Cardiff City currently sit top of League One, with the Bluebirds picking up 52 points during their campaign so far.
Furthermore, in their first season in the English third tier since relegation last season, City have won 16 times whilst losing just five games.
Meanwhile, if this form was to be replicated, it appears likely that the Bluebirds will be securing an automatic return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
But, what has made Cardiff so successful? This piece outlines five potential factors driving the team’s successful campaign so far.
In any football league, consistency is important. However, in the EFL, where teams have frequently fallen off after certain stages of the season, consistency arguably becomes even more important.
This is arguably something Cardiff City realise and, through maintaining a winning consistency, the side have landed themselves 16 wins (which have played a huge part in putting them at the summit of the table currently).
Meanwhile, even in situations where the Bluebirds have not won, Brian Barry-Murphy’s team have shown fight and have scored, with their only defeats to nil coming against Burton Albion and Bolton Wanderers.
Through showing a fight, the side have been able to keep fans on their side which is crucial in building a strong campaign.
Therefore, through consistency both in goal scoring and winning, Cardiff City have been able to bring fans onboard and have been able to put themselves in an advantageous position heading into the second half of the campaign.
Having a big goal-threat in the league can be said to be an essential asset for success and this is apparent with Cardiff with Yousef Salech acting as the main goal threat for the Bluebirds this season.
Salech, who joined the Welsh outfit in January 2025, has racked up 12 goals in League One this season putting him among the best in the division and as Cardiff’s top goal scorer.
| Name | Goals |
| Dominic Ballard | 12 |
| Yousef Salech | 12 |
| Lorent Tolaj | 12 |
| Davis Keillor-Dunn | 11 |
| Kyle Wootton | 11 |
Meanwhile, his goals have aided Cardiff in picking up essential points with the forward’s goals directly helping the side to win 26 of their 52 points so far this season.
Without the impact of Yousef Salech, Cardiff City arguably wouldn’t be in the position they currently are.
So far in League One this season, Cardiff have conceded just 25 goals, which is the joint-second best record in the league alongside Bradford City and Exeter City (when comparing goals conceded per 90).
Furthermore, the outfit have kept ten clean sheets, the joint-best record in the league (shared with Luton Town). These clean sheets have meant Cardiff wins on eight occasions, with five of these wins being by a scoreline of 1-0.
If clean sheets were not kept in these games, the Bluebirds could have lost up to 15 points which would have meant a downward spiral in the League One table.
However, due to the solid defensive actions of defenders such as Will Fish, Perry Ng, and Nathan Trott, the Bluebirds were able to maintain clean sheets and were available to secure vital points for the side which have aided them in their pursuit of automatic promotion so far this season.
Often, those who succeed in football leagues do so because of their ability to win games consistently, no matter the location.
This appears to be the case with Cardiff City, who currently sit top of the home form table with 33 points and second in the away form table with 19 points.
Furthermore, whilst it is at the Cardiff City Stadium where the majority of the Bluebirds’ points have been picked up so far this season, the outfit’s ability to demonstrate resilience away from home and to grind out results has arguably been just as pivotal in ensuring success.
Meanwhile, if City were not able to demonstrate the ability to grind out results away from home, the side may be currently in the play-off mix.
But, instead, they are the ones dictating the race for automatic promotion at the summit due to their form across all locations, not just at home.
Those teams who succeed in football often find a way to win, when winning does not seem like a possibility.
Cardiff can be said be a perfect example of this, with late goals being crucial to winning games or picking up crucial points in tough situations.
The most memorable of the late goals scored this season can be said to have come against Doncaster Rovers where, in the 99th minute, Joel Bagan scored the winner for the Bluebirds to give them all three points.
This followed a chaotic game which saw Rovers take the lead, before Cardiff fought back. However, with the Scotland 3-3 after a Harry Clifton equaliser, it appeared that City had failed to pick up three crucial points, until Bagan stepped up to win the game.
Through doing this, the defender not only picked up points for his team but also further instilled a never give up attitude into the side which had been present prior to the game in the middle of last month.
Meanwhile, it can be argued that this attitude is the key to success in the league and could carry exactly what City need to embody if they are to secure automatic promotion at the end of the season.
Cardiff have already gone past the fifty points mark, becoming the first team to do so in League One this season.
However, if the Bluebirds are to succeed, ensuring that the key factors involved in their initial success this campaign are maintained could be imperative.
Furthermore, if the factors can be maintained, Cardiff may be looking at a situation where the team delivers on its aim at the first time of asking.
