Swans v Cardiff

keith margam · Oct 10, 2021

Well this is the one fans have been waiting for, the local derby.
Surprisingly both teams are struggling at the foot of the table just above the relegation zone, one with a wise old head in charge, the other with an enterprising young coach.
Cardiff 3 wins in 11 matches, Swans 2 wins in 11 matches doesn’t make good reading though, Cardiff seemingly in worse form than us recently with five straight defeats.
We know in local derbies form goes out of the window so the outcome is hard to predict, although a draw is the most likely result.
Manager Mick McCarthy said "There were 25 goal attempts against two. It's bitterly, bitterly disappointing, but I was really proud of the performance today” after Cardiff had lost at home to 8th place Reading by the odd goal. Reading had previous lost to Derby in their last match.
Swans drew at bottom club Derby for their fourth goalless draw of the season and 9 goals in 11 matches tells the story.
Cardiff rely heavily on Kieffer Moore and his aerial prowess for goals, but as we saw in the Czech Rep v Wales game last Friday he is off form at the moment. However, at 6’ 5” he is a threat in the air and I wonder who of our back three will be marking him.
The match is live on Sky Sports next Sunday midday and SwansTV in dark market regions only.
For those that are going, you’ll need proof of a full Covid vaccination or negative test to gain entrance. Each fan will be able to obtain their NHS COVID-19 pass through the NHS Wales website
https://gov.wales/nhs-covid-pass-prove-your-vaccination-status

keith margam · Oct 17, 2021

The teams:
Swans -
Hamer, Bennett(Cabango 81’), Manning, Downes, Smith(Ntcham 67’), Grimes(c), Paterson, Piroe(Cullen 85’), Bidwell, Naughton, Laird
Subs: Benda, Cabango, Ntcham, Whittaker, Cullen, Latibeaudiere, Walsh
Cardiff -
Smithies, McGuiness, Morrison, Flint, Bacuna(Collins 68’), Ralls(Vaulks 84’), Moore, Nelson, Pack, Giles, Brown(Colwill 80’)
Subs: Phillips, Bagan, Voulkes, Collins, Colwill, Harris, Perry Ng

keith margam · Oct 17, 2021

The score:
Swans 3 (Paterson 29’, Piroe 60’, Bidwell 74’)- Cardiff 0

Happy Swans fans this afternoon after Cardiff lost their sixth match in a row, surely Mick McCarthy’s position is now untenable?
A blatant penalty after a few minutes when Nelson brought down Laird in the box was waved away by errant referee James Linnington, who has a past history of poor refereeing of Swansea matches, but that’s another story. He continued his wayward decisions, turning down another penalty appeal by the Swans second half, this time McGuiness on Smith, and he waved play on for several obvious fouls as Cardiff got more desperate.
Man of the Match was Jamie Paterson, who started off the scoring with a terrific shot from 20 odd yards, which bounced of the left post then the right before going in for his fourth goal of the season. He then had an assist for both the other goals by Piroe and Bidwell. Surprisingly he was picked up on a free transfer and only has a year’s contract, with the option of another year, get him tied down.
Cardiff had their chances in the first half from Giles and Moore, but faded badly second half as confidence visibly drained after the second goal went in.
Let’s see how the Swans fare on Wednesday night, when they are home once again, this time to recently relegated from the PL but presently flying high in the Championship, West Brom. This match will be the true test of how much the Swans have improved recently.