Everyone's cup final, brutal football and why right manager is key – What Cardiff City can expect in League One

Wales Online

07-05-2025

Everyone's cup final, brutal football and why right manager is key – What Cardiff City can expect in League One
The Bluebirds will be playing their football in the third tier next season
Cardiff players will play in League One next season
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency )
League One will be a different beast next season from the last time Cardiff City were in it.
The Bluebirds previous stay in the third tier, which was then branded Division Two, was in the 2002/03 campaign, a season which culminated in Andy Campbell's heroic goal to seal promotion via the play-offs.
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Cardiff have plied their trade in the top two tiers of English football ever since then, but next term will represent something different, a level of football that a generation of supporters will not have seen. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.
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Of course, the objective is simple: Get out of League One at the earliest possibility. But how do Cardiff do that? And just what can the club, and its fans, expect from the division next season?
We spoke to Alex Dicken, the Birmingham City correspondent for BirminghamLive, to gain a greater insight into League One and the lessons Cardiff can perhaps learn from Blues, who won the League and earned promotion at the first time of asking.
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Q. What's League One really like? It seems like a hard grind from the outside looking in...
AD: Well, Blues made light work of it in truth but the constant churn of games means it can become difficult if your squad isn't equipped. With the Vertu Trophy and a run to the FA Cup fourth round, Blues have played 60 games this season. Thankfully, they built a big, strong squad to cope with it.
Cardiff will face the same thing Blues had whenever they are on the road next season. They are every team's cup final and that can be draining. It probably explains why Blues haven't tanked many teams away from St Andrew's with only one of their away wins coming by more than a two-goal margin.
Q. What's the main differences between the Championship at League One?
AD: The physicality of it. The majority of Championship teams want to play football, whereas the overwhelming majority in League One favour a direct style of football. Blues signed a few six-foot-plus players to cope with the aerial onslaught, such as Austrian defender Christoph Klarer who has been absolutely immense.
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Q. What's the best part?
AD: You get to visit new stadiums, most of which are very hospitable, and it's a chance to reset. For clubs the size of Blues and Cardiff it very much is about getting out as quickly as possible. If you do it right, as Blues did, then you can use League One to develop a style of football that will set you up to compete properly in the Championship.
Q. What's the worst part?
AD: Blues had quite a straightforward experience so there wasn't much to moan about. One thing I will say is that you'll face a lot of similar games, particularly at home, where teams don't show much ambition and you have to try and break down their low-block. That became a little bit tedious at times.
Q. What do Cardiff have to do to ensure they bounce straight back up to the Championship?
AD: Get the managerial appointment and recruitment right. It takes a lot of joined up thinking. Chris Davies has been a great find for Blues and he has driven their success but people behind-the-scenes found the players for him. And make sure your home form is good, because it's not a given that you'll win 15 games away from home. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.