Josh Tymon and Kristian Pedersen made their Swansea City debuts in the south Wales derby this evening in a game that summed up Michael Duff’s start to the Championship season.
From the start it was evident that Swansea City were not in any way prepared for the type of football that Michael Duff talks about so often. The repetitive misplaced passing, the lack of awareness and complete inability to pass a football in to a dangerous area was the story of the Swans game. We have seen four previous meetings between these sides with the Swans set up to win the game, in this encounter we witnessed a side that was merely happy to not lose it. At no point in the whole of the game did Swansea show any quality or belief, and most certainly did not do anything to win the contest.
If there was an opportunity for either side that you could put your hat on in the first half then it clearly happened in a different dimension to the reality of this woeful first half showing from both sides. Okay, Cardiff had one effort on forty seven minutes but really, that was it. Everything the managers spoke about pre match wasn’t remotely evident in their tactics or execution of them. Any commitment or aggression and attention to detail was left in the dressing room as both sides fought out a midfield battle littered with mistakes, irregular passing and unenforced errors. The only real chance fell to Cardiff front man Meite who blasted his shot on target in injury time, but Carl Rushworth saved well.
Other than that it was a bore fest which literally sucked the life out of both sets of fans.
Referee Sam Barrott and his assistants missed a clear penalty shout on Jerry Yates as Perry Ng almost ripped the shirt off his back, and Charlie Patino was openly elbowed in the face causing a blood injury. Matt Grimes passing has to be called in to question as he gave away possession regularly throughout the half. Jay Fulton who started the game in lieu of Joe Allen who pulled up injured in the pre match warm up was his ever hard working ( unnoticeable ) self but the creativity the Swans rely upon from Patino was stifled. Jamal Low making a return to the Swans couldn’t trap the ball almost on every occasion he had an opportunity to do so.
There was absolutely nothing for Swans fans to be happy with in the first forty eight minutes.
Cardiff started the second half with a stinging shot again from Meite whilst the Swans dawdled across the pitch from the restart. That set the tone for the half with the home side slowly forcing their will on the Swans with only Carl Rushworth keeping his side in the game. A lovely strike by Tanner put Cardiff ahead, twisting and turning to level a shot in to Rushworth’s net. Late on in the game Aaron Ramsey fired home a penalty which to the eye looked very much outside the penalty area, and the Swans misery was complete. The occasion seemed to overwhelm the referee who missed a clear penalty shout in the first half. A late strike from Jay Fulton was blocked by Cardiff keeper Alnwick as frustratingly Duff brought on two substitutes in second half extra time. Josh Ginnelly’s lack of composure ( for a professional footballer it was awful ) summed it all up for Swansea. With just the keeper to beat he completely air shot his effort.
Overall nothing that the Swans did this evening was productive, and there’s literally nothing for the wonderful travelling support to be happy about. Even at 2-0 down, the Swans who were called out for a lack of tempo by Duff in the dying minutes of their last game, a defeat to Bristol City went back to type. Clueless in their imagination to even able trouble the Cardiff defence, and for once, and it is for once, Cardiff City win the south Wales derby.
It really was a dismal performance.
Cardiff City : Alnwick; Ng, McGuinness, Goutas, Collins; Wintle, Siopis; Meite (Etete 80), Ramsey (C) (Robinson 90), Grant; Ugbo (Tanner 70).
Subs: Runarsson, Ralls, Adams, Panzo, R. Colwill, Rinomhota.
Swansea City : Rushworth; 7 Wood, 6 Darling, 6 Pedersen 5 (Kuharevich 90); Key, 6 Fulton 5 (Cooper 90), Grimes (C), 4 Patino 5 (Cullen 82), Tymon;6 Yates 4 (Ginnelly 63), 4 Lowe 4 (Paterson 63). 6
Subs: Fisher, Cabango, Humphreys, Ashby.
Referee : Sam Barrott 4/10 : Missed a Swans clear penalty in the first half, and awarded Cardiff a penalty for a foul outside of the box. Out of his depth.