Cardiff City Football Club is a Welsh professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club was founded in 1899 and initially played in local amateur leagues before joining the English football league system. After spending a decade in the Southern Football League, Cardiff joined the Football League in 1920. Since then, the club has played in all four professional divisions of the Football League, spending 17 seasons in the top tier since its formation. [1] Cardiff has also reached the final of the FA Cup on three occasions, winning the trophy in the 1927 final, and the League Cup once. The team currently plays in the second tier of the English league system, the EFL Championship.
Billy Hardy is the club's record appearance holder having played in 590 first team matches between 1911 and 1931. Phil Dwyer made the most appearances for the club in the Football League with 471. The club's goalscoring record is held by Len Davies who scored 179 times between 1919 and 1931. Davies is one of only eight players to have scored 100 or more goals in the club's history.
The list encompasses the major honours won by Cardiff City, records set by the club, its managers and players, and details of its performance in European competition. The player records section itemises the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records achievements by Cardiff City players on the international stage, and the club's highest transfer fees. Attendance records at Ninian Park and the Cardiff City Stadium, the club's home grounds since 1910 and 2009 respectively, are also included.
Cardiff City was originally founded in 1899 as Riverside A.F.C., initially playing in local amateur competitions. The club won its first trophy under the guise by winning the Bevan Shield, an amateur cup competition, in 1905. [2] The club changed its name to Cardiff City in 1908 and entered the Southern Football League in 1910. [3] The club was the first side based in South Wales to win the Welsh Cup after defeating Pontypridd in the 1912 final. [4] The side won its first league honour by winning the Southern Football League Second Division title the following year, in the 1912–13 season. [5] Cardiff entered the Football League in 1920 and enjoyed the most successful period in its history. Cardiff finished as First Division runners-up in the 1923–24 season and reached two FA Cup finals, losing the first in 1925 before becoming the only non-English side to win the cup two years later in 1927, defeating Arsenal 1–0. [3] [6] The club reached a third FA Cup final 82 years later in 2008 but suffered a 1–0 defeat to Portsmouth. [7] The club is the second most successful side in the history of the Welsh Cup having won the competition on 22 occasions, one fewer than Wrexham. [8] The most recent honour won by the club was the Championship title during the 2012–13 season. [9]
Cardiff City's list of competition victories includes: [10] [11]
Competitive matches only, appearances as substitute in brackets and included in totals. [d]
No. | Name | Years | League [e] | FA Cup | League Cup | Other [nb 1] | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Billy Hardy | 1911–1931 | 497 (0) | 56 (0) | 0 (0) | 37 (0) | 590 (0) |
2 | Phil Dwyer | 1972–1985 | 471 (5) | 23 (0) | 28 (0) | 53 (0) | 575 (5) |
3 | Don Murray | 1962–1974 | 406 (0) | 23 (0) | 21 (0) | 82 (0) | 532 (0) |
4 | Tom Farquharson | 1921–1934 | 445 (0) | 34 (0) | 0 (0) | 39 (0) | 518 (0) |
5 | Fred Keenor | 1912–1930 | 432 (0) | 42 (0) | 0 (0) | 33 (0) | 507 (0) |
6 | Peter King | 1960–1974 | 356 (5) | 20 (0) | 22 (0) | 79 (1) | 477 (6) |
7 | Peter Whittingham | 2007–2017 | 413 (42) | 18 (1) | 19 (5) | 7 (0) | 457 (48) |
8 | Ron Stitfall | 1947–1964 | 398 (0) | 20 (0) | 3 (0) | 31 (0) | 452 (0) |
9 | Jack Evans | 1910–1926 | 354 (0) | 42 (0) | 0 (0) | 28 (0) | 424 (0) |
10 | Alan Harrington | 1952–1966 | 348 (0) | 14 (0) | 11 (0) | 32 (0) | 405 (0) |
Defender Don Murray holds the record for the longest unbroken spell of appearances for the club, playing in 146 consecutive matches between May 1968 and November 1971. [27]
No. | Player | Appearances | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Don Murray | 146 | May 1968 – November 1971 |
2 | Damon Searle | 126 | October 1990 – September 1993 |
3 | David Carver | 117 | October 1968 – September 1971 |
4 | Arthur Lever | 114 | August 1946 – March 1949 |
5 | Roger Gibbins | 108 | August 1982 – December 1984 |
Number of appearances in brackets
Figures correct as of end of 2020–21 season [f]
No. | Name | Years | League [g] | FA Cup | League Cup | Other [nb 1] | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Len Davies | 1919–1931 | 128 (306) | 19 (33) | 0 (0) | 31 (33) | 179(372) |
2 | Peter King | 1960–1974 | 67 (356) | 5 (20) | 6 (22) | 33 (79) | 111(477) |
3 | Robert Earnshaw | 1997–2004 & 2011–2013 | 89 (193) | 10 (14) | 10(9) | 0 (1) | 109(227) |
4 | Brian Clark | 1967–1972 & 1975–1976 | 79 (204) | 2 (13) | 3 (9) | 24 (42) | 108(268) |
5 | Carl Dale | 1991–1998 | 71 (211) | 6 (14) | 5 (11) | 21 (32) | 103(269) |
6 | Derek Tapscott | 1958–1965 | 79 (194) | 2 (9) | 3 (5) | 18 (25) | 102(234) |
7 | Jimmy Gill | 1920–1925 | 82 (184) | 12 (28) | 0 (0) | 7 (8) | 101(220) |
8 | John Toshack | 1966–1970 | 74 (162) | 1 (6) | 1 (6) | 24 (34) | 100(208) |
9 | Peter Whittingham | 2007–2017 | 85 (413) | 4 (18) | 5 (19) | 2 (7) | 96(457) |
10 | Hughie Ferguson | 1925–1929 | 77 (117) | 9 (13) | 0 (0) | 6 (9) | 92(139) |
Richard Peake scored 19 goals in Cardiff's first season in the Southern Football League. This list charts the top scoring season record for the club on the occasions it has been beaten or equalled. [13] [31]
Season | League | All matches |
---|---|---|
1910–11 | Richard Peake (17) | Richard Peake (19) |
1920–21 | Jimmy Gill (19) | Jimmy Gill (20) |
1921–22 | Jimmy Gill (21) | Len Davies (30) |
1923–24 | Len Davies (23) | |
1926–27 | Hughie Ferguson (26) | Hughie Ferguson (32) |
1931–32 | Jimmy McCambridge (26) | |
1946–47 | Stan Richards (30) | |
2002–03 | Robert Earnshaw (31) | Robert Earnshaw (35) |
No. | Name | Fee | Paid to | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Emiliano Sala [h] | £15m | Nantes | 19 January 2019 | [40] |
2= | Gary Medel | £11m | Sevilla | 10 August 2013 | [41] |
2= | Josh Murphy | £11m | Norwich City | 12 June 2018 | [42] |
4 | Bobby Reid | £10m | Bristol City | 28 June 2018 | [43] |
5 | Steven Caulker | £8m | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 July 2013 | [44] |
No. | Name | Fee | Paid by | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gary Medel | £10m | Inter Milan | 9 August 2014 | [45] |
2 | Steven Caulker | £8.5m | Queens Park Rangers | 22 July 2014 | [46] |
3 | Jordon Mutch | £6m | Queens Park Rangers | 5 August 2014 | [47] |
4= | Michael Chopra | £5m | Sunderland | 13 July 2007 | [48] |
4= | Roger Johnson | £5m | Birmingham City | 25 June 2009 | [49] |
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Cardiff City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as Riverside A.F.C., the club changed its name to Cardiff City in 1908 and entered the Southern Football League in 1910 before joining the English Football League in 1920. The team has spent 17 seasons in the top tier of English football, the longest period being between 1921 and 1929. Their most recent season in the top flight was the 2018–19 Premier League season.
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Cardiff City Football Club is a professional association football team based in Cardiff, Wales. The history of Cardiff City F.C. from 1899 to 1962 covers the club's founding, its move into the Southern Football League and its election to the Football League to the end of the 1961–62 season.
The 1920–21 season was the 20th year of competitive football played by Cardiff City F.C. and the team's first in the Football League. In a ballot by members of their new league, Cardiff were voted into the Second Division and won their first match 5–2 against Stockport County. Cardiff finished the season tied on points with first-placed Birmingham, with 58 of a possible 84 points. The winner was therefore decided via goal average, with Cardiff placing second by a margin of 0.235. The two sides were both promoted to the First Division.Cardiff also reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, becoming the first Welsh side to do so and keeping six consecutive clean sheets in the process. The team caused two upsets by defeating First Division sides Sunderland and Chelsea in the first and fourth rounds respectively. They were eliminated from the competition by fellow Second Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers, losing 3–1 in a replay at Old Trafford. In the Welsh Cup, Cardiff were the holders entering the competition but were eliminated in the third round by Pontypridd after a fixture clash with a league match against Bristol City forced them to field a reserve side.
The 1921–22 season was the 21st season of competitive football played by Cardiff City F.C. and the team's first in the First Division of The Football League. Cardiff had won promotion the previous season by finishing as runners-up in the Second Division, becoming the first Welsh team to reach the top tier of English football.
The 2001–02 FA Cup third-round association football match between Cardiff City and Leeds United was played at Ninian Park, Cardiff, on 6 January 2002. The visitors Leeds went into the match as strong favourites given the gulf in divisions that separated the two teams; Leeds were leading the Premier League at the time while Cardiff were placed 10th in the Second Division, the third tier and two tiers below their opposition. Leeds entered the FA Cup in the third round, receiving byes in the opening rounds as they participated in the Premier League, while Cardiff had won their first two ties to reach this stage of the competition.
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