Swansea City aim to prove there are the high noon specialists when they visit Bristol City for another midday kick-off on Saturday. Having beaten rivals Cardiff City, 2-0, last Sunday, the Swans have already proved themselves top dogs in Wales and now they are anxious to take a bite out of their second-nearest neighbours in the West Country. Russell Martin’s side have established an astonishing dominance in the South Wales derby with three consecutive victories against the Bluebirds, and six wins out of the last eight meetings, during which they have scored 15 goals to the Bluebirds’ one.

Russell Martin has revealed he warned his players not to lose their heads before the South Wales derby because he believed a bare-knuckle scrap would suit Cardiff City more than Swansea. The Swans head coach insisted on cool heads prior to the club’s 2-0 victory on Sunday, which was another one-sided encounter from the moment Bluebirds striker Callum Robinson was sent off in the seventh minute. Martin – like his opposite number Mark Hudson – was at a loss to explain Robinson’s decision to throw the ball into the face of Ben Cabango from point blank range, but said he had  issued his own messages before kick-off.

Russell Martin was a Braveheart Scotland international and it’s bravery that his Swansea City defender Harry Darling reckons will prove decisive in the Welsh derby against Cardiff City this Sunday. Current Swans head coach Martin hails from Brighton and hardly fits the mould as a rugged, thistle-clad no-nonsense Scottish defender, but it’s not physical bravery that Darling is talking about. As a player, Martin was a more of a thinker than a thumper and his coaching buzzwords of “courage” and “bravery” are not about sticking your head in where it hurts.

Mark Hudson insists Cardiff City’s minds are on their midweek trip to Queens Park Rangers, rather than the looming derby at Swansea City Hudson suffered his first defeat in caretaker charge of the Bluebirds at the weekend – a 1-0 home defeat to bottom-placed club Coventry City. It leaves Cardiff back in 18th position, five points above the relegation zone but still only four adrift of the play-off places in a congested mid-table.

Perry Ng used to throw up before matches – but now he only feels sick if Cardiff City don’t win. There are no more sleepless nights before games, or vomiting in the dressing room ahead of kick-off, for the Bluebirds defender. When he was coming through the ranks at Crewe in League Two, Ng used to have nightmares about the giants he would have to face the next day, but those early years in the lower ranks toughened him up.

Swansea City, Cardiff City and Newport County fans could be able to watch their teams perform live on their screens every Saturday afternoon within a couple of seasons. Lifting the Saturday 3pm blackout is one option the English Football League could consider in the sale of its next television and media rights. The league confirmed on Wednesday it had issued a Request For Proposal (RFP), inviting interested broadcasters and media companies to come forward and suggest new ways of presenting the league on television and streaming platforms from the 2024-25 season, when its current deal with Sky Sports expires.

Sheyi Ojo believes Cardiff City are now proving they carry a variety of threats to opposition teams as they continue to climb the Championship table. Ojo came off the substitutes’ bench to score one of the Bluebirds’ three goals as they won 3-1 at Wigan to continue caretaker manager Mark Hudson’s impressive and unbeaten start in charge. Goals from Callum Robinson, Ojo and Ryan Wintle ensured Cardiff continued their recent resurgence, meaning Hudson’s side are now up to 10th in the Championship table and just three points off the play-offs.

Ollie Cooper is counting down the days to seeing his father Kevin again – and hopes to make it a bad day for his old man’s former club. Cooper scored Swansea City’s first goal in their 2-1 win at home to Sunderland at the weekend, a result which reinforced the Swans’ growing ascendancy as promotion candidates as well as the 22-year-old midfielder’s rapid personal progress as a vital cog in the white machine. It was a first league goal for the club and afterwards dad Kevin was soon on the phone from Malaysia to hear all about it.

Andy Rinomhota is hoping his new-found form at Cardiff City could eventually lead to him fulfilling his international dreams. The 25-year-old Leeds-born midfielder has quickly become a key cog in the new look Bluebirds side since joining from Reading in the summer. Having helped to deliver four points from the first two games in charge by interim boss Mark Hudson, Rinomhota is now hoping to add three more at Wigan on Saturday.

By Gareth James Mark Hudson has revealed he told match-winning Cardiff City striker Mark Harris to make sure he was ready to answer his club’s call. Caretaker boss Hudson left Harris on the bench for Tuesday’s clash at home to Blackburn Rovers – but with instructions to make a big impact when he came on. […]

Rubin Colwill is facing a fight to prove his readiness to go to the World Cup with Wales next month. The Cardiff City striker is set to miss two more Bluebirds games this week after a freak training accident ruled him out of last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Burnley. Interim boss Mark Hudson confirmed the Qatar hopeful won’t feature in Tuesday night’s home game against Blackburn Rovers and unless he gets back on the grass this week won’t feature at Wigan this weekend.

Mark Hudson believes he has put some fight back into Cardiff City. The caretaker Bluebirds manager was pleased with his team’s response as they gained a point after Callum Robinson headed a last-minute equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw against Burnley. It was Hudson’s first game as temporary boss since replacing sacked Steve Morison, following defeat to Huddersfield just before the international break and Hudson said:  “I really enjoyed that – you saw fight and togetherness against what I think is the best team in the league.