Swans v Blackpool | Vital Football

Swans v Blackpool

keith margam

Vital Football Legend
It’s a welcome return to league action for the Swans this Saturday with recently promoted Blackpool the visitors. They won the League One Play-Off Final last May, returning to the Championship for the first time since 2015. Neil Critchley is their head-coach, having previously managed Liverpool U-23’s before taking the Blackpool job in March 2020.
This season Blackpool have been playing well and are two points ahead of the Swans in 10th place and one point off a play-off spot. So far they’ve only lost two of their eight away games, winning three and drawing three.
Swans meanwhile will be looking to bounce back from the Bournemouth setback and will have had the two week break to re-group and go again.
Ryan Bennet will be missing for one match after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bournemouth (Five yellows accumulated before match week 19 results in a one-match ban. Ten yellows accumulated by week 32 will result in a two-match ban).
His replacement will probably be either Cabango, Cooper or Williams.
 
Swans: Ben Hamer, Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, Ryan Manning, Ethan Laird, Flynn Downes, Matt Grimes (capt), Jake Bidwell, Olivier Ntcham (Smith 75’), Jamie Paterson, Joel Piroe (Obafemi 71’).
Subs: Steven Benda, Korey Smith, Liam Cullen, Joel Latibeaudiere, Liam Walsh, Rhys Williams.

Swans 1 - Blackpool 1
It was a disappointing result, conceding a late goal after taking the lead in the first half through an excellent Piroe shot into the top left hand corner of goal in the 35’ for his 11th goal of the season.
A game of two halves, and just like the Bournemouth game we ran out of steam and faded badly second half, allowing Blackpool back into the game.
Two penalty shouts for fouls on Laird were ignored by the biased ref Keith Stroud. Visibly annoyed by the reaction of the home crowd chanting obscenities at him, he proceeded to give Blackpool several dubious free kicks.
In the 85’ Blackpool had a corner which was punched out by Hamer straight to the unmarked Anderson who fired home.
With 60% possession the Swans only managed two shots on target throughout, one of them the goal. To be fair Blackpool limited us to very few chances and looked a solid outfit, albeit a bit heavy with the tackles and with the help of the twelfth man.
 
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