Match report

Kevin Nugent probably had a final chance tonight to put forward a case to continue in the hot seat. Nuge would certainly not chosen table topping Scunthorpe as opponents however.

With Leon failing to recover from injury Kevin Nugent kept faith with the same eleven that started at Doncaster with Alan Tate returning to the bench alongside Darren Pratley. Scunthorpe included the highly rated Billy Sharp in attack.

Side- Gueret, Duffy, Iriekepen, Lawrence, Painter, Craney, O'Leary, Robinson, Trundle, Akinfenwa, Butler. Subs- Austin, Tate, Pratley, Abbott.

Swans would have been hoping for a bright start on which to build but that was undone inside three minutes with an incredulous cock up by Willy Gueret. The ball seemed to bounce around in the area without being cleared and Willy seemed to have an easy task in collecting a deflected shot. Instead of stooping to collect the ball in hand Willy seemed to fall backwards and attempt the most bizarre of two footed clearances. He miscued and the ball fell straight to Billy Sharp who knocked the ball past the prostate Willy and into the empty net.
 

That was the only thing Willy was called to do in the first half as Scunthorpe sat back and allowed the Swans to attack them. Scunthorpe played the giant centre halves that were giving nothing away and they adopted strong arm tactics. Referee Mr McDemid gave plenty of free kicks but totally failed to stamp any sort of discipline into the game.

Swans provided plenty of huff and puff but failed in any way to test Nigel Adkins in the Scunthorpe goal. There were efforts from Butler and Craney but Swans didn't really ever look like equalising.

It is difficult to say how good Scunthorpe were as after being gifted the lead they were more than happy to sit back and soak up the pressure.

A hugely frustrating first half was made all the worse with Bayo Akinfenwa being stretchered off in the final seconds of the half with what was rumoured to be a broken leg.

Kevin Nugent brought Pavel Abbott on at the start of the second half to replace Bayo and made two further chances at the break with Alan Tate replacing Izzy Iriekepen and Darren Pratley replacing Ian Craney.

 

The second half started going much the same way as the first with Scunthorpe inviting Swansea to attack and their back line providing excellent protection for keeper Adkins. Swans only real shot on target came on 59 minutes with an Andy Robinson free kick from 22 yards dipping under the bar but turned behind for a corner by Adkins. Lee Trundle never stopped trying but was outnumbered and out muscled constantly. Pavel Abbott seemed to arrive just too late time and again and on this showing looks a very poor replacement for Rory Fallon. Tom Butler never stopped trying but lacked support on the left.

You always felt Scunthorpe had more to offer than what was on show and they proved this on 70 minutes with an excellent move and a stunning goal bound shot from Neil Mackenzie. Willy dived full length to make a save at the foot of his left hand post but inside of pushing the ball wide or behind for a corner he somehow managed to knock the ball back across his goal and give Jermaine Beckford the easiest goal he'll ever score.

From there Swans confidence disappeared without trace and Scunthorpe if they had a mind to could have gone on and won the game more convincingly.

 

The four minutes of injury time could have been four hours and I don't think we would have scored. This was a very disappointing performance from keeper through to front line.

Ratings -

Gueret 3 - Had three things to deal with all night and conceded goals on two of them. Hard to believe Andy Oakes won't now be given a run.

Duffy 4 - Alan Tate played right back earlier in the season and was our best defender. Kevin Amankwaah was signed for £200,000 to play at right back and can't make the squad. Strange we bring in Duffy on loan to play right back. Stranger still he really doesn't look that interested at times.
Lawrence 6 - Didn't do much wrong but had a quiet time.
Iriekepen 6 - Not sure if he picked up an injury.
Painter 5 - Started quite well but went backwards and failed to support Tom Butler enough.

Craney 5- Did Ok in midfield but woeful in front of goal again.
O'Leary 7 - Plenty of effort and some good challenges.
Robinson 6- Tried to run at defenders and all too often ran into them.

Trundle 6 - Very quiet first half, tried hard second half but to no avail.
Akinfenwa 5 - His physical strength was more than matched by Scunthorpe's defenders.
Butler 7 - Always a threat and could have done with some more support down the left.

Subs-

Tate 6 - Defended well but one dreadful error which at least gave Willy the chance to show he can make a save.
Pratley 5 - Way off the pace.
Abbott 4 - Very poor. Never looked like he was prepared for any sort of physical battle.

Swansea 0 Scunthorpe 2 - Report by Guto Llewelyn, Pictures by Andrew Thomas

It was a thoroughly miserable night down the Liberty tonight. Following the Doncaster draw there was some sort of buzz around the stadium. There was singing for the first time in a long time. And for the first three minutes we weren’t doing badly.

Then a ball was tossed into the area. At the back post a Scunthorpe shirt had wriggled loose. The ball was also loose, with Both Gueret and the opposing player stretching. Uncharacteristically Gueret ducked out of the way of the shot. When they missed the ball Gueret was floundering to kick it away. There were three brown shirts waiting without a marker. It landed to the deadly Billy Sharpe, who coolly slotted the ball away passed Gueret, with every Swansea player looking on. Gueret obviously wasn't proud of his attempt, and Scunthorpe celebrating in front of the East Stand didn’t get too many claps from the home fans.

It was a tough job to re-group after that! Yet the crowd was behind the team. Swansea moved the ball about pretty well, with nice crisp passing movements. Craney, O'Leary and Robinson really getting stuck in, winning balls. There was excitement. The home crowd getting behind the team.  

Yet chances were rare! The only effort on target from the Swans all through the first half was a badly hit 25-yard effort from Robinson, which rolled desperately along the turf safely into the hands of Joe Murphy, a keeper searching for an Irish call-up. 

This was credit to the Irons who'd come here to stay strong, limit chances and mark us to death! They were prepared to play dirty, aggravating Richard Duffy as a free-kick was awarded to Swansea outside the Scunthorpe box. The half ended with Adebayo Akinfenwa falling to the ground in a heap of pain. The physio was called on and so was the crew. The crowd joked about when the medics couldn’t haul him onto the stretcher, but this was no laughing matter. We finished the first half throwing a desperate free-kick into their box, only for it to be knocked back easily, thus highlighting our weakness from set-plays. This weakness was also highlighted as numerous free-kicks in dangerous areas couldn't lift above the carefully assembled wall!

The second half began with the announcement of 3 half-time substitutions. Off came the injured Akinfenwa, as well as Iriekpen and Craney. On went Abbott, Tate and Pratley. 

The first half began much the same way as the first ended, with high-tempo football and runs from people like Butler and Trundle. Yet it was obvious there was no confidence in this team! Nobody daring to have a shot on goal. Nobody taking on defenders! The disappearance of Britton today really showed. 

Yet we were slowly gaining support from the crowd, having a pop now and again at goal. A carefully positioned free-kick from Robinson had only just been palmed over the bar by time-wasting Scunthorpe keeper, Joe Murphy, who'd been booked in the first half for insisting on taking an hour on each goal kick.

The game was starting to improve. Then came the next massive set-back. With some 30 minutes remaining a 30 yard stinger from nowhere! Gueret dived, but the swerving ball made it hard to save. Gueret's weak palm will obviously be criticised. He sent the ball high into the air, only for it to fall back into position. The man who had the vision was Jermaine Beckford. Only last week-end did he score one of the goals of the season with his skill and precise finish. This was a bit more simple; expect the fumble and follow it up. But questions must be asked of how the defence stood still as he ran to follow up the shot. He passed the ball into the back of the net as unlucky Gueret lay on his back. Immediately fans began leaving! 

The game deteriorated into "You've been Framed!" The ref handing out yellow cards for the slightest infringements. In truth the ref was inconsistent and at times blind to occurrences. 

Scunthorpe for the first time in the game looked like a team in form. They were closing us down far quicker at the back, forcing Gueret into some silly clearances. Pratley looked sluggish and tired. Abbott seemed out of confidence, getting one rushed shot that was easily saved by the keeper. Players such as Duffy and Lawrence were losing concentration. Communication between captain Lawrence and Gueret got worse, reversing to the usual of short-passes, dangerous headers and stupidity. 

The game ended with half the fans gone. A small handful of boos, but really everybody was too tired, and we all wanted to get home, our season more or less over, and in desperate need of a permanent manager!

Ratings: 

Gueret-5- At fault for 1 if not 2 goals. Not safe at all and his communication was pathetic. 

Duffy-6- Good in the tackle, but can only concentrate for 70 minutes. Not as good footballing-wise as he was when he left. 

Lawrence-7- Good at defending, but his communication and command is catastrophic. Needs to wise up at times and put more effort in. 

Iriekpen-6- Not sure why he was subbed, good in the tackle and strong in the air. 

Painter-5- Not a good game. Was given a torrid time. His passing was awful, long balls all the time. 

Craney-6- Again, don't know why he was subbed. Strong in the tackle and kept the game moving. 

Robinson-7- Tried very hard. An enforcer and attacking force. Tired in the second half, but was the only one wanting a goal. 

O\'Leary-7- Another who was an enforcer. Not a big attacking threat, but allowed others to attack. Good passing and grit. 

Butler-6- Always looked as if he was going to do something, but never did! Didn't dribble or shoot all night, low on confidence. 

Trundle-6- Worked hard, but was marked out of the box, forced onto the right-wing in search of the ball! 1 chance to score, scuffed! 

Akinfenwa-6- Looked a nasty injury. Until then was his usually strong, bullish self. No chance to score. Missed him after the break! 

Subs: 

Abbott-6- Looked so short on confidence. He tried hard, but needed better service. He needs a goal fast! 

Tate-5- Similar to having Iriekpen on. Was tough at the back, but quiet at times. 

Pratley-4- Was poor! Had no concentration! No awareness! Looks as if he\'s been rushed back from injury too fast again! 

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Swansea: Gueret, Duffy, Iriekpen (Tate 46), Lawrence, Painter, Robinson, O'Leary, Craney (Pratley 46), Butler, Akinfenwa (Abbott 46), Trundle.
Subs Not Used: Oakes, Austin.

Booked: Duffy, Trundle, Pratley, Robinson.

Scunthorpe: Murphy, Mulligan, Crosby, Foster (Butler 90), Ridley, Taylor (Morris 90), Hinds, Goodwin, Hurst (MacKenzie 52), Beckford, Sharp.
Subs Not Used: Lillis, Foy.

Booked: Beckford, Hurst, Murphy, Ridley.

Goals: Sharp 3, Beckford 71.

Att: 10,746

Ref: D McDermid (Hampshire).