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Thursday, September 05, 2002 JENKINS SWANS BLOW

Evening Post Lee Jenkins has been ruled out of Swansea City's clash with Third Division leaders Hartlepool at Vetch Field on Saturday. Jenkins, probably the most consistent performer in the side so far this season, was hit in the face by the ball early on in the game against York on Saturday. Despite coming through most of that game, he has missed training this week after being diagnosed with mild concussion by club doctors. The standard lay-off time for concussion is a fortnight, but Swansea physiotherapist Richard Evans says there is a slight chance that he could return for the big Worthington Cup tie with Wolves next Wednesday. "Normally with concussion two weeks is the usual amount of time out, " he said, "but in Lee's case it's only mild concussion and he could return to action sooner at the doctor's discretion. "Lee will be back at the Vetch at the end of the week and we will take a look at him then to assess his recovery before deciding if he's fit to play next week." Meanwhile, the official Swansea Travel Club is running a trip for the Welsh derby against Wrexham on September 14. The trip costs £12 and the bus will leave Morriston Cross at 8am and the Quadrant at 8.15. For further details ring the club shop on 01792 462584.

Wednesday, September 04, 2002 SWANS BOOST AS WOOD BACK IN FRAME

Evening Post Jamie Wood has given Swansea player-manager Nick Cusack a massive boost by returning to full training. And the Salford-born striker is raring to go as Cusack's men look to topple leaders Hartlepool on Saturday. Wood missed last week's two defeats against Bristol Rovers and York and cannot wait to get back into the fray to add to his first goal against Bournemouth. The 23-year-old tapped home after only 15 seconds in the 2-0 win over the Cherries but had to be helped off minutes from the end with an ankle injury caused by a Karl Broadhurst tackle. At first it was thought Wood would make last week's trip to the Memorial Stadium but things did not work out for the former Manchester United man. Now, though, things are on the up. "It's goods news for me thankfully, " said Wood. "The injury was a bit worse than I first thought. At the time I genuinely thought I'd be back in training on the Monday morning. "But over that weekend my ankle blew up and it turned out that my ligaments were damaged. "I had treatment all last week and I had a hard, testing session with physio Richie Evans without any reaction so I am back with the squad now." Wood knows the importance of getting back to winning ways and he cannot wait to get back to life in the fast lane. Hartlepool will not be easy opponents, but the former Halifax striker says there is plenty for Swansea to work with. "We've lost two on the bounce which means we are sitting lower in the league than we would have hoped for, " said Wood. "We've got to look for a win at the weekend. It's going to be tough because they are top of the league but if we can find the form we did against Rushden and Bournemouth, we can do it. "I'm just looking forward to getting involved and doing what I can to help get that result." The news on the injury front was not so good for joint top scorer James Thomas. "He's been undergoing intensive treatment and I gave him a good workout, " said physio Evans. "He still has a bit of tightness in his groin which is hampering him. "But we will continue to work with him through the week. He isn't far away but Saturday might just be too soon for him." Meanwhile, former Swansea boss Colin Addison is the new manager of Conference strugglers Forest Green Rovers. Forest Green sacked the former Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink on Saturday, with the club bottom of the table after five successive defeats. Addison was due to take over the reins today.

Wednesday, September 04, 2002 Addison back in charge as he takes over at struggling Rovers

Western Mail FORMER Swansea City manager Colin Addison yesterday returned to front-line management with Nationwide Conference strugglers Forest Green Rovers. Addison, who only joined Newport County as assistant to Tim Harris in July, takes up his first managerial post since leaving the Vetch when he and No 2 Peter Nicholas were sacked in March. The 62-year-old has accepted a two-year contract and replaces ex-Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink, who was dismissed at the weekend after a 2-0 defeat by Chester City made it five straight defeats. Harris, whose side were in action at Stafford Rangers last night, admitted he was disappointed Addison had chosen to leave Spytty Park after only two months. "It's sad to say the least because Colin and I were working well together and I wanted him to help us get into the Conference," said Harris. "But what can you do? There's no point being annoyed about it, we'll just have to get on without him. "Colin's like Red Adair; 62 going on 42. He can't resist a challenge and he has a challenge and a half on his hands at Forest Green. But he has got time and 37 games to save them." Gloucestershire-based Rovers are confident Addison is the man to reverse their disastrous start to the season that has left them pointless and rooted to the bottom of the league. "Colin's experience at all levels of football -- in particular his recent spells with Yeovil and Scarborough - will stand the club in good stead for the remaining campaign," said chairman Trevor Horsley. Addison's managerial career began in 1971 when he started out as player-coach at Hereford United, guiding the Bulls to a famous FA Cup victory over Newcastle United. He has since been in charge of Derby , West Brom, Athletico Madrid, Celta Vigo, Scarborough, Yeovil, and the Swans.

Tuesday, September 03, 2002 WE'LL GET IT RIGHT, SAYS SCORER MOSS

Evening Post Goalscoring midfielder David Moss has told Swansea City fans to save their worries until winter after a shaky start to the new season. Defeat at Vetch Field by York last Saturday means Swansea lie 21st in the Third Division table as it begins to take shape. Pre-season title favourites Hull, unfancied Macclesfield and Nationwide League new-boys Boston - who started on -4 because of financial irregularities - are the only sides below. But 33-year-old Moss, who scored his second goal in two matches against York, believes now is not the time to panic. "It's still very early days, " said the powerful former Falkirk skipper. "The manager pointed that out to us after the York game and he's right. I think when Swansea got promotion from this division last time (in 1999-2000), it wasn't until September or October that they really started to get things going." Having cemented his place in Cusack's first team, Moss is eyeing the return of key players like James Thomas and Kris O'Leary as the lift required before table-topping Hartlepool visit this weekend. "I'm sure that once we get a few of the injured and suspended boys back we will be going in the right direction. "The boys are not down. There's still plenty of confidence there and we are just looking forward to next Saturday now." He added: "I thought we started reasonably well against York but after the first 15 minutes we went very poor. "We lost our shape, gave the ball away needlessly and gave them lots of free-kicks. "And the goals were all down to us. It was nothing they were creating, it was about basic mistakes on our part. "We got a deserved equaliser and thought if any team was going to win it would be us, but then once again our mistake gave the penalty away and we lost the game." After two games out with an ankle problem, striker Jamie Wood is looking good for a comeback against Hartlepool after resuming full training yesterday. Thomas, also absent from the last two games with groin trouble, is hopeful of making a return this weekend but there is no guarantee he will be fit. Meanwhile, a Swansea side, made up predominantly of youth team players, will take on Neath league side Varteg Rovers tonight (6.30). Cusack will include a sprinkling of first team players in the squad for the game which is being played at Ystalyfera rugby club.

Monday, September 02, 2002 Moss makes striking look easy

Western Mail DAVID MOSS might have to consider taking out a full-page newspaper advertisement to convince people he is a midfielder, not a striker. It's an easy mistake to make. Moss looks like a targetman, dashes about like a targetman and, in the past seven days, has headed in two goals in typical targetman fashion. But the 33-year-old summer signing, whose effort against York City on Saturday was all Swansea City could salvage from another dispiriting defeat, was keen to clarify his precise role. Said Moss, "It keeps getting reported that I'm a striker, but I'm not. I'm a midfielder - that is where I've played all my career and that is where I'm going to play at Swansea. "I like to break forward from midfield as much as possible and that's what the manager wants me to do. "As soon as the ball goes wide it's up to me to get into the box and on the end of things. Most of the goals I've scored have come from headers and I'm keeping up that tradition here." Moss, who joined Swansea from Falkirk in July, had little opportunity to prove his worth in pre-season and was then injured for the first two weeks of the new campaign. But the Doncaster-born midfielder has grabbed his chance in the past two games, his goal against York coming four days after he netted as a substitute at Bristol Rovers. "Having stayed fit through the pre-season, it was disappointing to get injured a week before the start," said the former Chester-field and Scunthorpe player. "But now I'm fit and feeling good about myself. I've got into the side and done as well as I can." The onus is now on Moss's midfield colleagues to get in on the goal-scoring act. With James Thomas and Jamie Wood missing again on Saturday, Swansea desperately lacked other avenues of attack. Player-coach Nick Cusack started his first game of the season as an attacker and worked tirelessly at winning headers, flicking on and setting moves in motion. But neither he nor strike partner Jonathan Keaveny troubled York goalkeeper Marlon Beresford too much and Cusack must seriously hope he has at least one of his first-choice strikers available for the visit of league lead-ers Hartlepool in five days' time. The first half was desperately dull stuff and it was little wonder Swansea trudged off the pitch with boos from the North Bank ringing in their ears after falling behind to Lee Bullock's 31st-minute strike. They switched from a 4-4-2 formation to 3-5-2 and then 3-4-3 in the second half and enjoyed a greater share of possession but still struggled to perforate York's defence. To their credit, Swansea claimed a wonderful equaliser when Moss powered Michael Howard's pinpoint cross past Beresford - almost a carbon copy of his goal at the Memorial Stadium. With only 10 minutes remaining the situation called for some calm and composed defending, but Swansea fluffed it and York won a penalty when Peter Duffield tumbled under a challenge from Andrew Mumford. The striker converted the spot-kick - maintaining his record of scoring in every game this season - and Cusack's men could not muster a second comeback in the final 10 minutes. Defeat left the sorry Swans lying 21st in Division Three and Cusack, who now has captain Kris O'Leary available again after the defender served a three-match suspension, once again bemoaned his team's defensive shortcomings. He said, "I thought we were much better in the second-half - in my view it was one-way traffic when Moss scored and I thought we could go on to win the game. "But - and I'm fed up with saying this - defensive frailties let us down again. We should have cleared the decks after scoring, but instead York came forward and won a penalty." The player-coach, who won't need reminding that Hartlepool thumped Swansea 7-1 in April, added, "I won't get down in the dumps about the result. "Say what you like about pressure, but I will just get on with the job and turn things round."

Monday, September 02, 2002 CUSACK TAKES THE STRAIN TO EASE PLAYER PRESSURE

Evening Post Nick Cusack has told his players to let him do the worrying after seeing Swansea City slump to a first home defeat of the season on Saturday. David Moss's smart header proved a mere consolation as goals from Lee Bullock and Peter Duffield handed a York a 2-1 win. A third reverse in six matches - and a second inside four days - sees Cusack's new-look side slip to 21st in Division Three, four points above bottom-club Boston who began the campaign on minus four. But Cusack, whose side entertain early leaders Hartlepool next weekend, was in upbeat mood following the latest setback. ''I have told the players not to get their heads down, to worry or be despairing, '' he said. ''They might look at the table and be very disappointed, but I said let me do the worrying, let me handle the media and let me handle the supporters. ''We were very unfortunate not to get at least a point against York, but I will not get down in the dumps. ''You guys can write what you want and say what you want about pressure, whatever, but I'm just going to get on with the job and I will turn it around. ''Sometimes it doesn't go your way, but I've told the players to keep believing in themselves and hopefully things will improve next Saturday.'' Cusack's hand should be strengthened by the return of club skipper Kristian O'Leary after suspension, while Jason Smith may be fit after a groin problem. And he will be keeping his fingers crossed over the fitness of firstchoice front two James Thomas and Jamie Wood. Andrew Mumford, a second-half substitute against York, travels to Finland this week with the Welsh Under-21s and misses out. ''Hopefully we will have some good news with the strikers coming back and possibly a couple of defenders coming back and that will strengthen us, '' added Cusack.

Monday, September 02, 2002 IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER - NEXT UP HARTLEPOOL!

Evening Post Third Division round-up HARTLEPOOL, next Saturday's visitors to the Vetch, stormed to the top of Division Three after previous leaders Rushden & Diamonds capitulated at Cambridge. Veteran striker Gordon Watson netted the only goal of the game at Oxford, firing home from just outside the penalty area in the 38th minute to give the North-Easterners top spot in the division on goal difference over York. Rushden & Diamonds suffered a miserable trip to Cambridge, going down 4-1 to slip to third place. Tom Youngs opened Cambridge's account after 20 minutes and netted his second midway into the second half after Omer Riza had doubled United's advantage. Stewart Wardley pulled one back for the visitors but Dave Kitson restored Cambridge's three-goal cushion. Having missed out on the signing of Faustino Asprilla, Darlington needed Barry Conlan's second-half goal to claim a 1-1 draw at Kidderminster after Ian Foster had given the home side the lead from the penalty spot. Pre-season title favourites Hull again slipped up at Boothferry Park with Leyton Orient taking the lead through Ciaran Toner after 18 minutes. Dean Keates equalised with a long-range drive 19 minutes later to claim a 1-1 draw for Jan Molby's side. Simon Weatherstone headed an equaliser for Football League newcomers Boston three minutes into injury time to claim a 1-1 home draw with Bury after Jon Newby had given the Shakers the lead three minutes into the second half. Two goals in three minutes at the end of the first half gave Exeter a 20 win at Carlisle thanks to strikes from Don Goodman and Santos Gaia, while an Alan Connell goal gave Bournemouth a 1-0 win at Macclesfield. Luke Rodgers's third-minute opener for Shrewsbury proved to be in vain as Adie Mike and Ben Sedgemore secured a 2-1 win for Lincoln at Gay Meadow. Torquay fought back from a goal down to beat Wrexham 2-1 at Plainmoor, Kevin Hill and David Graham cancelling out Andrew Morrell's opener. A 90th-minute Wayne Carlisle penalty nicked a 2-2 draw for Bristol Rovers at Scunthorpe. Andrew Dawson opened the scoring for the hosts and Martin Carruthers doubled their advantage but Robert Quinn gave Rovers hope before Carlisle's late strike. Southend beat Rochdale 2-1 at Spotland thanks to goals from Mark Rawle and Tesfaye Bramble, with Gareth Griffiths's header scant consolation for the hosts.

Monday, September 02, 2002 EARLY DAYS, BUT TABLE HAS DEPRESSING LOOK

Evening Post Nick Cusack tried in vain to reverse Swansea City's fortunes on the field on Saturday. Now he returns to the training ground in search of a cure for teething problems before the next of Division Three's pacesetters arrive at Vetch Field. Swansea's run of patchy early-season form continued over the weekend, with high-flying York the latest opponents to cash in on some less than convincing defending Just as Bury and Bristol Rovers had notched first wins of the new campaign against Cusack's side in the previous fortnight, the Minstermen got off the mark away from home to climb to second in the table Swansea, by contrast, sit just four off bottom of the pile, with Boston below them because of financial irregularities rather than footballing failures The season's starter pistol is still smoking, of course, but player-manager Cusack will be keen for his side to begin firing fairly soon to avoid a long battle at the bottom As Swansea learned first hand last year, football's equivalent of the nervous 90s - the last three places in the Nationwide League - are just as unpleasant as the cricketing version. The good news next weekend is that Swansea have another home fixture, the bad that the visitors are table-topping Hartlepool. But Cusack's men need have no fears. Some wise summer acquisitions mean Swansea have the makings of a decent side - if they can click into gear. A defence featuring some more than capable Third Division players is yet to get going, with the likely return of club skipper Kris O'Leary after suspension next Saturday a welcome boost. The midfield has been notable for individual performances rather than its overall effectiveness so far this term. Dave Moss followed the example of Paul Reid and Matt Murphy earlier in the campaign by showing his quality against York. Now the challenge is for all three to do it at once. Getting Andrew Mumford back to his best must be a priority, too, though the 21-year-old local lad will not be involved against Hartlepool because of international duty. Up front, Jamie Wood and the classy James Thomas missed York and the defeat at Bristol Rovers four days earlier with injuries and Swansea missed them. Physio Richie Evans is likely to spend a fair bit of time on ankle and groin respectively this week, for the return of the dynamic duo would give Cusack's side a major lift after they were jeered by their own fans for the first time this season on Saturday. The boos greeted the half-time whistle, which saw Swansea turn round one goal behind after a gloomy opening 45 minutes. Things might have been different had full debutant Jonathan Keaveny not scuffed his shot wide having rounded Marlon Beresford. As it was, a failure to clear Graham Potter's inswinging corner just after the half hour allowed Lee Bullock to stab through a crowd of players to put the visitors in front. Stephen Brackstone might have doubled the advantage seconds later, before Swansea raised their game a little as 44-2 became 3-5-2 with the introduction of Mumford at centre-back in the second period. Cusack, who was outstanding in the air, headed narrowly wide, as did Moss. John Williams's arrival cued another change in formation, to 3-4-3, and 14 minutes from the end the equaliser came. Michael Howard got a second bite of the cherry after one poor cross, and his more measured delivery teed up Moss for a second headed goal in four days. If Kevin Keegan had been around, he would have been tipping Swansea as the only winner from there. Had he done so, the former England boss would, not for the first time, have finished up eating his words. A long ball and a shimmy was enough for Peter Duffield to earn a penalty after Mumford stuck out a leg in the box. The division's leading scorer picked himself up and sent Roger Freestone the wrong way for goal No. 6 in six games, and the three points were sealed - they might have been moments earlier had John Parkin not wasted a golden chance. "We competed well in the second half and caused them a lot of problems, " Cusack said, "but unfortunately defensive frailties let us down again. I'm fed up with saying that. "The first goal was just about basic picking people up and heading the ball out but it dropped to a free man and he put it away. "For the second we didn't clear a long ball away and the fella got into the box. "It's common sense just to stay on your feet and then clear the danger, but unfortunately Mumf caught him and that was that." He continued: "I thought when we drew level it was one-way traffic and that we would win. The least we should have got was a point. "But that doesn't happen. They are riding high and they are getting a bit of luck. Maybe it will be our turn next week." Maybe, but it's tough at the bottom.

Monday, September 02, 2002 Swans need inspiration

Western Mail THE crisis club headlines may be a little premature but make no mistake, the storm clouds are hovering close to the Vetch Field after two defeats in five days for the Swans. True, there are injuries to key men to take into account, and when resources are as threadbare as they are at Swansea, the side is always going to suffer when players are on the treatment table. But issues like that should not cloud the harsh truth - Nick Cusack's side are short on inspiration and will have to undergo dramatic improvement if they are to evolve into anything better than mid-table fodder. Rumours that Brian Flynn could be helicoptered into the Vetch hotseat have been rife, and those rumours will remain if Swansea continue to churn out this sort of result. A late penalty was their undoing, and you had to feel for the hosts because their sheer effort perhaps warranted a point. But until they can start creating more in front of goal - clear-cut chances were almost totally absent yesterday - Swansea's progress will be stymied and frustration among the faithful will fester. Still Cusack, nothing if not a fighter, was defiant last night. "We will turn this around, I have told the players not to despair," was his message. There was little sign of what was to come early on yesterday. The home side snapped urgently at their opponents in the first five minutes, clearly wanting to get the midweek defeat to Bristol Rovers out of their system. But with strikers Jamie Wood and James Thomas injured and Steve Watkin suspended, there was always the danger they would lack punch up front. And for the opening 45 minutes they did. player/manager Cusack played himself up front alongside former Carmarthen Town front-runner James Keaveney but there was little fluency to the Swans' work in the last third. Cusack was good nuisance value. Not the most mobile at 36, he won good ball in the air and nudged and probed well. Too often, though, there was nobody chasing the second ball, with him and Keaveney working in isolation. And having changed to a 4-4-2 formation instead of the usual three at the back with wing-backs, there was a patent lack of width to everything Swansea did. In fact the only shots at goal in the opening 20 minutes were two tame efforts from left-back Lee Jenkins. But Swansea should have taken the lead. After failing to deal with a left-wing cross, the ball presented itself to Matt Murphy 30 yards out and his delightful cushioned header put ex-League of Wales man Keaveney through. The striker chose the right option by rounding the 'keeper, but one of his touches took him too wide, allowing defenders to get back to the line and forcing him to hit the side-netting. On balance the hosts had the better of it at that stage, even if they did look toothless going forward. Keaveney should have done better than to blast a free-kick into the base of the wall and skipper Paul Reid's long-range shot was too close to stopper Marlon Beresford. Just as things were brightening up though, defensive bungling in the Swans' rearguard gifted the Minstermen a goal on the half hour. It came from a corner after Roger Freestone had tipped a stinging free-kick from John Parkin around the post, and while there was nothing special about the resulting in-swinger, a cluster of Swans defenders couldn't clear and midfielder Lee Bullock thumped the loose ball home from no more than a couple of yards. There were a couple of determined Swansea assaults up to the interval, but balls aimed down either channel was about the strength of what they could offer and it was difficult to see where an equaliser would come from. It's a fair bet the air was blue in the home dressing-room at half-time and Cusack changed it back to 3-5-2, bringing on Andrew Mumford for left-back Jenkins. And after a few minutes the greater threat of the Swans was visible, with more avenues opening up and some long-over-due crosses finding their way into the mix. The pattern of the second half at that stage was not difficult to forecast - Swansea looked set to enjoy the lion's share of possession but there would be fresh counter-attacking possibilities for York. The pacey John Williams replaced the ineffectual Matt Murphy in the 55th minute to offer another attacking outlet. And there was plenty of good territory for Cusack's side - but good chances were non-existant and Keaveney running on to a Cusack header in the 69th minute before being muscled out was about it. They should have been 2-0 down in the 74th minute when Lee Nogan squared for the unmarked Parkin, but Roger Freestone blocked the shot with his legs and the save was to prove a temporary turning point. Moments later, Michael Howard raked over a left-wing cross and David Moss thudded in a header for 1-1. A share of the spoils looked likely then, but the parity was short-lived. Three minutes later, Nogan twisted and turned dangerously on the edge of the box, threaded a pass to Peter Duffield and the over-eager Mumford upended him. The Vetch crowd vented their fury, but it was a careless challenge. Duffield got up to plant a low spot-kick to Freestone's left and the points were going north.

Monday, September 02, 2002 Letheren unhappy at Swans treatment

Evening Post Former goalkeeping coach Glan Letheren has taken a swipe at Swansea City, claiming he learned his services were no longer required in the Evening Post. Letheren (above), who originally left the Vetch after being made redundant by Tony Petty last October, was brought back into the fold by player-manager Nick Cusack during the close season. But just weeks after his return, the ex-Leeds United keeper has parted company with the club for a second time. ''I was shocked to read in the Evening Post that Roger Freestone was going to do the job of goalkeeping coach, '' he said. ''Having been asked to come back in the summer, I did a number of sessions. Then I was asked to discuss my wages with Don Goss (chief executive) who said he could not see there being problem. ''The next day he informed me that the club could not afford it and they never came back to me with another offer. Since then I have not been spoken to by the club.'' He added: ''I wish Nick Cusack all the best and I have no problem with him. ''I just wish the club had told me what was going on especially as I turned down job offers from other clubs on the strength of the work with Swansea.'' Vetch communications manager Peter Owen responded by rejecting suggestions that the club could not afford to pay Letheren. ''As Nick (Cusack) has said previously, it was an expenditure which was considered unnecessary with Roger Frestone on the coaching staff, '' he said. ''Nick is mindful of the fact that Glan is a quality coach but we felt it was time for us to explore another avenue.'' Letheren works parttime as goalkeeping coach for Exeter City and is still involved with Swansea's School of Excellence. Meanwile, former Swansea loan player Nicolas Fabiano has signed a one-year deal with Scottish Premier side Aberdeen.

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