Barry‑Murphy celebrates Colwill’s late heroics in Cardiff derby

Cardiff City secured a vital opening‑season point in the Championship after Rubin Colwill’s stoppage‑time free‑kick salvaged a draw with Wrexham in a dramatic Welsh derby, keeping the Bluebirds off the bottom and giving manager Brian Barry‑Murphy a reason to toast the substitute.

Early setback and Wrexham lead

The Bluebirds looked destined for defeat in the opening game of the new Championship season after Kieffer Moore’s early goal at the Cardiff City Stadium. Moore’s strike gave Wrexham the lead and set a bleak tone for Cardiff.

Wrexham created several chances to put the game to bed, but failed to convert them. Cardiff huffed and puffed, appearing to lack the quality needed to find an equaliser.

Colwill’s late heroics and manager’s reaction

Rubin Colwill began the match on the bench, having recently struggled with an ankle injury. The Wales international was introduced just after the hour as Barry‑Murphy made a flurry of changes to try to turn the tide.

In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Colwill lashed home a free‑kick to level the score. His goal forced a dramatic Welsh derby draw.

Wrexham boss fumes over stoppage time as Cardiff equalise

Barry‑Murphy said, “I thought he had a big impact on a big game.” He added, “He’s only trained for two days really, so I probably shouldn’t have put him on as early as I did.” Barry’s enthusiasm was evident as he rallied his players.

He continued, “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.” He praised Colwill as “an impeccable professional, loves the game, loves the club, so he’s a huge figure for us here.”

Barry‑Murphy was cautioned for leaving his technical area during the frantic celebrations. When asked if the booking was worth it, he smiled and said, “No, no, no. I don’t want to be paying any fines. I was a bit embarrassed.”

Historic Championship showdown pits Cardiff City against Wrexham

The match photograph was provided by Huw Evans of the Picture Agency, listed as AgencyImage in the caption. The caption noted that Brian Barry‑Murphy led Cardiff to promotion from League One last season.