Rushden 1 Swansea 1

'From The Living Room' A new Famous Five feature for a cold night when they didn't want to drive 360 miles.

One of the dreaded away trips to an in form club proved to be more fruitful than almost any fan could have hoped. With several predicting a heavy defeat, the point we earned tonight is a definite bonus which provided we make the most of the next home game against Darlington on Tuesday, and other remaining 'must win' games, might prove vital at the end of the season.

Martinez came in for Mumford, and the team started as follows:

We took the lead on 15 minutes through Nugent's head, in a carbon copy of his goal against Lincoln, with Britton again the supplier of a superb cross.

Five minutes later it should have been 2-0, but Nugent's second was disallowed for a foul by Thomas, given by the linesman, not the referee despite the latter being in a far better position to judge the incident. Nugent's finishing was nevertheless excellent, and he seems to be a natural goal scorer; something we really need to make the most of.

A couple of scares at the other end of the field, with Roger missing a cross, and a couple of shots on target, were clear indications of R&D's abilities, but they were not having the comfortable ride that they might have expected from a visit by the bottom club.

We took the game to them for good periods, and through closing down their players quickly, limited their chances of building too many good scoring opportunities.

The second half started in similar fashion, but as the game went on, we looked more and more likely to be pegged back at some stage, and in the 71st minutes, Hall equalised with a glancing header from just outside the 6 yard box. It was a good goal, but he was unchallenged despite Tate standing alongside him, and we really need the two central defenders to be more aggressive in defence than that.

Once they had equalised, the game pattern changed, and we were under severe pressure at times, without necessarily looking like conceding another goal. We did not help ourselves by adopting a deeper midfield position, and we tended to allow them far more space than we were in the first half when the midfield were further forward.

Our substitutions with O'Leary on for Howard and Durkan on for Williams made little difference, and the third of Watkin for Thomas was only a couple of minutes from full time. In that couple of minutes though, Watkin did manage to clearly show us what he couldn't do, although we're not too sure that the player he replaced could have done it tonight either.

This was a battling performance overall, and one which thoroughly deserved the point. If the midfield can remain intact, we now have players with confidence and some with years of experience who seem capable of controlling the game, and this must give the rest of the team the confidence to chase all the points from any game we take part in. A few unexpected away points from games like this will help our cause no end.

As to individual performances, keeping the R&D attack at bay (despite their 15 shots) earns the defence credit, although some of the clearances and judgement of both Smith and Tate gave cause for concern. Britton was outstanding throughout, and Martinez is clearly a skilled player. Johnrose is a battler, without standing out from the crowd. The midfield mix is good now, so we must start to show results on the back of this, as we have been blaming the make up of this part of the team for many of our failings to date.

Thomas seems no more of a striker than Watkin at the moment, and were it not for his chasing and closing down of opponents, he would not have earned the mark we have given him. Nugent is cumbersome at times, but can finish, so all we need is for people to keep putting the ball in his direction near to goal.

This was an encouraging performance and a great result.

• Freestone – 6 – Poor distribution helped to put us under late pressure.
• Evans – 6 – Still struggling, but a better game than of late.
• Tate – 7 – Good game, but left Hall to have a free header for goal.
• Smith – 7 – Solid game against an awkward opponent in Lowe.
• Howard – 6 - Looked a bit better than in recent games.
• Johnrose – 7 – Battled well in midfield – if he stays, Reid and Phillips won't feature again for a while.
• Britton – 9 – Superb, gave 100%.
• Martinez – 8 – Looks a classy addition to midfield, and on this showing, Mumford can put his feet up for a few weeks too.
• Williams – 6 – Still doesn't seem to believe in himself
• Nugent – 7 – Took his goal(s) really well.
• Durkan – 5 – Never really added anything in the time he was on.
• O'Leary – 5 – as above
• Watkin – Luckily not on long enough to judge.

For those who may have missed it, one of the Famous Five was interviewed this week by Radio Five Live for a feature on the Swans over the past 20 years. It was broadcast today at 12.40. They had wanted a genuine fan that had followed the team throughout all the highs and lows, and it was good to hear Giggsy giving his usual balanced views on events at the Vetch, past and present. Others interviewed included Roger Freestone, Brian Flynn and Leighton James, so Nigel was in good company, and gave an excellent interview.

Well done Giggsy.

Rushden 1 Swansea 1

The Swans can stay up! That was our conclusion and that of many of the Jack faithful who turned up at Nene Park this afternoon. For us this was our first venture to see the Swans since the birth of our daughter Carys three months ago, and we even took her with us to celebrate the occasion (thanks to all those who welcomed her to the fold). We feared that her first game would be marked by a sound hammering, but we were delighted with the response of the team, who showed tremendous commitment and a positive attitude, rewarding us with a well earned point.

We had missed the buzz of follwing the Swans, but once we had identified all the unfamiliar faces in the line-up we were soon back into it. The Swans lined with in a 4-3-3 with Freestone in goal, Howard and Evans as the left and right full backs,and Tate and Smith in the centre of defence. The midfield comprised Johnrose, Martinez and Britton, with Williams and Thomas either side of Nugent up front.

It was a formation that worked well from the off, and the Swans started brightly with some fluent passing through the midfield, and intelligent link play from Nugent. But it was still the enterprising home side that created the first opportunities - a header from the intimidating Onandi Lowe which went straight to Freestone, and a penalty claim from the same player when tackled by Smith.

But the Swans responded with some well worked moves, inspired mainly by the weaving and tenacious forward running of Britton, whose long range effort on 12 minutes was the first test for Turley in the home goal. On 15 minutes the adventurous start from the Swans paid dividends when, after a period of presure, we forged a fine goal. Brittain surged past two defenders into the penalty area, before clipping a fine cross on to the head of Nugent, who finished well from 8 yards. A well deserved lead from a team that looked transformed from the Tuesday debacle, and anything but a bottom of the league side. Indeed, 5 minutes later we almost doubled our lead when the energetic Johnrose burst into the penalty area from midfield and attempted to dink the ball over the advancing Turley into an open net, only for the home keeper to make a smart save.

Rushden seemed bouyed up by this shock start from their visitors, and gradually began to assert themselves, mainly through the robust presence of Lowe, and the excellent wing play of Paul Hall. Indeed, they should have equalised on 24 minutes when a low cross found its way at the far post to Lowe, who contirved to fluff his shot from point blank range. But the Swans continued to play well, rebutting everything the home side could throw at them with some effective aerial play from Smith and Tate. On 27 minutes there was pivotal moment. Williams provided a low cross to Nugent in the 6 yard box; he turned his defender brilliantly before finishing clinically from close range. The Swans fans were celebrating before noticing that the linesman had inexplicably disallowed the goal. Perhaps those watching on Sky could add some explanation.

The rest of the half was fairly even. Lowe went close with a fierce drive, and Bignot volleyed over from 10 yards, whilst Nugent went close for the Swans. The half time conclusion was that we looked every bit as much a promotion side as they did. But could we sustain it?

The expected 20 minute onslaught in the second half never really came. In fact the Swans started the second period the brighter, with a good effort coming from Britton on 55 minutes - his low shot going just wide. But as the half wore on it became clear that our industrious midfield was running out of steam, mainly because Johnrose and Martinez seemed to be struggling for match fitness. We began to drop deeper, and gaps started appearing in our defence, particularly on our left side where Howard was being left incrasingly exposed.

Consequently, there was a constant stream of excellently delivered crosses into our box, and despite the excellent efforts of Smith and Tate to head everything in sight, it was inevitable Rushden would make one count. They duly obliged on 70 minutes when, ironically, the master of the crosses, Paul Hall, got his own head on one to steer the ball past Freestone.

There followed a short period of tremendous pressure, when the Swans seemed to have lost their way completely. But to their immense credit, they regained their composure, dug deep, and restricted the home side to a few long range efforts (although Stuart Wardley will be disappointed that his snap shot on 77 minutes did not find the target). Ultimately, it was a backs to the wall job, but this earned us a well deserved point, which builds on the excellent win last week.

• Player ratings:
  
• Freestone - 7 Very steady
• Howard - 7 Battled hard against a talented opponent
• Evans - 8 Did exceptionally well to shore up the right side.
• Tate - 8 Sharp and strong
• Smith - 8 Led by example, and terrific in the air against Lowe.
• Martinez 7 - showed some good touches and a lot of promise
• Johnrose - 7 Could be the tenacious midfielder we need, but faded in the later stages
• Britton - 9 Transformed from Tuesday. Some gerat running and an excellent assist for the goal
• Williams - 7 Battled gamely and set up what should have been the winner
• Thomas - 6 Battled hard but struggled to fashion a chance for himself
• Nugent - 8 Great hold up play and fine goal, but had to drop deep in the second half to cover the flagging midfield

• O'Leary (for Howard) - 6 Got stuck in at right back when Howard was injured
• Durkin (for Williams) - 6 Hugged the touchline but had little service
• Watkin - Thrown on late to hold the play up - missed a great chance in injury time but was penalised for a foul anyway.

Make no mistake, Rushden are a good side with a sound game plan and some fine players for this level of football. To restrict them to so few chances, and to outplay thenm for periods, was a real achievement for this Swans side. Our new midfield, when fully fit, could really do the business for us. And our options up front are looking far more promising now. If this team turns up every week then we CAN avoid relegation. Let's hope they do - there is a flicker after all! Oh, and the black away kit is great!

Rushden 1 Swansea 1

As many will have seen the game on Sky just a short report. Today started with maybe just maybe. It was nearly 12 months ago we saw the Swans win their last away game at Halifax. On that day a snowy Halifax. Football turns up strange results with top v bottom. West Ham had finally got their first home win of the season and Aston Villa their first away, so could we keep the pattern going.

We all know the answer is no, but nevertheless it was a very encouraging result. With Martinez joining Johnrose & Nugent in team strengthening the team did have a more experienced bias than of late.

Approx 150-200 fans had decided on the live view than the cosy fireside or pub and gave the team very vocal support. The latest addition, Carys, I am told slept through most of the first half but did open her eyes when the Swans scored.

The first half saw us chase everything. We can have no doubt that Rushden were the more confident of the sides, but our committed play saw them put off any flowing movements. It was a joy to see off the ball running that denied Rushden space. Rushden did have two attempts on goal but on 16 mins. Nugent scored with a powerful header past Turley after a pinpoint cross from Britton following 2 previous crosses had been cleared. A couple of minutes we were on our feet again as Johnrose had a lucky bounce and raced into the area. He tried to lob Turley from the corner of the six yard box but a desperate block saw the ball cleared. Lowe missed a simple chance of equalising when a long ball from the right cleared the whole goal area finding Lowe unmarked. He lost balance slicing his shot allowing Rog to block and Smith clear. On 30mins we thought we had our second when Nugent turned well on the! six yard line placing his short into the far corner, only to see the effort disallowed for a foul by Thomas. His shoulder challenge would surely been allowed on any other part of the pitch. Britton was creating most of our dangerous runs and from yet another cross from the right Thomas just failed to connect. With half time getting closer the ever dangerous Lowe was allowed to run across the edge of the area to put a blistering shot back across goal missing the far post by a coat of paint

Half time arrived with us just about deserving the 1 goal lead.

The second half saw Rushden pressurise from the start as we seemed very slow in regaining the tempo of the first half performance. They made all the running and a deep cross from Hall gave Lowe a headed chance which Rog had to palm over from just below the bar. Although in near total control Rushden didn't threaten goal from their possession, in fact it was a long range shot from Howard that came closest to a goal. On 70mins Rushden finally got the equaliser that had been threatened as the Swans defended deeper and deeper. A deep cross from the right was headed in by Hall after he was left unchallenged by Tate. Earlier Durkan had replaced Williams. With 10mins to go O'Leary replaced Howard with Evans moving across to play left back. A the clock ticked down and with 3 minutes of extra time Watkin replaced Thomas who had run himself into the ground. Although the last moments were ten! se Rushden never looked like getting the winner and it was relief all round as the final whistle blew.

Another good league performance following on from Lincoln. It keeps the hope going as the team yet again dug deep and we do look a much better balanced side. Much will rely on Nugent signing until the end of the season as his experience has allowed midfielders in joining in attacks as well as proving a threat himself.

As we said a very good result, but on paper it is just 1 point. A point that we thought we would not get but a welcome bonus in the long haul in achieving the number required. We cannot afford any slip ups along the way, so let's hope for another home win on Tuesday setting us up to break our away duck at the six pointer next Saturday at Macclesfield