When news of his return to action with Torquay reached Ashurst, his former manager dispatched a scout to watch Dwyer. Ashurst immediately offered Dwyer a new contract with Cardiff which he quickly accepted and the turnaround concluded with Dwyer being named in the starting line up for Cardiff's opening match of the season against Wrexham. Cardiff lost the match 2–1, and Dwyer was dropped from the side. He remained on the sidelines for three weeks until his replacement, Keith Pontin, was also dropped after poor performances during a 4–0 defeat to Leyton Orient and a 3–2 defeat to Wigan Athletic. Dwyer returned to the starting line-up and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Walsall in his first game. Dwyer remained a mainstay of the side for the rest of the campaign as the club embarked on a strong run of form that ultimately ended in winning promotion back to the Second Division after finishing second. Although he often had to manage his training regime as his persistent knee injury limited his training time. The season was marred by an FA Cup upset defeat to non-league side Weymouth in which Dwyer was at fault for the winning goal after losing possession on the edge of his own penalty area.