Bluebirds & Millers | Five Familiar Faces

As the Bluebirds prepare to welcome Rotherham United to Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday afternoon, we take a look at five players to have represented both clubs.

Ronnie Moore

Liverpool-born Moore joined the Bluebirds from Tranmere Rovers in 1979, spending just a single year at Ninian Park before moving to Millmoor.

During his time in the Welsh capital, Moore scored six goals in 56 appearances, as City finished 15th in the Second Division table.

The striker went on to become a Rotherham United hero, scoring 52 goals in a three-year spell with the Millers, leading them to the top of the Third Division table.

Moore returned to Rotherham as manager in 1997, leading United from Division Three into Division One. Another spell followed between 2009 and 2011, where he was assisted by ex-Cardiff City boss, Jimmy Mullen. 

Leo Fortune-West

Having accumulated a total of 64 appearances across two spells with the Millers, the striker made the switch to City in 2000.

Playing in 37 league matches throughout his debut season at Ninian Park, Fortune-West's most memorable appearance in a City shirt that season was his remarkable hat-trick against York City, securing a return to the Second Division in a 3-3 draw at Bootham Crescent.

During a memorable campaign, the striker scored 13 goals from 41 appearances, becoming a real fans’ favourite at Ninian Park.

He would later go on to score City’s second goal in their Play-Off Semi-Final first-leg match against Stoke City that campaign, which finished as a 2–1 away victory in April 2002.

Alan Lee

Lee first joined the Millers in November 2000, and netted 15 goals in 35 games during his first season at the club. Continuing his fine goalscoring form, he scored the late winner against Brentford which sealed a famous promotion for the Millers.

He remained a key figure in South Yorkshire in the First Division, scoring ten goals in 41 games in 2001/02, and finding the net 16 times in 44 appearances the following season.

After impressing City manager Lennie Lawrence in a goalless draw on the opening day of the season, Lee made the switch to City for a fee of £850,000 in August 2003.

However, with his spell at Ninian Park largely affected by injury, the forward would only go on to make 86 appearances for the club, netting 10 goals.

Danny Ward

Ward became a Bluebird following Rotherham United’s relegation from the Championship in 2017, making his City debut in a 1-0 away win over Burton Albion on the opening day of the 2017/18 campaign.

The striker went on to become an integral part of City’s forward line, scoring his first goal for the club in a vital 1-1 draw with Fulham, and was part of the side that were promoted to the Premier League in 2017/18.

Amassing a total of 69 appearances for the Bluebirds during his time in the Welsh capital, Ward netted a memorable first Premier League goal for the club in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Arsenal, before going on to join Huddersfield Town, his current club, in 2020.

Will Vaulks

Impressing in his early days at Rotherham United, Vaulks caught the attention of the Bluebirds and joined City in 2019.

Vaulks netted a memorable City goal against Blackburn Rovers on July 7th, 2020. Receiving the ball wide and on the edge of the area, Vaulks chipped keeper Christian Walton and into the net at the far post.

Playing a key part in the Bluebirds’ path to the Play-Offs at the end of that season, Vaulks was acknowledged for his efforts with the club’s Goal of the Season Award - an award that he would pick up for a second time the following year, thanks to a sweet strike from inside his own half against Brentford on Boxing Day, 2020.

Over the course of his three-year stint in South Wales, Vaulks made a total of 117 appearances for City, scoring a penalty against Birmingham City in his final CCS appearance.