardiff’s play. Ashford pounced on Sean Raggett’ poor pass, found Salech who could have gone for glory himself but instead rolled it across for the unmarked Colwill to tap home and complete the rout for the Bluebirds.
Patient build-up and a perfect finish! 💙#CityAsOne | @CianAshford pic.twitter.com/91SERvgFyJ
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) August 17, 2025
Defensive Solidity
At the back, Nathan Trott had a very quiet afternoon, one which most keepers would dream of. The Cardiff defence was well organised and meant that Rotherham barely troubled him. His only real save came late on when he had to dive to keep out substitute Marvin Kaleta’s long-range effort. This was Rotherham’s first and only shot on target all afternoon.
Rotherham's Worrying Start
For Rotherham, this was another concerning performance in what’s shaping up to be a difficult season. Steve Evans’ side managed just one win from their opening three fixtures, and frankly, they looked toothless going forward.
The Millers struggled to create anything meaningful throughout the entire 90 minutes. Their lack of bite in the final third was painfully obvious, and you have to wonder if they’ve got enough firepower to stay competitive in what looks like being a brutal League One campaign.
A Clear Identity
What’s most encouraging for Cardiff fans is that they’re finally enjoying watching their team again. After years of football where there was no clear identity of how they wanted to play, Barry-Murphy has given them something to get excited about. The team’s willingness to take risks and play attractive football is refreshing.
Yousef Salech, for me, summed it up perfectly: “The fans can see what we’re trying to implement in the game and how he wants us to play, but we already know, because we see it every day in training and we try to improve on it.”
Yousef added: "It’s very important for us to keep trying and believe in it, because we need to believe in it to make it work and that’s what happened today.
“I’m sure the fans will continue with that support. There will be a lot of home games where we’ll have a lot of the ball because that’s the way that we want to play."
Looking Ahead
Cardiff’s next test comes on Tuesday night when they visit AFC Wimbledon at Plough Lane. It’ll be interesting to see if they can replicate their home form on the road, looking to improve on their disappointing 0-0 draw on the road at Port Vale. The hosts have made a great start to life in League One, claiming wins over Lincoln, Reading and a penalty shootout victory in the EFL Cup away to Gillingham in recent games. Being undefeated in three games and at home, Wimbledon will be optimistic of stealing points away from Brian Barry-Murphy and his side.
With the transfer window still open, Barry-Murphy continues to tinker with his squad, which he has showcased in his opening 4 games at the helm of the Bluebirds. This victory over Rotherham is another important step in Cardiff’s rebuilding journey.
The combination of youth, clear tactical direction, and growing belief makes Cardiff a fascinating team to watch this season. If they can maintain this level of performance, an immediate return to the Championship looks well within reach. The foundations are certainly there, and with each passing game, Barry-Murphy’s Cardiff revolution looks more and more like the real deal.
