Cardiff City beat Plymouth Argyle 4-0 on Saturday to go top of the embryonic League One table, heading into the international break unbeaten.

The home side were in scintillating form at the Cardiff City Stadium, with Ryan Wintle’s stunning first time strike starting the scoring off in style.

Chris Willock added a second for the Bluebirds before the break, with captain Rubin Colwill adding to his season tally just five minutes into the second period.

Isaak Davies put the cherry on top with a composed finish, rounding the Plymouth goalkeeper.

It was a joyous occasion in the pouring Cardiff rain, with a number of touching tributes to the late Sol Bamba, a day short of a year since the former Cardiff defender died at the age of 39.

Fans from both clubs applauded for a whole minute 14 minutes into the game, a reference to Bamba’s squad number at Cardiff.

Barry-Murphy and captain Colwill then held aloft a scarf bearing Bamba’s name as he celebrated victory with the Bluebirds supporters after the final whistle.

“My wife was really close to Chloe [Bamba’s wife] so she knows the family really well, so a real awareness of what they went through,” said Barry-Murphy.

“I lost my own friend [former Rochdale player Joe Thompson] to cancer recently, and I think it just makes you realise how fragile life is. We obsess about everything in football, but really, it’s just a small part of people’s lives.

“I think it was just important that for his [Bamba’s] family and for our supporters to have that feeling of being connected. It will give a lot of people a lot of feeling of comfort in what is going to be a difficult time, bearing in mind how close it is to his anniversary.”

On the pitch, Cardiff’s youth revolution has continued at pace. The Colwill brothers have been excellent in midfield, with academy products Dylan Lawlor, Joel Bagan, and Ronan Kpakio forming a formidable back four alongside Will Fish.

Cian Ashford has taken the chance that Ollie Tanner’s unfortunate injury has given him, and looks more confident week on week.

“We’re trying to give them something to feel excited about,” added Barry-Murphy.

“And you really do have to back that up when it comes to the actual games.

“The energy we’ve had from them every single day, and understanding there’s going to be some downs along the way this season, hopefully not as many as previously. But as long as we give our all and look to impress them, I think we’ll be fine.”

Five wins from their first six matches is a near-perfect start to what could have been a long season back in League One. With 40 games remaining, everyone at Cardiff will be well aware at they must continue this form and feeling into the hard winter months if they are to return to the Championship at the first time of asking.

---

Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

If you want to read more pieces from Sportin Wales, why not read to our monthly magazine here or subscribe to the magazine and newsletter at https://sportin.wales/subscribe/.

Our podcast is back for the new season and our co-founder Alex Cuthbert is in charge! You can find all the episodes here or the video versions on our YouTube channel.

You can also keep track of our pieces and videos on our socials at @Sportin_Wales on X or Sportin Wales on Instagram and Facebook.