Cardiff beaten 3–0 at Wolves as injuries leave Barry-Murphy using emergency full-backs
Sunday 1 November 2026 · By Ifan Davies
Cardiff were beaten 3–0 at Wolves on Saturday, conceding three goals in a game for the first time this season, and the injury list got longer.
Fer Lopez, Adam Armstrong and Ladislav Krejci all scored with headers, two of them inside the first 15 minutes. Cardiff had chances in the second half, with Joel Colwill missing from a yard out after Jose Sa turned Yousef Salech’s header onto the post, but they could not get back into it. It was their first defeat in four games.
Brian Barry-Murphy said all three goals were “disappointing and very soft”, but he also pointed to the squad he had. Cardiff went to Molineux without centre-backs Dylan Lawlor, Callum Chambers and Krystian Bielik, and without Gabriel Osho, who was suspended. They ended up with Colwill and Ollie Tanner at full-back. “I asked Ollie Tanner to play left back and he gave it everything; same for Joel at right back,” Barry-Murphy said. “That’s why I can’t be too critical.”
There are fresh worries. Will Fish had a sore hamstring and was taken off, Alex Robertson has an Achilles issue, and Perry Ng, who moved into central defence, “has been struggling”. Bielik is back in training after the groin injury that ruled him out of the Birmingham win, but Barry-Murphy said he “didn’t know” whether he would be fit for West Ham. There was a positive, with Rubin Colwill returning from the bench for his first appearance in almost two months.
Cardiff are 17th on 14 points, level with Wrexham, Bolton and Charlton, and five points above the bottom three.
West Ham visit on Wednesday 4 November (kick-off 19:45 GMT), and Burnley come to Cardiff on Saturday 7 November (15:00 GMT). Barry-Murphy wants his side to learn from the lesson.
Cardiff City Stadium is a modern all-seater bowl in Leckwith, about a mile and a half south-west of the city centre. It opened in 2009 as the Bluebirds’ replacement for Ninian Park and now holds 33,280. For visiting supporters it is a compact, well-signed ground with a dedicated approach, its own car park and a single cluster of turnstiles rather than a long walk around the building.
The four sides keep the old Ninian Park names. The Grandstand runs the west touchline and holds the tunnel, dressing rooms and dugouts. Opposite it, the Ninian Stand is the tallest side of the ground after the 2014 expansion and looks towards Sloper Road and the site of the old stadium. Behind the northern goal is the Canton Stand, the loud home end. Behind the southern goal is the Grange Stand, also used as the family stand. Away supporters sit in the south-east corner: one side of the Grange Stand and the adjoining corner of the Ninian Stand. A typical league allocation is around 1,800 and can rise for cups.
That corner is now a safe-standing area, so you can legally stand through the match. Views are close and unobstructed; the bowl keeps noise in. Wheelchair spaces for visiting supporters sit towards the front of the away section, entered step-free through Gate 12. Personal assistants sit beside the supporter they are with. Dress for the weather in those front rows: cover is limited pitch-side.
By car, leave the M4 at junction 33, take the A4232 towards Cardiff and Barry, then follow signs for the stadium off the B4267. Do not let a sat-nav drag you through the centre; that adds time. Away traffic should use Hadfield Road, Bessemer Road and Sloper Road, then turn into Clos Parc Morgannwg for Car Park V. Parking is first come, first served, cash only at £10, postcode CF11 8AW. Coaches and minibuses park free there. Do not use the neighbouring retail park: stay limits are short and wardens ticket matchday cars. Blue Badge bays sit in the same away car park.
By train, go to Cardiff Central and continue to Ninian Park or Grangetown. From Ninian Park turn left along Leckwith Road. From Grangetown head for Sloper Road and the HSS Hire compound, which leads to the away turnstiles. The walk from the city centre is about thirty minutes. Away entry is Gate 12 off Sloper Road. Have a printed ticket or phone ready; bags are searched and bulky items are best left behind.
There is no large away-friendly pub on the doorstep. Most visiting groups drink in the city centre, then walk or take a short taxi. Concourses behind the away section have food, drink and toilets, with screens for the build-up. Arrive early: security queues build in the last half hour and the car park can close around kick-off once it is full.
Stewards generally manage the corner well. Banter with the Canton end carries the length of the pitch; the family blocks next to you are quieter. After full time, coaches load from the same compound and rail passengers usually find it simplest to walk back towards Grangetown or Ninian Park rather than wait for a scarce taxi. Follow the club’s current away guide for the fixture, because allocations and gate numbers can shift for bigger games, but the geography does not: south-east corner, Gate 12, goals in front of Canton and Grange.