Gavin Tucker looks ahead of the play off semi final - can we do it?

With the play offs fast approaching a lot of discussion centres around previous seasons and what teams did well from what position. How the sixth placed team often does well and how third placed team never goes up. When you actually  look at the stats it seems that hitting a run of form going into them usually the best indicator for success.  

This season is a bit different, the team in sixth is usually a team that has hit a run of form and scraped a playoff place at the last minute, but Nottingham Forest have been up there most of the season and have hung on to a play off  spot rather sneak in at the death. Cardiff are in the mix but seem to be seething at the fact that they’re not going up automatically rather than the task in hand. Reading are a solid team that have fought hard to earn there place. 

The last five games -   Swansea                                  L D W W W   10pts
Cardiff                                                                              W D W L D    8pts
Reading                                                                           W D L D W    8pts
Nottingham Forest                                                        L L W W W    9pts  

Forest, like us have won there last three games, we are both on a excellent run going into our head to head. The Reds have scored 11 and conceded 3 whilst Swansea have scored 10 and conceded only 1 goal in the last three.  It looked most likely two games ago that our destination for the semi finals would almost certainly be Reading but then Cardiff suffered a mini implosion after hitting the capital on a bender opening the door for Swansea to claim their highest league finish for 28 years.

The Swans record aginst Forest this season has brought victories at home for both sides and no less than 9 goals.  Swansea’s match at the City Ground last September was by no means our best away performance this season, losing 3-1.

Although the team that lined up that day was a few significant steps away from the team that we have developed into now. There was no Borini, no Sinclair and Dobbie was an unused substitute. It was on loan Frank Nouble who took up our lone striker role that day. We improved immediately after that game with a 3-2 away win at Watford and have continued to significantly develop since then.

When we recently met at the Liberty it was a dramatic encounter with a 3-2 victory to the Swans. A sparkling brace from debutant Fabio Borini and the goal of the season from Scott Sinclair. The scoreline however somewhat flattered Forest, Swansea dominated play for the majority of the game. There were a very nervy final few minutes where the width of a post stopped the ex-swan Paul Anderson from stealing a point in the dying moments.

One thing to remember from this match going forward is that the Reds are defiantly a team with a never say die attitude.  So Thusday will no doubt bring passion, drama and with the right performance a goal or two for the Swans to bring home to the Liberty. With Konchesky returning to Liverpool comes a hole at Forests left back position, and never the fastest Chris Gunter on the right it could prove to be a productive night for Dyer and Sinclair.

If they put two players to mark them, well that will just open the door for plays through the middle to Dobbie and Borini. There will be periods where our defence will need to be strong and get that counter attack moving with a good ball out from the back. To utilise our great team pace and vision and put the tie beyond them.  We haven’t won at the City Ground for a while but then we hadn’t won at Millwall for 81 years and that didn’t seem to stop us.

No fear, we believe…Swansea City FC

Photo: Action Images

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