Joel Colwill's Impact in Cardiff City Draw Against Stoke City

Brian Barry-Murphy believes Joel Colwill is only just getting started in front of goal after the youngster marked his first Championship start with a crucial header for Cardiff City.

The 21-year-old nodded in the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Stoke City, a goal that stopped the Bluebirds sliding to a third straight defeat and shifted the mood around a tense afternoon.

He did more than just score. Colwill drove Cardiff’s revival after the break, arriving in the box with purpose and almost winning it late on, only to see another effort come back off the post.

"It was a great finish and very important for us - he carries a big goal threat," said Barry-Murphy, who has made no secret of how highly he rates the forward. "You saw he got close to another goal. His movement in the box in the second half, particularly, was very good."

The change came with a tweak, not a wholesale rethink. Barry-Murphy pushed Colwill higher up the pitch after half-time, and the effect was immediate.

"Joel played a little bit too deep in the first half, but in the second half he was very good, very close to Yousef [Salech]," the Irish coach explained. "A lot of our best moments in the box, he was on the premises, which is a big part of his role for the team."

Colwill, who scored seven times last season, looks set to carry more of the attacking load in the weeks ahead, especially with Cardiff still searching for their first Championship win of the campaign.

They had to do without his older brother against Stoke. Rubin Colwill, such an influential figure in Cardiff’s midfield, missed out with an ankle problem that Barry-Murphy is treating with caution rather than panic.

"Rubin's ankle wasn't OK yesterday. He didn't train," he said. "There was talk of putting him on the bench, but I wasn't sure he would be fully fit if he was to come on.

"That was also the case on Saturday, and I didn't want to risk it because of what he's been through with the ankle."

Cardiff now turn towards Saturday’s trip to Bolton, hoping Rubin is ready to return and Joel can build on a first league start that hinted at a far bigger goal tally to come.