Match report

Match report by Mike Thomas - Photos by Andrew Thomas and Dai Smith

The final game of the Christmas/New Year programme saw the Swans visiting Nene Park, the home of strugglers Rushden & Diamonds. The club have been in freefall for the past year, ever since 'Doc Martens' boots millionaire Max Griggs decided to end his financial involvement, but his influence lives on in the club shop, where bizarrely only one corner held football memorabilia, the remainder of the wall space being given over to row upon row of the eponymous footwear beloved of skinheads everywhere. Those who bemoan the Swans club shop, take note: it could be worse. Not wishing to look like rejects from a Seventies retro disco night, we declined the opportunity to purchase.

Getting inside, we found that around six hundred high spirited Jacks had made the lengthy trip to the Diamonds' neat, compact ground with its impressive playing surface on this cold, still and partially cloudy afternoon in Northamptonshire. The Swans line-up featured one change to the team that started against Yeovil two days earlier, Gary Monk returning to the heart of the defence after his lengthy ban and Ijah Anderson being relegated to the bench to make way.

After the first five minutes of frantic skirmishing in which neither side could get the upper hand, the red-shirted Swans, attacking the away end, took the game by the scruff of the neck. Trundle won the ball forty yards out in midfield and quickly fed Andy Robinson. Spotting Paul Connor's forward run, Robbo chipped a perfect ball forward into his path. Connor took it in his stride on the edge of the area, pushed it wide of the advancing keeper and, with a defender snapping at his heels, coolly slid it into the net from eight yards. The Vetch depression of two days earlier was immediately lifted from the delirious Jacks' shoulders as Connor raced to the engulfing arms of the away fans for some deserved congratulations.

The goal seemed to totally deflate the home side, not high on confidence to start with, and Swansea dominated the next fifteen minutes, restricting Rushden to just one speculative effort in the whole period, a twenty-five yard shot which sailed aimlessly over the bar. That said, Connor and Trundle were finding it difficult to master Rushden's offside trap, which they employed with monotonous regularity every time the ball crossed the half way line, making the game very 'stop - start'.

Swans finally made the second crucial breakthrough on 24 minutes, Andy Robinson first winning a high ball in the centre circle which he flicked to Trundle, taking a return pass as he continued his run out towards the wing. He cut back in and again found Trundle with a chipped pass forward, which 'Daps' chested perfectly back into his path in a central position on the edge of the area. Robbo unleashed a pile driver which was despairingly blocked by a defender's leg, only for the ball to sit up invitingly for Robbo again, around ten yards out. He was quickest to react and poked it home amongst a clutch of defenders, before running to the delirious Swans fans with fist upraised, joy written all over his face.

Swansea were now rampant, and almost made it 3-0 two minutes later when a Trundle flick for Connor bursting into the area was only just intercepted by the home keeper ahead of the Swans centre forward. Two minutes after that, Trundle found himself in possession around forty five yards out and tried an outrageous lofted shot in an attempt to beat the keeper who was well off his line, but the ball went high, wide and not very handsome.

The Welsh side's dominance continued as two free kicks were won in quick succession in an almost identical spot around ten yards outside the penalty area on the right. The first was wasted by Andy Robinson's poor delivery and easily cleared, but the second, whipped across the box by Martinez, was met by Izzy at the far post, whose downward header went inches wide. Izzy received a nasty blow to the head for his trouble from a defender's challenge, and had to leave the field to have his wound patched up.

As the half ticked away, the game settled into a pattern of ineffectual midfield sparring, with both defences stifling most attacks by liberal use of the offside trap. The first corner of the game, won by the home side after forty minutes, was greeted by ironic cheers all around the ground. It came to nothing, as the ref awarded the Swans a free kick for pushing. After a few more largely uneventful minutes, the half time whistle blew and the home team marched off to a chorus of booing.

The second half continued in the same style, with the Swans seemingly content to soak up Rushden's fairly feeble attacking efforts without being particularly creative themselves, or putting together any penetrating passing movements. The home side tried to respond to the tongue-lashing they had obviously received at half time, but their wingers could get no change out of Ricketts or Austin on the flanks, and Monk snuffed out any aerial threat down the middle, taking everything in his stride.

Despite the Swans dominance, they were sitting back a little too much, and they almost paid for it when Diamonds whipped in a cross for their tall centre forward to meet on the six-yard line. He appeared to be getting to the ball comfortably ahead of Gueret, but inexplicably missed his header altogether, and the big Frenchman gratefully caught the ball, clutching it to his chest.

This should have been a wake-up call to the Swans, but instead they started losing possession cheaply and found themselves pinned in their own half, Trundle being one of the main culprits as his first touch seemed to desert him and his work rate fell. On the quarter hour, he lost the ball in the centre circle and saw it moved quickly all the way up to the edge of the area before Big Willy was called on to parry away the resulting shot.

Izzy's head wound required further treatment on the touchline as the half progressed, and he was finally substituted after twenty minutes by Anderson, who took up the left back position, with Kevin Austin switching to a central role. Rushden brought on their own sub Taylor a few minutes later, something of a local favourite judging by the crowd's reaction, and he sparked a bit more life into the home side's attack. Forbes was booked for a late challenge in midfield on 29 minutes; the resulting free kick was pushed out to the left and a fierce cross came in which was met full on by the Diamonds centre forward with a bullet header from five yards out. He was already half celebrating his goal when Big Willie brought off an amazing reaction save, flinging himself backwards like a scalded cat to tip the ball over the bar, and bringing the Jack contingent to it's feet in a standing ovation.

Kenny Jackett decided that a change was needed to re-invigorate the Swans, who were beginning to look tired, and made a double substitution on the half hour, the increasingly ineffectual Trundle and Connor coming off, to be replaced by Nugent and Maylett, with Forbes moving into the centre to accommodate Bradley on the wing.

Although the change failed to inspire any further serious attacks from the Swans, the two fresh pairs of legs certainly gave Rushden more to think about, and their attacking efforts became even less potent. They managed only a few forays into the Swansea box in the last ten minutes, one of which resulted in Roberto Martinez making a last ditch tackle and injuring himself in the process. Since all the subs were used up, he hobbled around for the remainder of the game and looked in some discomfort as he was helped off by Ritchie Evans at the final whistle.

Player ratings:
Gueret (8) generally competent in everything he did, and his wonder save was the point at which Rushden knew they were getting nothing from this game.
Austin (7) typical unspectacular but strong performance, attackers just bounce off him like tennis balls against a brick wall.
Izzy (7) also very strong and unflappable, but a bit groggy after his knock.
Monk (8.5) not the best opposition to measure him against, but didn't put a foot or head wrong, totally dominated.
Ricketts (7) another solid performance - Rushden kept feeding the ball to his winger for some strange reason, and Sam just kept crunching the poor guy until I thought he was going to burst out crying and start waving a white flag.
Robinson (7) took his goal well, got through a lot of covering work and was busy in attack without ever really reaching his best form.
Tate (8) did a huge amount of tackling and covering in midfield, very cool under pressure, often cleverly heading back to Willie to diffuse attacks.
Martinez (7.5) better performance than of late, worked well with Tate in covering defence.
Forbes (7) totally committed as always, worked like a demon, put into space in forward positions several times but never quite delivered the right ball or got the right shot away.
Connor (7) started well, great goal, won a lot of headers which failed to find his partner, but faded as game wore on.
Trundle (4) this man is an enigma. Maybe he was tired after his efforts in previous nine days, but after a bright start, he just faded to nothing and was almost a liability, frequently giving the ball away.
Subs:
Anderson (7) defended well and never looked under pressure.
Nugent (7) put himself about and held the ball up when he could, also defended well against set pieces.
Maylet (6) almost tried too hard as he desperately ran at Rushden in effort to impress in his ten minutes of glory, but couldn't produce any dangerous crosses or shots.

Overall, a welcome return to winning ways after Saturday's defeat that keeps us right up there in contention, especially with a few other results going our way today, but it has to be said that the opposition was very poor, almost as bad as Kidderminster! Being hypercritical, the Swans didn't really go all out to kill them off after taking a two-goal lead, being content to sit back and soak up the pressure instead. This won't work against better teams, but let's not forget that it was the fourth game in nine days, and it was three points away from home, so all in all a very satisfactory result.

Rushden & Diamonds 0 Swansea City 2

Peter Charles

Without wishing to sound negative, a neutral spectator at Nene Park (Irthlingborough) this afternoon might be forgiven for thinking that the game had been won by the slightly stronger of two mediocre sides - and on today's evidence they would probably be right.

This was not a Swans performance of great tenacity and team work, such as the ones we saw at Stockport and Oxford (where some 25 - 30 Swans chances were created between the games). At times, it was rather more like the constant retreat which we witnessed at Scunthorpe and, occasionally, against Yeovil, where we seemed unable to get a foothold or put a constructive move together. Once again, it proved that we are quite capable of seeing off the poorer teams in this division (of which there are many) but it also illustrated perfectly why we struggle against the better ones. On a more positive note, this was on the back of a punishing holiday schedule, and leg-weariness was inevitable for both teams. Moreover, the first 25 minutes saw us play some really good stuff, capped by two excellent goals. And at this stage of the season, three points is three points.

The team was probably the best eleven we could put out at the moment. Willy was in goal, and again proved his worth. At centre half we combined the solidity of Monk with the greater footballing ability of iriekpen - it does make a difference when you have a defender who can pass the ball. Sam Ricketts held the right back berth - a position he should now consider his own, even when the liability (Gurney) becomes eligible once more for selection. On the left side, Austin brought some steel and some drive, though he showed little desire to get forward today. In the centre midfield we had Martinez, still a class act capable of turning a game with a perfect pass, though today was not one of his better performances; and Tate, a player who (as a converted defender) should bring some steel to midfield allied with greater passing ability - perhaps he will demonstrate this if given a run. On the flanks we had the tenacious and reliable Forbes (right) who again showed a tendency to try to whip the ball in rather than take players on; and on the left, Andy Robinson, who showed far better control and composure than he did on Saturday, and was undoubtedly our most effective midfielder today. Up front, there was Trundle, twisting and turning as ever, and constantly worrying the opposition defence - but today was a poor day for him, looking exhausted and out of sorts. Alongside him was Connor - a great guy to release from the bench with 20 minutes to go, but as a reliable centre forward who will bag a hatful of goals - maybe not.

The opening exchanges saw the Swans play the brighter and more constructive football, mainly through the eagerness of Forbes and Robinson to get into advanced positions. This saw us dominate the first 25 minutes, with no response at all from an inert and surprisingly lackadaisical Rushden team. But our pressure only saw us carve out two clear chances, both of which we put away. On four minutes, Trundle fed a neat crossfield pass to Robinson, allowing him to surge towards the opposition defence from a central position. Whilst the Swans fans were screaming for him to pass to Tate, who had made an excellent wide run, he chose instead to thread a perfectly weight pas to Conner who had nipped (yes "nipped") between the centre halves - he took the ball wide of the keeper, appeared to have fluffed the chance, but slotted the ball home as the keeper over-committed. A slightly fortunate finish, but certainly the outcome the build up deserved. On 21 minutes we doubled the lead with a superb piece of interplay between Trundle and Robinson, the outcome of which was a neat driven finish from Robbo - answering the criticism he received on Saturday in the best possible fashion.

At this point a hatful seemed possible - we were well on top and Rushden offered nothing but angled crosses which Willy gobbled up. Unfortunately, we seemed to think the game was already won, and almost treated the rest of the half like a training match. We kept our shape, defended well, and repelled everything Rushden could offer. But we did little to press home our advantage and kill the off. A weak header by Iriekpen from a Martinez free kick (easily saved) was our only other effort on goal, whilst for the home team, Craig Dive fired just over after some lazy Swans defending.

The half time verdict was that Rushden were too poor to make us concentrate! And we thought this might cause us trouble in the second half. In fact, we started the second period the brighter, with a cross field pass by Forbes almost setting up a chance for Connor in the first minute, foiled by some alert goal keeping. Forbes himself bore down on goal in the 47th minute after an excellent through ball from Robinson, but his shot was blocked. And that was pretty much it from us as an attacking force. Again we kept our shape and held off the lightweight Rushden attack, but moving forward we offered little. As a result, increasing desperate attacking from the home team saw them come close on three occasions. On 59 minutes Trundle lost possession easily in the centre circle - the ball was fed through to Mellington, whose close range lob forced Gueret into a somewhat theatrical save. On 73 minutes a free kick was met from close range by the head of Taylor, only for big Willy to pull off a potentially match saving one handed stop. Thereafter, Rushden forced a series of corners, some of which were scrambled clear. And in injury time, Marcus Kelly clipped our cross bar with a lob. Our only response in this period was one long range effort from Tate which was blocked. Tactically, we tried to shake things up by replacing Connor and Trundle with Nugent and Maylett - Brad went wide right, made a few runs, but produced no end product. Forbes went up from with Nugent, which effectively ended his contribution to the game. Prior to this, Izzy had been replaced by Anderson due to a facial injury. The celebrations from players and fans (a good turnout...3 - 400 Jacks) at the final whistle were a little muted, perhaps due to the weariness of all following a hectic holiday programme.

Gueret - 8 A great keeper, just a couple of customary flaps
Ricketts - 8 A fine show at full back
Austin - 7 Solid in defence but didn't really get forward
Monk - 7 Pretty reliable
Irikepen - 7 As above
Forbes - 7 A tenacious all round effort, but not quiet the delivery up front
Robinson - 8 (MOM) dangerous and instrumental in both goals.
Martinez - 6 A quiet game
Tate - 6 Distribution not what he is capable of
Connor (a generous) 6 - Got his goal, but fairly ineffective otherwise (and constantly off side)
Trundle - 5 As above, but without the goal

Anderson - 6 A tidy performance at left back when he came on
Nugent - Not on long enough for a rating; not sure he had a kick!
Maylett - As above re rating...looked enthusiastic, but managed to find some blind alleys!

KJ tactics - quite Hollins-esque today, with the midfield two sitting in front of the defence for much of the game. Players in possession for the Swans often looked isolated, and seemed to want (or need) to beat two or three players rather than playing the simple ball. A bit more "pass and move" (as practised in our warm up) is required. But on the plus side, we dug in and ground out a win at a place which has proven difficult in the past. Our 66 mile round trip was rewarded with three points (!) and we are clearly better than many of the teams in this division ... and this year, that might just be enough.
Rushden 0 Swansea 2

Clive & David Hughes

Maybe it's a couple of days late but at least it's a Happy New Year as we pick up our first win in 2005 (a long time coming). Another bitterly cold day in Northamptonshire as approx 400 Swans fans among a crowd of 3382 held an impeccable minutes silence for the victims of the Tsunami Disaster.

With the return of Garry Monk the team lined up

Swansea took complete control with only one long distance shot from Kennedy going wide the response from Rushden. So lacking in confidence were Rushden that there were ironic cheers aimed at one of their players after he controlled a pass after letting the three previous ones go for throw-ins. During this early period the Swans were frustrated when it seemed every attack was given as offside. Whilst we don't always agree with decisions, the linesman had it wrong at least 50% of the time. We did get the breakthrough our play deserved when Robinson latched onto a loose ball beating the keeper from inside the area mid goal. Although the Swans didn't visibly take their foot off the pedal, the game dropped a gear as Rushden struggled to mount any clear pressure, Apart from a couple of corners Gueret had little to do. And if truth be told neither did the Rushden keeper Worgan.

The second half continued as the first, with most of the play in midfield. On the hour mark Izzy received what looked like a bloody nose and left the field for a couple of minutes. He resumed but was soon replaced by Anderson. Austin went centre back and Anderson played left back. Rushden made 2 substitutions and for the first time looked capable of causing us some problems. Again we reverted to defending deeply allowing Rushden freedom of midfield.

Around the 70min mark we came under considerable pressure with consecutive corners. Gueret again pulled off two excellent saves, one from near point blank header from Taylor. On 75 we made a double substitution with Trundle and Connor being replaced by Nugent and Maylett. We rode out this period of pressure and again came back into the game mounting a few attacks but again not threatening the goal. With 5mins to go Martinez went down injured after a tackle, as he went off there was a signal to the bench that he couldn't carry on. Total miscommunication as nothing happened which in the end saw him return to the game but obviously carrying an injury. The final few minutes were played out with neither team threatening to give us 3 deserved points.

Player Comments
Gueret - Little to do but what he did he did well. Two excellent saves.
Ricketts - Steady game but seems more at home at left back
Monk - Good return but obviously a little match rusty.
Iriekpen - Looked a bit unsure on occasions but adds pace to the defence.
Austin - Shaky display at left back, much better when he replaced Izzy at centre back.
Forbes - Again gave 100% but his success rate on crosses and telling passes is short of what's needed
Martinez - Whilst playing a captains role, there are more and more wayward passes.
Tate - Whilst having skill does still want too long on the ball, not settling into a midfield role
Robinson. - Good first half but faded badly in the second apart from two crunching tackles late in the game.
Connor - Battled well and took his goal very well. Faded in the second half
Trundle - Well !!!!!!!!!!!!! The most inept disinterested performance in a Swans shirt in a game where on form could have destroyed their defence.

Subs
Nugent - Didn't get into the game.
Maylett - A couple of good runs too ease himself back in.

Final Comments
Another frustrating performance. Admittedly we took the three points, but the game was there to improve our goal difference. With the game won we could have moved up a gear and scored four. Instead we dropped and defended. We continue to give the initiative to teams in the second half, and today Rushden, who were a poor team took heart and could have scored twice if it hadn't been for Gueret. It is a dangerous game to play, luckily due to the standard in this division it works more often than not it works, but not good for the blood pressure.

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