Cardiff City and Wrexham bid to bring the opening weekend of the new Championship season to a spectacular end with a blockbuster Monday night showdown in south Wales. The Bluebirds face the Red Dragons in a league match for the first time in 24 years, after Cardiff secured a return to the second tier at the first attempt. In addition to the eyes of those across the south and north of Wales being transfixed on proceedings at Cardiff City Stadium, the contest will attract global attention.
"When the fixture came out everyone was instantly excited by it," said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson. "It's a Welsh derby and just a great game for both clubs to start." Those based in the city of Cardiff can already sense something different in the air. "I can't wait," said Parkinson's opposite number Brian Barry-Murphy.
"I suppose the length of the build-up means that, as you get closer, the excitement grows. "You can feel a real buzz in the city for the game and we're all looking forward to it." Three clubs, six derbies as Welsh rivals collide Hammers & Boro to go up? Championship club-by-club preview The worldwide buzz is far from the norm, and certainly a far cry from the most recent league meeting between the duo on 22 March 2002 - when goals from Scott Young, Peter Thorne and Danny Gabbidon earned the Bluebirds a 3-2 victory over the Red Dragons.
Just shy of 16,000 supporters were at Ninian Park on that occasion, and nearly double that amount will be in attendance at Cardiff City Stadium this time around, such is the anticipation for the fixture. The game will also be beamed to fans around the world, particularly in North America where Wrexham have become a household name, thanks largely to the success of their Welcome to Wrexham documentary. But current Cardiff head coach Barry-Murphy has zero interest in the fanfare brought to the party by the likes of Wrexham's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
Barry-Murphy's focus lies solely on satisfying the demands of those wearing blue in the Welsh capital, along with those of the club's Malaysian owner Vincent Tan. "The people in North America aren't relevant to me," said the Irishman. "With all due respect, the people of Cardiff are the only ones that matter to us.
"And obviously the people in Malaysia are your boss, so we're trying to impress him always and play for the supporters." Wrexham's growth, however, has been nigh-on impossible to ignore. Denis Smith - Wrexham boss for that 3-2 loss in the Welsh capital more than two decades ago - says having a team of the Red Dragons' stature in the north of the country is vital. "I understand the feeling for football in and around that area," the 78-year-old said on BBC Radio Wales Sport.
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