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Match report |
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Swansea City 1 Southend 2 | |
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After 4 home League games without a win a change of competition and opponents struggling this season, surely the Swans could get back to winning ways tonight.
Swansea Line up – Murphy, Duffy, Jones (S), Tate, Howard, Durkan, Wilson, Jones (R), Coates, Thomas, Nardiello. Subs – Freestone, Jenkins, Iriekpen, Trundle, Nugent. Live Champions League football, 3 home games in a week and Brian Flynn's apparent lack of ambition to do well in the LDV Vans Trophy all combined to leave many spaces around the ground. The opening exchanges were quiet with neither team getting anything resembling a meaningful shot at goal for 25 minutes or so and the highlights of the disappointing action were the fireworks lighting up the sky over Townhill. The Swans totally lacked direction and leadership on the field with nobody seeming to want to lead from the front. The tedium was lifted on 32 minutes when JamesThomas did well out wide on the left and his cross seemed to be landing at the feet of Daniel Nardiello but the defender stretching got the slightest of touches to take the ball off his feet. On 40 minutes I thought I was seeing things. Durkan put over a super cross that Jonathan Coates met on the volley with his right foot, yes his right foot. His dipping volley came back off the post.
Sadly, that effort never came as Southend gained the upper half early in the second half and almost opened the scoring on 55minutes when they had a clear opening just 8 yards out but a weak shot was directed straight into the grateful arms of Brian Murphy. If that was a wake up call, unfortunately nobody heard the alarm, as Swans seemed to hand over control of the midfield to a hungrier Southend. On the hour Trundle replaced Thomas and he almost equalised 5 minutes later with a shot from a Nardiello cross cleared off the line. On 70 minutes Lee Jenkins replaced the disappointing Richard Jones.
Swans still didn't come to life and only Trundle seemed to be showing the urgency needed to get back into the game. On 78 minutes the defence was again at sixes and sevens and an excellent dummy by Bramble saw the ball run through to a totally unmarked Corbett who slotted the ball past a helpless Murphy. At this stage the Swans had totally lost their way, relying on Durkan's crosses from deep which the Southend defenders used as heading practice. Wilson and Coates offered next to nothing from midfield and the full backs hardly got forward at all. An all to brief rally saw Nardiello score a goal from a Trundle through ball, but it was a case of too little too late.
Murphy 6 – Did well until the goals. Duffy 4 – Found the answer to getting cramp.....Just don't go forward. Jones (S) 5 – Never looked at home. Tate 6- Shouldn't have been asked to lead such an inexperienced defence on just his 3rd game back. Howard 6- Didn't do much wrong. Durkan 5 – Crossed well but gave us very little else. Wilson 4 – Really should be dominating games like this. Jones (R) 4 – Never really involved. Drifted right out of things. Coates 3 - One moment to savour but still a shadow of the player he was 3 years ago. Thomas 6 – Looked quite sharp but little understanding with Nardiello. Nardiello 5- Just one or two moments of class. Subs Trundle 8 – Only player to really show fight and spirit. Jenkins 6 – Huffed and puffed. Swansea 1-2 Southend - BBC Online Tes Bramble and Jimmy Corbett ensured struggling Southend made it into the next round of the LDV Vans Trophy with a win over injury-ravaged Swansea. Bramble made the most of a glaring mistake by Swansea keeper Brian Murphy after 70 minutes to put the Shrimpers in the driving seat and Corbett put the tie beyond the hosts' reach when he struck eight minutes later. Daniel Nardiello's 90th-minute strike was too little too late for Brian Flynn's side, who had six players out with injury. Jon Coates had threatened to give the hosts a first-half lead when his volley smashed against the post.
Mark Gower's cross seemed to be comfortably taken by keeper Murphy but the ball slipped out to Bramble who made no mistake. The introduction of a fit-again Lee Trundle gave the home support some hope and the striker almost scored with his first touch. But Southend doubled their lead when Corbett found himself in plenty of space to fire his side two goals ahead. Nardiello gave the home side a lifeline in injury time but Southend held on to progress. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swansea: Murphy, Howard, Duffy, Stuart Jones, Tate, Coates, Durkan, Wilson, Richard Jones, Thomas, Nardiello. Subs: Freestone, Jenkins, Nugent, Trundle, Iriekpen. Southend: Flahavan, McSweeney, Cort, Hunt, Gower, Maher, Smith, Jenkins, Wilson, Bramble, Corbett. Subs: Broughton, Husbands, Emberson, Constantine, Kightly. Referee: M Warren (W Midlands).
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