The Lads went to south Wales and brought back a point, but it could and should have been so different. A point away from home is reckoned to be a good return, but not today it wasn't.
Against ten men for an hour, we managed 71% possession and 25 shots - but apparently only three were on target. I remember just the one in the second half as we virtually camped around their box. Has "finding a way" without a forward last season taken away our ability or inclination to play with one? A goal-less affair was celebrated by the home fans - and their pathetic drum - like a 7-0 win over Cardiff.
A daft o'clock start in the dark and a super quick bus, complete with full- on rave at half six, had us in Port Talbot before noon only for Spoons to dey us entry because of the recent antics of Birmingham's fans. We managed refreshment elsewhere before hitting the something dot com stadium and watched the pink-clad Lads line up:
Patterson
Hume Ballard O'Nien (c) Huggins
Neil Ekwah
Roberts Bellingham Clarke
Rusyn
..and a bench of Bishuuurrrp, Dack, Pritchard, Ba, Cirkin, Hemir, Burstow, Ouachiche, and Young.
After a poignant rendition of the Last Post, we kicked off away from our fans and were immediately on top. The home side seemed content not to concede as we spread the ball left and right with Roberts and Clarke the repeated recipients. We got it to Bellingham, who fed Rusyn and, while it was down the other end and therefore a long way away, it looked like Nasty slipped as he shot - meaning the ball whizzed way over. Ah well, early days, and another chance like that would surely end up in the Swans' net.
Promising stuff, and we fired wide twice more before Ekwah was felled in nasty fashion. Another couple of nice moves ended with us shooting off target before Rusyn was booked for being hit with a free kick he had no chance of getting out if the way of, then Clarke had one saved before he found Roberts on the other side - only for their keeper to palm the low shot into the foot if the post and away. More corners followed before another naughty one on Ekwah brought a second yellow for Patino.
That really miffed the home fans, to such an extent that their bloody drummer actually changed his rhythm for a brief moment. Please Sunderland - don't ever go down the percussion route. We can sing, and I thought the Welsh could. Apparently not without help.
The rest of the half was basically us trying to press forward and their keeper and defence dealing with things, and while that wasn't what we wanted, we'd take 0-0 away from home at the break. Ah, but...a lucky Swans corner when a dropping ball came off Ekwahs head brought a penalty as three added minutes were announced. Their man tried all the jinky, poncing about run-up, Patto maintained his concentration and dived to his right to save. Well done, Anth, but it would have been a travesty has they gone ahead - we even had time to win a corner on our right, and a free 25 yards out when Rusyn was flattened. With Swansea employing the "draught excluder" man behind the wall, Clarke fired high and it bounced off the bar
0-0 at the break, by some miracle. No changes for us but one for them. If the first half was a tad in our favour possession-wise, the second half was ridiculously so. Having said that - shots on target are what bring goals.
When we won a free a yard outside the box, for some reason O'9 took it and almost hit me in row N - Roberts, Clarke, and Hume were there to try- Ha'way man, Luke, you're many things, but not a free-kick scorer.
Ten minutes into the half, Dack, Hemir, and Pritch were on for Rusyn, Bellingham, and Huggins as we have up defending the Swans' non-existent attack and went for broke. Unfortunately, we got no more shots on target and were scratching our heads when a Clarke shot hit a defender in the box - hands and pretend to be hurt to avoid a penalty or face and genuinely hurt is still up for debate - but the ref gave a drop ball to Swansea! I've still no idea how that decision came about. Anyway, as we went sort of 3-4-2-1 Roberts and Clarke were given acres of space out wide but couldn't find the head or foot of anyone in the box, so we brought on Ba for Neil and Cirkin for Ballard and tried 2-3-4-1.
There was lots of pretty stuff approaching the box, we fired just wide of either post, saw Ba's effort from a narrow angle hit the top of the bar, and their keeper to tip another over. Eventually, their right back got a yellow for wasting time near his own corner flag - how about the keeper, ref? and we fired shots here, there, and anywhere but between the sticks. In the sux added minutes Hume was fouled just outside the box but we but the top of the wall to win a corner on the right, then another on the left - but both were dealt with defensively.
0-0, their drummer and his/her mates celebrated like St David's Day, we rightfully bemoaned our inability to work to socks off their keeper.
Still, we didn't lose, and Bishop beat Tow Law 12-0. Man of the Match? Loads of the ball for wide men Clarke and Roberts, but no end product. Sound defensive stuff from Ballard and both fullbacks, but purely for doing his job and saving the penalty that would have probably given three points to a thoroughly undeserving home side, it has to be Patto.
Please, Tony - find a way to get our front line players to make the keeper work.
