I am going to make no apologies for this match report. The win was deserved, but how it came about after so many poor performances in the second half I will never know. I haven’t been watching football as long as some and I am delighted of course the Swans got the points. However, we have seen teams do that to us for a few seasons. Just maybe for once it was our turn ?

Luke Williams pre match thoughts were not that revealing especially with Vipotnik and Cullen starting in the first eleven. And Kyle Naughton preferred to start in the place of Josh Key. We understand Key had some treatment leading up to this game. Josh Key had an excellent game against Leeds on Sunday but he still found himself on the bench. “We have a squad and we have to use it. We have made a couple of changes, but we are in a good place. We deserve in some of the games we have played, but we are in good spirits” nothing groundbreaking there but positivity was high going into this game.

Franco who had a nasty shoulder injury from Sunday. We did mention this morning that two players were receiving treatment prior to this game, clearly he was one. Noticeably the weather was near freezing but we did have a very sound football surface and little wind which pointed to good conditions for the Swans to play on. Cheered on by around three hundred and fifty Jacks it was Ronald who went down after a slip in an early move.

He looked down and out but he is made of better stuff.

Then on just over a minute a cautious build up from the Swans reached Vipotnik just inside the Derby area which he volleyed into the Derby net. Turning on the ball after good control he fired a shot between two Derby defenders for a rare goal from range this season. It was a wonderful move and shot. Much delight in the away end. The Swans were one up. Derby were not to be outdone especially with Ronald giving the ball away on three occasions in succession after that. But confidence looked high.

With the Swans second in the Championship on possession stats that was reinforced but Ronald was not getting any joy whatsoever in possession, nor when taking on his man. This repetitive issue for him over recent games had caused the Swans some discomfort. What was noticeable was Derby’s early attempts to gain an advantage in the Swans penalty area. A wonderful dive didn’t convince the match officials. As the Rams forward, Kayden Jackson got into the game it was Adams next with the theatrics after a challenge from Franco. From that free kick Wilson just couldn’t direct the ball goalwards.

The Swans were not to be outdone though, Ronald had switched flanks and got an immediate reward. A lovely move from the Swans reached Cullen out on the Swans left and he passed a wonderfully disguised ball to Ronald taking out three players. He raced into the area placing the ball cleverly in to the Derby net. He had been forgiven.

Fourteen minutes gone, 0-2.

Franco was putting himself about but Jackson’s pathetic screams in a fair challenge that at no point did Franco touch him were comical. The Swans were remaining composed, and passing through the lines and it was only their poor passing leading up to twenty minutes that let them down. The crowd were furious at their sides lack of effort, however, they just couldn’t live with the away side. What the Swans had to do was press home their advantage and get the game signed and sealed. The Swans had played so many passes that Matt Grimes had more successful passes than the home side at this point.

A Derby corner on twenty six minutes infuriated the home crowd as the move went against them, the referee blowing up and stopping the play just because he could. The game was reaching what could only be described as slow motion with Swansea not going for the throat and Derby just totally frustrated that things were not going for them.

The Rams second corner came on thirty one minutes out on the Swans left. The Rams, Nelson met the ball with a decent header but Matt Grimes headed the ball bravely off the line. A third corner came to nothing. What was evident to all was that the Swans had to wake up and be aware that Derby were there for the taking. More booing as Franco was brought down in midfield by Elder, that was a yellow card.

We had ten minutes of the half to run.

Then more defensive nonsense from the Swans as Blackett - Taylor cross was mishandled by Vigouroux and really, coupled with some very poor passing the Swans were drifting off to sleep. We have seen it so many times this season at these junctures of the game. Late on in halves especially. Franco’s poor passing was causing problems as Derby had a shot at goal which veered away harmlessly. Derby were putting more effort in and Kayden Jackson fluffed his lines in front of goal. They were getting closer.

The passing of the first twenty minutes was gone. This seemed a different game.

Then Harry Darling gave the ball away. Derby pressed. A cross saw Wilson in free space but he headed the ball straight at Vigouroux. The Swans composure and passing was absolutely shocking. They were crumbling. They needed half time. Naughton was being exposed for his obvious lack of pace, Franco just couldn’t do anything with the ball and when he did Cashin fouled him in midfield. Then it became really bad. Lapsidasical passing and again from Franco led to another Derby attack and two more corners. As we have often seen the stupidity of the Swansea mindset and ridiculous passing was eventually going to cost a goal. Something had to be done.

Luke Williams had some urgent surgery to do.

As the half time whistle sounded booing greeted the players, and the Swans somehow had braved the last fifteen minutes. Everything Derby had gained came from seven unforced errors by the Swans. It gave them confidence and belief, it’s almost as if this team will never learn. Thankfully the first fifteen minutes saved the swans from complete embarrassment.

As expected Derby came out for the second half full of confidence, much of it handed to them from the Swans with poor ball retention. First Jackson met a cross from Laing and Vigouroux made a superb save diving down to his right. That came from a Grimes misplaced pass. The errors continued and sterling work from Ben Cabango (below) was required to clear the ball. But it just came back. Again Grimes aided another attack, it was getting a bit silly all round now. Peart-Harris was given a lovely ball racing into the home penalty area, unfortunately he got his feet mixed up. Tymon got a cross in which was begging for a striker to get on the end of it. The Swans were still content with slow passing and on fifty seven minutes the ball drifted out of play after Darling burst forwards. That led to a key moment in this game. Minutes later on fifty nine minutes we saw Darling leave the game injured and Cyrus Christie replaced him.

The Swans were still playing at half pace, passing the ball about gingerly whilst Derby pressed quickly. What we needed to see now was Josh Key and Joe Allen to bolster things up. I have to say Peart-Harris was having another poor game, surely Bianchini could do better ?

More loose passing this time from Naughton and a mistake from Tymon allowed Derby to attack again. And what happens next ? Harness was brought down in the area, elaborately diving over Christie. That constant of giving the ball away had taken its toll. Laing converted the penalty, and the Swans were now being chased down like lame dogs. That penalty led to more Derby attacks, and more Swansea mistakes. For me, Christie was the obvious weak link with an Olympiacos on loan centre half on the bench. Williams preferred to put Cyrus on than give Nelson Abbey a try. The loss of awareness was displayed when Liam Cullen couldn’t even control a slow ball when turning on the edge of the area on sixty nine minutes.

Swansea possession was being constantly turned over by the home side, weak and lazy play rewarding Derby. More poor play followed on seventy two minutes. Balls in possession being given away that should have been a part of far quicker and motivated Swansea attack. The Swans did get forwards on seventy five minutes but Peart-Harris somehow blasted the ball into the stands. From that move, moments later Cullen hesitated when on the ball but got a shot away which was the first Swansea attempt on goal for an hour. Liam had no support of note, when you look back on that move you see Grimes and Franco jogging and Ronald doing the same.

The referee adjudged the shot to be deflected and the set piece came to nothing.

Then it was Christie’s turn to turn attack into defence with a loose ball on eighty minutes. That led to more Derby pressure. A Bianchini break on the Swans right broke down as Derby again pressed. Fortunately the home side were now playing as badly as the Swans. After great work by Franco he played an awful pass to increase the pressure in his team. However, on eighty three minutes we saw Franco and Peart-Harris subbed for Jay Fulton and Azeem Abdulai. The corner which the Swans had won before the sub break was as daft as a move you will see. It gave Derby the ball.

On eighty five minutes more stupidity, this time a goal kick from Vigouroux to Cabango (below) charged down and then a bit of luck saw Swansea clear the ball. That move, that ridiclious attempt at playing football summed up this whole game for Swansea.

As the ninety approached we knew Derby would create more mayhem. Ronald was tackled and another attack by the home side required Vigouroux to bail out his defence. More pressure from a miscontrolled pass by Cullen, and now we would see how much injury time we would have. The time when the Swans love to concede.

Six minutes.

Derby attacked and attacked. The Swans clearing and Derby nearly scoring. Tymon’s turn again to give the ball away, Derby attacked down the Swans left. Three minutes to go. It was all Derby and half of it from Swansea not being able to control a football. Key broke with the ball, beating players, his pass was poor, Derby again attacked. Then a free kick given away by Ronald in a very dangerous area. Derby keeper, came forwards. Panic and a clearance from Cabango. Another throw in led to more pressure.

I’m going to say this, whatever was in Luke Williams mind for the game it really wasn’t this. The Jack Army were superb, loud and a credit. How the Swans hung on I will never know. Maybe it was well overdue, we’ve seen so many heartbreaking moments this season. If there is an explanation as to what we witnessed at Pride Park then as the old people used to say, send in your answers on a postcard.

⚽️ Derby County: Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Kane Wilson, Eiran Cashin, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (captain), Kenzo Goudmijn (Liam Thompson 62), Marcus Harness (James Collins 79) Kayden Jackson, (Dajaune Brown 79) Callum Elder (Craig Forsyth 62), Corey Blackett-Taylor (Tom Barkhuizen 62), Ebou Adams, Curtis Nelson.

Unused Substitutes: Josh Vickers, Sonny Bradley, Ben Osborn, Nat Phillips.

⚽️ Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux 7 Kyle Naughton 5 (Josh Key 66) 7 Ben Cabango 8 Harry Darling 6 (Cyrus Christie 60) 4 Josh Tymon 5 Matt Grimes 5 (captain), Gonçalo Franco 5 (Jay Fulton 82) 4 Liam Cullen 6 Ronald 6 Myles Peart-Harris 4 (Azeem Abdulai 82) 5 Žan Vipotnik 7 (Florian Bianchini 66). 6

Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Joe Allen, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Nelson Abbey

Referee: Ben Toner 6/10, was that penalty correct ?

Attendance: 25,000
Away : 368

⚽️ Luke Williams
“We started the game really well, I think in the first 25 minutes or so we were very, very good,” said Williams. But probably from that point on we lost a grip of the game if I am honest, and Derby were excellent for an hour. We defended incredibly well and I am happy with that. We were very clinical with the goals, and that was just as well because we had a lot defending to do after that. We had some good build-up play, Vipi has scored with a hammer of a drive and then an intricate pass from Liam Cullen and a smart finish from Ronald. From then Derby applied so much pressure, we had to stand up to that as they have done many times and I am proud of them for that. We rose to the challenge.”

Photographs licensed from Reuters : MT1IMGOSP0009AREUO & MT1IMGOSP0009AS450

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