Wales Stars on Form: Cardiff City, Wrexham, Swansea & Bolton Standouts
Rubin Colwill got a late goal for Cardiff City against Wrexham. Credit: Lewis Mitchell
Wales stars are already beginning to make their mark as the new football season gathers momentum, with leagues across the UK and Europe getting underway and players settling into new clubs, new roles and new challenges.
With several internationals catching the eye during the opening rounds, this week has offered an early glimpse at who could be in contention when Craig Bellamy’s side return to international action.
With the next international window set to bring a demanding run of fixtures, strong club form will be particularly important for those looking to cement their place in the Cymru setup. We’ve picked out six Wales stars who stood out this game week, from impressive debuts and match-winning moments to commanding performances at Championship level.
Embed from Getty ImagesCameron Congreve – KVC Westerlo
Congreve impressed on his debut for Belgian Pro League side Westerlo on Saturday as he notched an assist against four-time winners of the Belgian first division, Genk.
The winger, who spent last season on loan at Scottish Premier League outfit Dundee FC, made his move to Belgium this summer after leaving boyhood club Swansea City.
After chalking up three goals and seven assists in Scotland, Congreve was selected for the last set of international fixtures where he featured in both games against Ghana and Romania.
The 22-year-old, who played 66 minutes on his first outing for Westerlo, will be keen to continue the form shown in Scotland that earnt him his first Cymru call up.
Mark Harris – Oxford United
In Aaron Ramsey’s first league match as head coach of Oxford United, it was ex Cymru teammate Mark Harris who opened the scoring as The Yellows were held to a 2-2 draw against MK Dons.
The striker, who made 37 appearances in a Championship season which saw Oxford United narrowly relegated, seems to be well thought of by Craig Bellamy after featuring six times in Cymru’s World Cup qualification campaign.
Harris currently sits on 17 Cymru caps, and as the striker returns to League One where he scored 15 goals last time out with Oxford, he will be hoping to add more come the end of September.
Josh Sheehan – Bolton Wanderers
The 31-year-old featured in the middle of the park for Bolton as they completed a dream start on the opening day as they beat Preston North End 2-1.
Sheehan, who played 41 times for The Trotters in their playoff-winning campaign in League One last season, created 3 chances as Bolton burst onto the scene in the Championship.
The Swansea City academy graduate has enjoyed a plethora of call-ups during Bellamy’s Cymru reign, appearing five times during the unsuccessful World Cup qualification period, and will be looking to continue his upwards trajectory with Cymru and Bolton this season.
Ben Cabango – Swansea City
The Swansea City skipper marshalled the backline expertly as The Swans defeated Stoke City on the opening day of the Championship season.
The centre-back’s pass accuracy sat at 80%, as well as winning five out of seven duels against The Potters.
His performance is sure to garner some attention from Bellamy, who has only started Cabango in 3 competitive games since taking over.
Born in Cardiff, the ever-present defender played in all but one of Swansea’s Championship fixtures last season. His reliability and availability could be an asset to Cymru, who have an extended international break, where they play four games in eleven days.
Kieffer Moore – Wrexham
The Ex – Cardiff man broke hearts at the Cardiff City Stadium as he scored the opening goal in the all-Welsh tie between Cardiff and Wrexham in the Championship, which ended in a dramatic draw.
The 6’4’’ striker was a handful for the Bluebirds defenders to deal with, hitting the woodwork in addition to his delicious strike that put Wrexham ahead early on.
The striker, who missed the majority of the last qualifying campaign through injury, will be eyeing the September/October break as an opportunity to solidify himself as Bellamy’s talisman in the UEFA Nations League.
Rubin Colwill – Cardiff City
Although he was only on the pitch for half an hour, Colwill’s impact on the game against The Red Dragons was transformative for the newly promoted Bluebirds.
Cardiff’s number ten salvaged a point with the last kick of the game, with a free kick that blew the roof off the CCS.
Although with an 84% pass accuracy and some neat hold-up play, it wasn’t just the goal that Bellamy, who was in attendance on Monday night, should be looking out for.
Cymru open their Nations League Group A campaign with a trip to Portugal, then followed by another away tie in Denmark.
Two Scandinavian visitors then head to the Cardiff City Stadium. First, World Cup surprise Norway, then Denmark return to the CCS after a 2018 Nations League tie that ended in a 2-1 defeat for Cymru.
