Match Report

Well, that post that Swanton has put up from a Cov site confirms that they must be very used to watching cac every week. Us a good passing side? He must have read it, because we certainly didn't show that last night - not in any meaningful way anyway.

Coleman had said before hand that he was happier to win ugly than entertain. We oh so nearly did show him what winning ugly really meant, and although I would have been ecstatic to have come away with all the points, only the myopic could believe that we would have deserved them.

We started brightly enough with Rangel making some good attacking incursions down the right. But with few moments of danger being created anywhere else we were forced back and Cov had a good chances. Some of them, at the other end so what I say comes with that caveat as it is a long way away in this stadium, were caused by Dorus' mistakes. He started really nervously, which is no surprise I guess, and we were lucky in that they did not run away with it in the first half hour.

Not that we did not have chances, the best of which fell to Rangel, after good work from Pintado, whose pinpoint cross into the six yard box should have resulted in a score. Angel took one touch which was good enough and allowed him to swivel and hit it. He had time to steady himself but he snatched at it slightly and with the net gaping he hit it across the face and wide of the left hand post.

Later Scotland tried an audacious chip to the far post, although the knockers will say it was a mis-hit cross, which went close to curling into the top corner with Westwood standing, watching and hoping.

But, in truth, we produced little of merit in the half and it took a number of excellent bits of defending from Ash Williams to keep us in it. He looked fired up tonight and if you blame him for Brum's goal on Friday then, I tell you, he saved us from conceding three or four tonight.

Half time came and most of us would have taken a point at that stage. Some were saying "lets take it and go home now" which was a bit uncharitable but a good indication of how far our performance had fallen from our recent standards.

It was clear that we missed Bodde. We lacked a leader out there, setting the pace, dictating the tempo and orchestrating our movement. And just as much, if not more actually, we missed Leon. Not just the all action performance which must, pound for pound, make him the best midfielder in the division, but also his mere presence.

4-4-2 continues to look a struggle for us. We certainly lacked the numbers in midfield and so, time after time, players who have grown accustomed to looking up and seeing options in-front of them, looked up to see none. And sometimes not enough movement too from midfielders and forwards.

The Senor had some early words with Scotland that displeased him and later Williams seemed to give him a real verbal volley. I have not seen that before this season and I hope its not a first crack in the dam showing.

And if the midfield looked unfamiliar with the system then the front two looked worse. I thought they looked like they did not know the other was out there. Far from doubling our strike-force, we seemed to be playing with two lone strikers. They showed little understanding, failing to link together at all. This was a definite case of 'more is less'.

We stayed in this game in the second half because Monk and Pratley are prepared to put their bodies on the line for the team. I don't know how Mark Gower can look them in the eye but I have made that point before so won't labour it. Some fantastic blocks from those two guys stopped goal-bound shots, and Dorus too showed he has not lost his shot stopping ability.

With their crowd beginning to bay every time Gomez got on the ball it was inevitable that he would punish them. And so it proved.

Their ire had been raised by the series of free kicks Gomez had won. Most were justified but he was back to how he had started for us, with the lightest of touch resulting in an exaggerated dive. The first of these was in the opening seconds of the match and he dived so far he crossed the touchline near the dugouts and could well have been heading for an early bath. Literally!

It was again a slightly dodgy call that gave us a free-kick outside their box and slightly to the right. Gomez picked himself up and curled it over or through the wall to beat the keeper at his left hand post. My first thought was that the keeper should have done better as it seemed to go through him - but who cares. We needed to hold out for 15 minutes or so and suddenly, and against the odds really, we looked likely to do so.

But with only a couple of minutes to go they were awarded a free kick in a similar area to where our goal had come from. At the other end, obviously - but you know what I mean!

But if our free kick was generous then this one was a gift. I don't think I am being one-eyed when I say awarding a foul was harsh, we think against OTJ, and the ref looked like he was trying to even things up.

Our wall looked ok with OTJ at the left end, so giving height where needed. But when refs do that sort of thing you know what so often comes next. And it did. Perfectly hit over the wall, to find the underside of the bar in the top left hand apex. Unstoppable.

So 1-1 and I guess we should be pleased to go away with a depleted, or is it gutted team, and come home with a point.

But if I follow the Martinez mantra that 'its all about the performance' then we can be less pleased. This was no vintage performance.

And finally, for those who bleat that the Liberty is too small, try watching your football in a 30k stadium with 15k in it. Better than Preston maybe, but only marginally.

Swanky casino though!

Coventry City 1 - 1 Swansea City - Match Report by Chris Wathan, Western Mail

Coventry 1 Swansea 1

FOR those looking for clues how Swansea City will cope without Ferrie Bodde, they were provided with more questions than answers.

Because although the Swans’ support were reminded that Jordi Gomez can be equally instrumental in midfield as the injured Bodde, there can be no denying that there something was missing here.

And when Gomez’s 67th-minute opener was cancelled out by Danny Fox’s free-kick strike with three minutes to go, Chris Coleman’s Coventry got the point they probably deserved.

Of course, before the game and with Leon Britton as well as Bodde missing, most would have agreed a point at the home of the Sky Blues should not be sneezed at.

But, having looked like they would snatch a victory while not enjoying the majority of the chances, the late leveller was an understandable blow.

And, although there were passages of play from the visitors that was typical Swans, the way they took their time to adapt to a four-man midfield sapped the Swans of their zip that has run teams ragged at times this season.

When Britton returns and the five-star midfield becomes an option once more, perhaps then would be the better time to judge how Martinez’s side will be affected by the loss of Bodde.

One thing is for sure, the Swans boss will be hoping to get Gomez on the ball as much as he was here.

The Spaniard drew numerous fouls from his opponents including the one that provided him with the chance of the second-half opener.

But, in truth, it took some staunch defending from Ashley Williams in particular to stop the Sky Blues making more advantage of a below-par performance.

With Coleman targeting the suspect defending of Fede Bessone through the nippy Michael Misfud, the chances would follow. In fact, it was from a Misfud cross that Coventry engineered their first efforts on goal six minutes in.

Elliot Ward’s initial shot was blocked by a kneeling Bessone, the recalled Dorus de Vries saving brilliantly from the rebound scramble off Scott Dann, but then spilling another attempt into the path of Ward once more. But his touch to Morrison played the striker offside.

Martinez had much to thank the in-form Williams for keeping the hosts at bay.

But one pass from Argentinian Bessone in front of his own box then put Darren Pratley in all kinds of bother, Robbie Simpson bringing a second superb save from de Vries from the resulting loose ball.

Slowly, though, Swansea settled and started instigating their own attacks.

Rangel enjoyed the opportunity to get involved in attacks and one interchange with Pintado saw the Spaniard receive a pass unmarked in the area only to skew the chance wide.

Williams again came to the rescue at the other end when Freddy Eastwood’s flick put Morrison in, but the tide was turning.

But again they would have to ride out a Sky Blue storm in the second half, Guillaume Beuzlin somehow skying from inside the area when Eastwood’s clever back-heel deserved to set the midfielder up on 57 minutes.

Then, with Bessone exposed once more moments later, it was Garry Monk’s turn for the heroics when he flung himself in front of Eastwood to stop him profiting from Misfud’s centre.

It was impressive stuff from the Swansea central two, less so from the pair at the other end.

They did little to hold on possession when they did see it, Williams clearly letting Scotland know what he thought of his efforts as he was called into action once more.

But, although the work inside the area was letting down that outside it, with Gomez there was always a chance.

And, having tempted a succession of fouls from a succession of Sky Blues, he got the one that mattered on 67 minutes.

The already-booked Beuzelin tripped him on the edge of the box and the former Barca man was able to curl home to the disbelief of Keiren Westwood.

Yet still Swansea needed a little help to protect their lead, a simple enough free-kick from Simpson getting the slightest of flicks from a stooped Misfud that caught de Vries unawares.

His spill saw Morrison put the ball into the net – only to see the flag raised once more.

It was probably the correct decision, not that it stopped the home fans bemoaning their luck.

But that promptly changed when Fox, more central than Gomez, followed the Spaniard’s example by finding a way past de Vries with a flick of the boot three minutes from time.

Coventry: Westwood, Wright (Osbourne 33), Ward, Dann, Fox, Mifsud, Beuzelin (Gunnarsson 69), Doyle, Simpson, Eastwood, Morrison, Osbourne (Hall 45).
Subs Not Used: Marshall, Best.

Booked: Fox, Beuzelin.

Goals: Fox 87.

Swansea: De Vries, Rangel, Monk, Williams, Bessone, Gomez, Tudur-Jones, Pratley, Gower (Butler 90), Scotland (Bauza 79), Pintado.
Subs Not Used: Krysiak, Tate, MacDonald.

Goals: Gomez 67.

Att: 15,149

Ref: Mark Haywood (W Yorkshire).

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