Willock scores hat-trick as Cardiff beat Forest Green
- Published
Chris Willock scored a first-half hat-trick as Cardiff City thumped National League side Forest Green Rovers 5-1 in their penultimate pre-season fixture.
Midfielder Willock scored from the penalty spot to complete his hat-trick and put the Bluebirds 5-0 up at half-time.
Wales international Isaak Davies opened the scoring on eight minutes and Cardiff were 4-0 up after 24 minutes, with Yousuf Salech also scoring.
Willock was withdrawn at the break before Robbie Savage's Forest Green pulled one back, and Cardiff introduced five youngsters, including 16-year-old Noah Anyadike.
Rubin Colwill, Perry Ng, Callum Chambers, Cian Ashford and Dylan Lawlor were not named in the squad by manager Brian Barry-Murphy.
Eli King, who spent most of last season out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and last played in August 2025, made the bench.
Cardiff finish their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Italian giants AS Roma on Saturday, 1 August (15:00 BST).
Their 2026-27 campaign starts with a home Carabao Cup tie against Swindon Town on Saturday, 8 August (15:00 BST) and they host Wrexham in the Championship on Monday, 17 August (20:00 BST).
