Rubin Colwill: Calls grow for Cardiff City to give Wales midfielder central role

After scoring for his country for the first time, Rubin Colwill came up with a novel way to describe Brennan Johnson's assist.

Johnson may well find himself compared to the cartoon character Road Runner for some time as a result. Certainly, the 20-year-old Nottingham Forest forward has made plenty of strides in a breakthrough year at Championship level which has seen him tipped for the Premier League.

Yet after that maiden international goal, can Colwill now replicate Johnson's progress at club level?

Whereas Johnson has made 36 appearances for play-off chasing Forest, Colwill has been restricted to just 12 starts for Cardiff City.

And though Colwill has caught the eye, whether it be with his FA Cup performance at Liverpool that saw Jurgen Klopp make a post-match beeline for the youngster, or his recent free-kick at Queens Park Rangers, his place in the Cardiff team has been far from guaranteed.

With Cardiff now safe from relegation worries, there are calls for Colwill to be given his chance on a more regular basis.

"I'm always impressed with him - but it was a really good performance that will boost his confidence," former Wales and Cardiff striker Nathan Blake told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"I just hope when he goes back to his club, the manager gives him that confidence to go on because the boy can produce absolute wonders.

"I don't like to see this clipping of wings with young players. He's a good size, a good stature, can score goals. You have to play him - let him play."

Cardiff manager Steve Morison - himself a former Wales international - has previously called for patience over Colwill, pointing to the way in which Pep Guardiola slowly built up England's Phil Foden at Manchester City.

• Rob Page praises Wales youngsters after Czechs draw to prepare for 'massive' June
• Gareth Bale: Real Madrid forward's future rests on Wales' World Cup fate

Colwill's best run of consecutive starts - four - came last October, with the majority of his appearances coming from the bench. Headlines have not always been made, suggesting there is still need for development.

Yet Colwill's display as he won a fourth Wales cap on Tuesday night will have done little to quench the appetite of those who want to see more of the Neath-born talent.

"Where Cardiff are in the league, they're safe now, why not take a punt on him?" said Wales striker Tash Harding.

"Give him those extra minutes because he has shown he has great talent on the international stage."

Another former Wales international, Joe Ledley, was full of praise for Colwill's "brilliant, cool" finish, though he did suggest there is work to be done as the teenager looks to perfect the same kind of runs Aaron Ramsey has profited from during his international career.

There is an argument that one problem for Colwill may be pinning down where he is best suited to develop, as was the case with Ramsey in his early days.

"For me he's a link-up player, not a back-to-goal player," Harding added. "He is better in a No.10 role facing goal, where he's in the pockets linking with other players. That's when you see the true Rubin Colwill.

"For me Cardiff have a true gem on their hands and, if they're not careful, someone else will snap him up and unlock that potential Cardiff have got under their nose."

Blake expects Colwill's potential to be fulfilled at the highest level.

"I can see him at a top club - a top four or five team," he said. "He has a football intelligence. He is a smooth player, he does and sees things other players do not.

"So just keep playing him. If he can come and produce this kind of performance at international level, you can't tell me he's not good enough for the Championship."

Colwill's first goal at the Cardiff City Stadium will whet the appetite of Bluebirds fans, especially ahead of Saturday's south Wales derby, when Swansea City aim to complete a league double for the first time in the fixture's history.

Colwill admitted after the Czech Republic draw he would be happy with more of the same this weekend.

But the bigger aim - as is the case with so many of the young players in Robert Page's side on Tuesday night - is to be part of Wales' play-off final against Scotland or Ukraine, and potentially a World Cup this winter.

That is all down the road. Fans of Wales and Cardiff alike will be hoping that by then, Colwill is keeping pace in the challenge to fulfil his potential.

• LEGENDS OF WELSH SPORT: Game changers who revolutionised their sports and their country
• FEAST OF FOOTBALL: Chew over the week's football with Elis James