Match report

An early kick off meant an early start for the trip to our bogey team of recent years, Yeovil Town.
Yeovil, after winning League Two last year have failed to adapt as well as the Swans to life in League One.

After a poor start their results have improved in recent week, perversely coinciding with the departure of manager Gary Johnson.

After scoring for fun last year, they have struggled to find the net this year, but hit four last week at Scunthorpe with last year's top scorer Phil Jevons getting back to scoring ways. Yeovil also included Swansea target Lee Johnson in midfield.

Swans were hit by injuries, suspensions and international call-ups. Kevin McLeod didn't make the trip and was replaced on left midfield by Andy Robinson. Adebayo Akinfenwa was suspended and, fit again, Adrian Forbes replaced him in attack after just seventy minutes of reserve team football under his belt, after a six-week lay-off. Finally with Sam Ricketts in the Welsh team playing against Northern Ireland today, Garry Monk stepped into the centre of the defence with Kevin Austin moving to fill Sam's left back spot. Assistant Manager Kevin Nugent had a place on the bench for the first time this season.

Gueret
Tate - Monk - Iriekpen - Austin
Britton - Bean - Martinez - Robinson
Forbes - Trundle

Subs: Murphy - Anderson - O'Leary - Goodfellow - Nugent

With no Premiership fixtures, Dermot Gallagher stepped down to officiate, which would have been a relief after last year's poor penalty decision against us, and the sending off of Garry Monk.

Swansea were slow to settle and were guilty of giving the ball away too easily in the early minutes. The Swans were playing with a strong breeze behind them.

Swans had the first real chance of the game on five minutes with a Leon Britton shot/cross that eluded the goalkeeper but landed on the top of the net.

Swansea looked good with the ball on the ground, but were guilty of hitting too many high balls to Forbes and Trundle that did little but give heading practice to Terry Skiverton and Sodje. Yeovil were, as they have been in previous seasons, fast and furious.

After a period of Yeovil dominance, it was the Swans who again came closest to scoring, when an Izzy Iriekpen had a far post header from an Andy Robinson free-kick, that flashed just over Chris Weale's bar.

Yeovil had a good chance on twenty-five minutes but Phil Jevons had a free header, but fortunately headed straight at Willy from ten yards out.

After a further period of Yeovil pressure, they took the lead on thirty-eight minutes when Swansea gave Terry Skiverton a free header from a corner, and he beat Willy easily from twelve yards.

Swans did nothing for the remainder of the half. They defended stoutly but lost possession going forward time and time again when the final ball was chipped, floated or thumped forward in the air, only for the two centre-backs to have easy headers.

The tactic of playing Adrian Forbes upfront and Andy Robinson on the left had not worked with both having poor first halves. We were providing little threat going forward, which was so unusual for this season.

Not surprisingly Marc Goodfellow replaced Andy Robinson at half-time, and Kevin Nugent replaced Adrian Forbes. Yeovil replaced Paul Terry, who picked up an injury in the first half, with Nathan Jones.

The changes at half-time meant we were finally winning some flick-on's and putting a bit more pressure on the Yeovil goal.

Swansea's first threat on the Yeovil goal came on sixty-eight minutes when Marc Goodfellow controlled well and fired an right foot shot that Weale did well to keep out.

Leon Britton then had a shot at goal but it lacked power, but at least our improved performance now had an end product.

Kevin Nugent hobbled off with six minutes to go, and was replaced by Ijah Anderson. This saw Izzy Iriekpen pushing forward to partner Lee Trundle in attack.

Swans still offered very little going forward and never look or probably deserved an equaliser.

Unfortunately it seems Yeovil is a place we are destined never to get a result. Last year we lost 1-0 here, after playing excellent football for forty-five minutes. Today we lost 1-0 and hardly played good football for forty-five seconds.

Gueret - 6 - Did ok, incurred Jackett's rath in the second half for not getting rid of the ball quickly enough.
Tate - 7 - Did well defending but lacked composure going forward.
Monk - 6 - Led defence well.
Iriekpen - 7 - Defended well and bought ball out with confidence. Good distribution.
Austin - 6 - Poor going forward, and too many wayward passes.
Britton - 6 - Decent first half, passenger during the second half as all our moves went down the left.
Martinez - 6 - Never stopped trying to lift those around him, but not at his best today.
Bean - 7 - Pick of a poor midfield.
Robinson - 5 - Very poor half before his substitution.
Forbes - 5 - As above.
Trundle - 6 - Never stopped trying, but marked by two defenders all afternoon.

Subs:
Nugent - 7 - Gave 110% - won a good share of aerial challenges.
Goodfellow - 6 - More of a threat than Robinson but still short of confidence.
Anderson - 5 - Only had five or six touches, and two or three of them were poor.


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Yeovil: Weale, Amankwaah, Skiverton, Sodje, Fontaine (Miles 57), Terry (Jones 45), Way, Johnson, Jevons, Harrold (Gall 73), Bastianini.
Subs Not Used: Lockwood, Collis.

Goals: Skiverton 39.

Swansea: Gueret, Tate, Iriekpen, Monk, Austin, Britton, Martinez, Bean, Robinson (Nugent 45), Trundle, Forbes (Goodfellow 45), Nugent (Anderson 85).
Subs Not Used: Murphy, O'Leary.

Booked: Britton, Tate, Bean, Martinez.

Att: 7,578.

Ref: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).

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