 In the first round of the competition, Alston became the first Australian player to score in a European competition when he scored in a 1–0 victory over Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi on 15 September 1976.After helping the club win promotion to Division Two, scoring the goal that confirmed promotion in a 1–0 victory over Bury, he struggled to reproduce his form the following year and left Cardiff to play in the NASL for Tampa Bay Rowdies.Alston later stated that he enjoyed playing for Cardiff more than any club in his career and had only chosen to accept Tampa's offer due to the money offered to him.