Shared Shirts | Bluebirds and Owls
Our 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship campaign continues on Saturday, as we welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Cardiff City Stadium.
Numerous players have played for both the Bluebirds and the Owls throughout the years. We take a look at three who left their mark on both clubs.
Alan Warboys
Hailing from Yorkshire, striker Warboys started his career at Doncaster Rovers, before making the move over to the blue and white side of Sheffield at the age of 19.
He spent two seasons in the Steel City, scoring 13 goals in 79 games, but his scoring antics sadly couldn’t save Wednesday from the drop in 1970. As a result, Warboys made the move to South Wales to join the Bluebirds.
There was a lot of pressure on Warboys’ shoulders, as he was brought in to be the replacement for legendary striker John Toshack, who had left Ninian Park to join Liverpool. Alan's debut came against Sheffield Wednesday of all teams; he put his former side to the sword by bagging a brace.
There were numerous stand-out moments in Warboys’ first season at Ninian Park. Doubles followed against Portsmouth and Swindon Town, and he also scored all four goals in a win against Carlisle United.
In 17 league games, Warboys scored an impressive tally of 13 goals in his first season. He would score 15 goals in all competitions the following year before moving back to Sheffield, this time heading to Bramall Lane to join Wednesday's arch rivals.
Glenn Loovens
The towering centre back arrived at Cardiff City on loan from Dutch club Feyenoord in 2005, and made an instant impression in the First Team. After his loan spell, Dave Jones opted to buy Loovens on a permanent basis.
During his time at Ninian Park, the Dutchman built formidable partnerships with Darren Purse and Roger Johnson, becoming a key cog in Jones' system.
Along with being a tough tackling defender, Loovens also had a knack of finding the back of the net. One example was a headed effort in the 2008 FA Cup Final, which would have drawn City level with Portsmouth, but was controversially ruled out.
Loovens made his 100th appearance for the Bluebirds at the start of the 2008/09 season against Southampton, before soon joining Celtic.
After a couple of seasons in Glasgow, Loovens returned to the Championship, signing for Sheffield Wednesday. During his time with the Owls, Loovens was appointed club captain and guided his team to two straight Play-Off appearances.
Callum Paterson
After beginning his career at Hearts, Paterson made the move to the Welsh capital at the start of the 2017/18 season. Bluebirds fans had to wait for Patto to appear in the First Team after arriving in South Wales with an injury, but what an impact he made.
Originally signed as a marauding full-back, Neil Warnock moved the Scottish international into midfield and eventually up front, with the Bluebirds boss calling Paterson 'irreplaceable'.
Paterson scored ten goals in his first season, helping the Bluebirds reach the Premier League for the second time in their history. The Scot netted four times in the top flight, including winners against Fulham and Southampton at CCS. The Bluebirds faithful will always remember Paterson’s exuberant celebrations and the clear joy he had while playing for the club.
After one final season in the Championship with City, Paterson made the move to Hillsborough in 2020. The utility player helped Wednesday win promotion back to the Championship last season, and is sure to be warmly welcomed by City fans on Saturday.
