Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Glen Williams

'One of the nicest lads in the club' – Why Cardiff City players are 'buzzing' for golden boy Joel Bagan

Cardiff City players are delighted for the in-form Joel Bagan because he is "one of the nicest lads in the club", according to Ryan Wintle.

Bagan, who a week ago did not have a senior goal to his name, has now scored three in as many matches, the latest of which salvaged a point for the Bluebirds against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon.

The Irishman popped up in the box at the start of the second half and coolly slotted home from near the penalty spot, a strike that ultimately earned Cardiff a draw against Blackpool.

And Wintle has said that, while the 20-year-old is quite shy, all the squad are delighted for him because he is a popular member of the playing staff.

"He is a proper shy lad to be fair, but obviously his confidence is very high!" Wintle said after the match.

"It's great for him because he is one of the nicest lads in the club and everyone is buzzing for him."

Manager Steve Morison has tasked Bagan with getting higher up the pitch over the last few months and it is certainly yielding results.

Goals against Millwall, Coventry City and Blackpool must make Bagan the most prolific wing-back in the league at the minute and Cardiff fans will hope that continues for a very long time yet.

"It just shows what we want from our wingers," Morison said.

"I know it gets said that it's five at the back - it's really not, it's three at the back. Your two wing-backs are part of your midfield line.

"When you defend they form part of your back line, when you attack they form part of your front line and that's why a wing-back has to be really athletic and has to be able to do both sides of the game - get up and down. He has to defend his own back post and go and attack their back post and put the ball in the back of the net.

"Joel decided to go one step further and go to the penalty spot and it was a lovely finish."

Saturday saw the return of Alfie Doughty to the matchday squad, with the Stoke City wide man returning to the fray weeks ahead of schedule.

But, if the last three games are anything to go by, Doughty has some way to go to oust academy product Bagan.

On the game itself, Morison said: "It was one that showed how far we've come as a group. We didn't start as intensely as we wanted to and they didn't really have any chances in the first half other than the goal.

"We dominated the ball but didn't hurt them too much - everything was slightly off - and then at half-time we made some tweaks and asked them to be more intense.

"In the first 20 minutes of the second half, I thought we were fantastic and it would have been great if we could have got one more goal. It was a 1-1 game and the group being disappointed with that is good."

For the latest Cardiff City news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.