Cardiff | League One leaders ease into next round of cup

Cardiff City 3 - 0 Cheltenham Town

Cardiff City advanced to the third round of the EFL Cup with a comfortable victory over struggling Cheltenham Town.

Author | Jeremy Watson

Stadium | Cardiff City Stadium

Pre match

The League One leaders proved too strong for the Robins, who sit at the foot of League Two, taking an early lead when Isaak Davies finished a swift counter-attack following neat work from Dakarai Mafico.

Yousef Salech struck the crossbar and saw two further efforts saved by former Bluebirds goalkeeper Joe Day as Cardiff pressed for a second. The lead was doubled on 32 minutes when captain Calum Chambers flicked on Davies’ corner at the near post.

Cheltenham had a chance to respond when Chambers slipped in the Cardiff box, bringing Lee Angol down, but his penalty was superbly tipped onto the post by Matt Turner. Angol was presented with another opportunity two minutes later, but his weak finish reflected a striker short on confidence.

READ MORE | The Bluebirds earn dramatic win over Wimbledon

The second half followed a similar pattern, and Cardiff secured a third when the Colwill brothers combined. Rubin Colwill was afforded too much time to pick out Joel Colwill, who found the corner of the net against the club he had spent last season on loan at.

Cheltenham came close to a consolation on the hour mark when Ethon Archer’s powerful strike rebounded off the bar. Salech, Joel Colwill and substitute Chris Willock all went close to extending the lead, but the outcome was already decided.

Cardiff progress to the third round for only the second time in 11 seasons, maintaining their unbeaten start under head coach Brian Barry-Murphy.

Best reaction from the home fans

Jerry, a Cardiff fan, told us: “A number of fringe players getting game time, which is another positive. The starting XI selection for Saturday's game with Plymouth will be interesting, especially the striker and winger positions.”

Adam, another fan, added: “I thought it was a good workout for a few new players and an opportunity to try a different lineup and tactics.”