For five years, Joe Bennett embodied so much of what Cardiff City fans loved about that Neil Warnock era.
Honest, wholehearted, fiercely committed and no shortage of class in that left foot, Bennett became a fan favourite during one of the most memorable periods in the club’s recent history, helping the Bluebirds win promotion to the Premier League in 2018 before battling through a dramatic top-flight campaign and eventual relegation.
Now 36, his playing days look very different.
Mondays are spent starring in the Baller League alongside former pros and internet personalities. Weekends are for non-league football with Walton & Hersham, just around the corner from his family home. In between, he coaches youngsters through his own academy.
But mention Cardiff and it is immediately obvious what the club still means to him.
“The five years I spent at Cardiff were the most enjoyable of my career,” Bennett tells WalesOnline.
“I just have massive fond memories of Cardiff and I think that’ll always be the case.
“It was disappointing we couldn’t stay in the Premier League because there were just a few games that went against us.
“But Cardiff is a massive club and I’m just really happy they’re back in the Championship because they’re far too big for League One.”
That promotion-winning side under Warnock remains one of the most adored Cardiff teams of the modern era. Bennett still laughs recalling the celebrations.
“They’re probably still drunk now!” he jokes when asked about the current squad’s promotion party under Brian Barry-Murphy.
“No, we had a really good go of it for a few weeks. I still remember it like it was yesterday, which is crazy because it was eight years ago now.”
The bonds forged in that dressing room remain strong, too, and talking about the late Sol Bamba still clearly means a lot to Bennett.
“Sol was just someone you could rely on. An absolute leader and such a nice guy,” he says.
“He had time for everyone, whether it was football or life in general.
“What he did for Cardiff means he’ll always be a legend in the eyes of the fans. He epitomised what we were as a team. Massive leader, unbelievable defender and it was nice playing alongside him because if I got beaten, you always knew Sol had your back.
“That was true on and off the pitch. Just really fond memories of Sol.”
Yet while Bennett’s love for Cardiff remains undimmed, there is still a lingering pain about how his time at the club came to an end in 2021.
After making 177 appearances and giving everything to the cause, he admits he expected his story in south Wales to finish differently.
Talks were held about a new deal, but then, at 30, he suffered an ACL injury in the March of 2021. He would never play again for the Bluebirds.
“I still have thoughts about how it could’ve ended a bit better from the club’s point of view,” he says candidly.
“I think I was still in my prime when I got injured. It was just an unfortunate injury and I did everything I could to get back fit. Maybe things would’ve been different under a different manager.
"I think if Warnock had still been there, I probably would’ve stayed another couple of years.
“I just remember Mick McCarthy telling me the club weren’t going to offer me anything. I found that disappointing after everything I’d gone through there.
“I’d played around 180 games and given everything to the club, so I thought maybe there would be a chance of another contract.
“I was gutted leaving because Cardiff was one of those clubs where you imagine yourself staying until the end of your career.”
It hurt even more because a deal had been on the table before injury struck.
“They’d actually offered me a deal before I got injured — it was only a one-year extension — but I just wanted a bit more security because my partner had just had our child,” he explains.
“I wasn’t asking for more money or anything like that, I just hoped for two years. But while those talks were happening, I got injured and then the offer was basically off the table.
“I don’t have a bad word to say about anyone at the club and maybe if they had that time again, they’d do things differently.”
Crucially, though, it has not soured his affection for Cardiff.
“If I could do it again, I would’ve loved to finish my career at Cardiff," he says. "My kids loved it there, my wife loved it there and we still come back now and again because we’ve got friends there.
“It’s just a place we love as a family and I think that’ll always be the case.”
Bennett has watched from afar as Cardiff bounced back from relegation to League One by storming to promotion this season under Barry-Murphy, and he sees plenty of reasons for optimism.
“Brian’s come in and absolutely smashed it, so it’s been really enjoyable,” he says.
“It’s a good young team and they’ve done really well.
“A lot of the players were coming through when I was there — Joel Bagan, Isaak Davies — and then I know lads like Callum Robinson too. It’s a really good mix and the youngsters have done brilliantly.”
Bagan in particular catches Bennett’s eye, having watched the left-back develop from academy prospect into a key first-team figure.
“Yeah, definitely,” Bennett says when asked whether he saw this potential in him.
“He was still young when I was there, so he had to develop physically and learn the position properly, but he’s done that really well.
“Every time you watch him he’s solid — a bit like me, really, like a seven or eight out of 10 every week.
“He’s adapted really well and hopefully he can kick on again next season. He’s a really nice lad as well, so I’m really happy for him.”
As for what Cardiff need next, Bennett believes experience will be vital if they are to re-establish themselves in the Championship.
“Probably a little bit more experience,” he says. “The young boys deserve their chance because they’ve done so well, but the Championship is all about experience.
“You need leaders in the dressing room — players who know the league and can guide the younger lads through it.
“If they add a couple of leaders, I think they’ll do alright next season and hopefully stay in the league.”
And in the longer term?
“Cardiff is such a massive club,” he says.
“They should be in the Premier League or at least pushing at the top end of the Championship every year. The fans deserve that because they’ve had some poor seasons where it’s been hard to know the direction of the club.
“Hopefully now they can build under this manager, add a few players and push on.”
Away from Cardiff, Bennett’s own football journey has taken some unlikely turns.
After leaving Oxford United last summer, he found himself in non-league football with Walton & Hersham while waiting for opportunities higher up the pyramid.
Then came an agonising twist.
“I went in at Charlton because I know Nathan Jones from when I was on loan at Brighton,” he explains.
“They offered me something, but it just wasn’t quite right.
“So I just wanted to keep fit and Walton said, ‘Why don’t you play a couple of games?’
“Then another Championship club came in because they’d had an injury at left-back and wanted to sign me, but it came back from the FA that because I’d played for a semi-pro side, Walton, I couldn’t sign for another club until January.
“It literally killed me because I didn’t realise semi-pro football would affect professional football like that.”
By January, the moment had passed.
“There were a couple of things that came up, but I would’ve had to move the family and I didn’t want to do that because of the kids and school.”
Instead, Bennett unexpectedly stumbled into a new footballing chapter through the Baller League, the six-a-side tournament aired on Sky Sports on Monday nights.
Baller Leaguer blends traditional football with entertainment, featuring 30-minute matches, "Gamechanger" rule twists, and teams managed by celebrities, influencers, and famous footballing faces like Micah Richards, Ian Wright and Jens Lehmann, for whom Bennett plays in the 'N5' team.
“I was in Dubai doing a bit of coaching and I got a message on Instagram asking if I fancied it,” he says.
“Honestly, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made football-wise. It’s just really enjoyable and I’ve scored 11 in seven, which is crazy.”
Interestingly, though, he is no longer a left-back.
“I’ve been playing as an eight, centre-mid, which is nice because I can get forward!” he says of his outings for Walton & Hersham.
“For the last 15 or 16 years, my identity has been left-back.
“But growing up playing street football and six-a-side at school, I was always more of a striker or creative player. Now I’ve had the chance to play there as an adult and it’s just felt really natural.”
His children, meanwhile, are more impressed by dad becoming a Baller League regular than they ever were by Premier League football.
“The kids are loving it because they’re not bothered about professional football — they’re bothered that dad’s in Baller League now.”
Still, despite embracing this new chapter, Bennett insists he has not entirely closed the door on a return to the professional game.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve given up,” he says.
“If something comes around, you never know. I still feel really fit and because I’ve looked after myself over the years, I still feel good enough to play at a higher level if needed.
“But when you get to my age, it becomes more about your family.
“If something came up around the area, then maybe.”
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