Back to Business: Wales’ League Clubs Return After Extended International Break
FOR Wales manager Craig Bellamy, the extended international break may have felt like it went on forever.
For Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy, it has been something rather different.
Barry-Murphy has welcomed the rare opportunity to spend an uninterrupted period working with his players, improving fitness levels and concentrating on tactical detail before the Championship resumes.
And that contrast rather neatly sums up where Welsh football finds itself this weekend.
International duties are over.
The domestic game is back.
And Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and Newport County all return to league action on Saturday with very different ambitions.
High-flying Swans dreaming big
First up are Swansea City, who host Norwich City at the Swansea.com Stadium in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
And suddenly the conversation around the Swans has changed.
Swansea go into the weekend top of the Championship, having responded to their first league defeat of the season with victories over Burnley and Lincoln City.
Vitor Matos’ side also boast the best defensive record in the division and have created the sort of early-season momentum that inevitably starts supporters wondering whether a return to the Premier League might be possible.
It is still very early.
But Swansea have spent long enough outside the Premier League for supporters to be forgiven for dreaming a little.
Norwich arrive in south Wales sitting 17th and having lost three successive matches in all competitions, conceding 13 goals in the process.
The Canaries have also yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
Swansea do have injury concerns of their own.
Stephen Eustaquio suffered a shoulder problem while on international duty, while Josh Key, Cameron Burgess and Ross Stewart are also expected to remain unavailable.
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Swansea City v Norwich City
Venue: Swansea.com Stadium
Kick-off: 12.30pm, Saturday, October 10
Watch: Sky Sports+, with streaming through Sky Go and NOW.
Bluebirds refreshed after the break
Cardiff City return to Championship action away to Blackburn Rovers.
For Barry-Murphy, the long gap between league games has provided something club managers rarely receive during a busy season — sustained time on the training ground.
He has spoken positively about using that period to improve conditioning and work on tactical ideas before a demanding run of fixtures.
Cardiff will, however, be without Krystian Bielik.
The Poland international has been given a two-match suspension and £10,000 fine by the Football Association after admitting a misconduct charge arising from an incident involving a Portsmouth supporter during Cardiff’s defeat at Fratton Park in September.
Bielik will therefore miss Saturday’s trip to Blackburn as well as Tuesday night’s home game against Watford.
That might have Barry-Murphy with an immediate selection problem at the back were it not for the welcome return to fitness of Wales international Dylan Lawlor and fellow defender Will Fish.
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Blackburn Rovers v Cardiff City
Venue: Ewood Park
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday, October 10
The match falls within the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout in the UK, so it is not being shown live on Sky Sports.
Cardiff supporters can follow the game through the club’s usual live updates and audio services.
Wrexham boosted – but injury problems remain
Wrexham also return to Championship action on the road, travelling to Derby County.
Phil Parkinson’s side entered the international break on a high after beating Southampton and have now received some encouraging injury news.
Danny Imray and Ollie Rathbone have both returned to training.
Imray had missed the Southampton victory with a hamstring problem, while Rathbone had been absent for two matches because of ankle ligament damage.
Parkinson described both returns as an important boost, particularly highlighting Rathbone’s energy and influence around the training ground.
But the wider injury picture remains difficult.
George Thomason is still recovering from a thigh injury, Max Cleworth remains sidelined with a hamstring problem and Nathan Broadhead is facing a longer spell out following a thigh injury. Liberato Cacace has also continued to struggle with muscle problems.
Even so, Wrexham travel to Pride Park with momentum.
Derby have struggled during the opening months of the campaign, while Parkinson’s team have shown that their rapid journey through the divisions has not removed their appetite to compete at Championship level.
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Derby County v Wrexham
Venue: Pride Park
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday, October 10
Like Cardiff’s game, this is a Saturday 3pm fixture and is not scheduled for live UK television coverage.
Newport building quietly
Perhaps the least dramatic story of the four comes at Rodney Parade, but Newport County have quietly begun to put together a useful run in League 2.
The Exiles are now five league games unbeaten, with two victories and three draws during that sequence.
Their most recent league outing brought a 0–0 draw at Gillingham, where Newport created enough chances to believe they might have taken all three points.
Next up are Colchester United.
Newport are also trying to encourage another strong Rodney Parade crowd, with season-ticket holders and Supporters’ Trust members able to bring a friend to Saturday’s game for £5.
For a side that started the season slowly, another positive result would continue a quietly encouraging change in direction.
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Newport County v Colchester United
Venue: Rodney Parade
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday, October 10
The match is not among the EFL’s selected Sky Sports broadcasts for the weekend.
Did Ewe Know?
Swansea City and Norwich City were both promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2010–11 season — Swansea through the play-offs and Norwich automatically. Fifteen years later, the two clubs meet again with the Swans once more beginning to dream about the top flight.