Story byCardiff midfielder Alex Robertson claimed his first goal of the season to clinch victory over Exeter [Huw Evans Picture Agency]BBCSun, December 28, 2025 at 11:24 AM UTC·3 min readAlex Robertson admits it was hard being a bit-part player for Cardiff City at the start of this season, but is delighted to be back in favour for Brian Barry-Murphy's promotion-chasers. The 22-year-old Australia midfielder was a first-team regular as the Bluebirds were relegated from the Championship last season, but up until 25 October had not played a single minute of this campaign. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSince returning to the fold, Robertson has been a regular throughout November and December - scoring his first goal of the season in Friday's crucial 1-0 win over Exeter City that kept Cardiff top of League One."It's been a while. You know, being back in and amongst everything has been really nice," he said."It was a tough period being out, but I just put my head down, tried working as hard as I can, and then now everything's coming positive, which is nice. And yeah, just playing as many games as I can, getting that match fitness back like I had when I was fully fit."Bayern target Lawlor 'should stay at Cardiff to play'Illness spreading 'quickly' through Cardiff City - Barry-MurphyRobertson was ruled out of the start of the campaign with a leg injury sustained during pre-season but, despite being available for selection, he was repeatedly left out of Cardiff's matchday squads. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBarry-Murphy - who also coached Robertson when he was part of Manchester City's age-group set-up - said during the player's exile he needed to match the "intensity" of his fellow midfielders. But leading up to Robertson's first selection of the season at the end of October, Barry-Murphy confirmed the player was "starting to meet those expectations, because I know he can do it". Robertson has since featured in 12 games in all competitions, and after claiming his first goal of the campaign spoke for the first time about a difficult period."Brian's the manager, he makes the decisions.