Four former Cardiff City men start in play-off final as £11m flop scores brace

Four former Cardiff City stars helped Oxford United reach the second tier for the first time in 25 years over the weekend. The U’s beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at Wembley in the League One playoff final, and a former Bluebird was the hero of the final.

Josh Murphy, who is known as a flop to many Cardiff fans due to the Welsh club signing him for around £11million heading into their Premier League season. Murphy never lived up to the billing at City, and he was allowed to leave for free at the end of his contract in 2022. Murphy scored 10 goals in 88 league appearances for Cardiff, and while he showed some moments of quality, they were not frequent enough given the money spent, although the inflated fee is down to City and not the player.

Thankfully for the winger, he has rediscovered his good form with Oxford, and he scored twice in the final to haul them into the second tier. Murphy was just one of the four former Cardiff players who started the game.

Two players City produced in Ciaron Brown and Mark Harris were also starters, while a promotion hero of the past in Joe Bennett also started the game. All four could now face the Bluebirds next season.