Swansea 1 v 2 Scunthorpe

By John Burgum

TWO gift goals condemned Swansea to their first home defeat of the season -- and it is difficult to see where the next win is coming from now that all the old familiar problems are returning to haunt manager John Hollins.

Swansea have not won since the opening day of the season, and unless they take points from their next two away trips against Brighton and Carlisle they could find themselves looking up at the rest of the Third Division.

The Bank Holiday should have provided win No. 2, but Swansea got careless in sight of the winning post and paid the ultimate price for slip-shod defending.

Although Swansea may not have deserved to succeed in what the manager described as a howler of a game, 4,000 expectant fans should still have gone home with a smile on their faces.

Instead, like Hollins and his shell-shocked players, they saw Scunthorpe snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the last 10 minutes with a dubious penalty and a deflection, both provided by poor defending.

Julian Alsop's diving header midway into the second period looked likely to steal the headlines from a poor quality contest, but generous Swansea handed over both the initiative and the points.

It may have been a marginal decision when Matthew Bound brought down substitute Darryn Stamp on the edge of the area, but referee Lee Cable was right behind the incident and had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Midfielder John Eyre calmly slotted the penalty equaliser and six minutes later provided the cross which appeared to take a deflection off Jason Smith into the path of match-winner Jamie Forrester at the near post.

Unlike Swansea, Scunthorpe were as good as their nickname -- The Iron, holding on for the win despite claims for a penalty when substitute Martin Thomas appeared to be pushed.

For all the controversy, both the penalty and Scunthorpe's winner were products of poor defending in the heart of the Swansea defence.

''We did not handle things right after going in front and leaving Julian up front on his own,'' admitted Hollins.

''We gifted them two goals, although I still think the incident with the penalty was outside the box. The ref said he was in a good position so I cannot disagree.

''But it was still poor defending. You always stay on your feet tracking a player. If you do that, he is not going to go anywhere. You never make it that easy like Matthew (Bound) did by giving away a stupid penalty,'' he added.

''As for Jason trying to bring down a ball in a difficult area. He should have put it in Row Z. Hopefully, players will learn from these mistakes,'' said Hollins.

There had been no hint of the drama to come as both sides probed ineffectively, frequently wasting hard-won possession with a stray pass or a poorly delivered cross.

Despite juggling his team after Saturday's defeat at Mansfield, where Swansea wasted a hatful of early chances, Hollins has yet to find the right blend.

The restored Jonathan Coates looks a pale shadow of the player who last season commanded so much attention from bigger clubs and was pulled off again. But the manager was at pains to stress that too many had poor days.

The central defensive partnership of Matthew Bound and newcomer Jason Smith has not looked as secure as it did in the opening games, while some of the early confidence seems to have drained from Jason Price as well.

Up front, the attack lacks a cutting edge. Although Alsop and Tony Bird can complain about a poor service in the Scunthorpe match when the chances have been created, as they were at Mansfield, the lack of composure has been alarming.

With Nick Cusack anchoring midfield, much of the creative work still comes from Richie Appleby. While still not firing on all cylinders, the midfielder crowned another lively contribution with the low cross which Alsop met with a diving header.

It was one of the few decent crosses in the match as Swansea struggled to put their game together with any authority. Goalscoring opportunities were at a premium and it was almost half-time before Swansea seriously tested the Scunthorpe defence, Alsop's header bouncing off the knees of goalkeeper Tim Clarke before Russ Wilcox denied Tony Bird with a goal-line clearance.

For all their possession, Scunthorpe fared little better in the final third, relying on a 20-yarder from Alex Calvo-Garcia which Roger Freestone turned round the post and an overhead shot from John Gayle which shaved an upright.

It livened up in the final quarter, but not the way Swansea would have wanted. Defeat No. 3 in the opening five League games is hardly a crisis, but it is certainly a big concern for the patient but positive Hollins.

It is bound to widen the debate on whether he has enough quality in his jumbo-sized squad to turn around the club's fortunes. The manager is adamant that he has. Only time will tell whether he is right.

Scorers
Swansea City: Alsop (63)
Scunthorpe United: Eyre (pen 81), Forrester (86)

Substitutions
Swansea City: Roberts for Coates (52), Thomas for Bird (78)
Scunthorpe United: Stamp for Gayle (75), Marshall for Calvo-Garcia (82)

Bookings
Swansea City: Alsop (85)
Scunthorpe United: Walker (44), Eyre (48)

Referee
L. E. Cable (Woking)

Attendance
4,024