Once again an excellent showing from the Jack Army witnessed an appalling display with most undertaking a six hour round trip to watch this game. How the Swans can actually look themselves in the mirror after the last three games is a mystery, this really isn’t what the supporters of this club deserve.

The Swans had the better chance of the first ten minutes when Ronald crossed a pin point ball but Yates on his own in the area was unable to control the ball, in fact he went sprawling when all he had to do was bring the ball down or take on a volley shot. A few minutes later another cross was supplied by Ronald which Yates again headed over from literally three yards - with the goal open wide. Possibly it was Jamal Lowe’s to take but Yates leapt in right in front of him.

Oh for a tall striker in that situation.

On eighteen minutes Josh Key burst forwards but his cross was cut out and went out for the first Swans corner of the game. Rebecca Welch the match official seemed somewhat out of sorts with the context of the game giving some odd decisions, especially when Johnny Howsen lost the ball and Yates was played in by Jamie Paterson. Somehow a free kick was given to the home side. No infringement seen.

Another lovely move saw Ronald cross after Josh Tymon had been illegally brought down. Completely missed by Welch. Unfortunately Yates was judged to have fouled Howsen who most certainly has the gift of cunning when in contact situations. It’s this type of officiating that drives supporters wild, Tymon limped from the field but looked in extreme pain. He came back on but was now in a lot of discomfort.

On twenty five Yates cleverly put in Ronald who blasted wide.

Then Tymon’s game was over and Azeem Abdulai came on. Tymon as we said clearly fouled with no action taken. The home crowd booed Tymon as he left the field, it’s a trait up north for honest play by the opposition. A corner on twenty nine saw Clarke miss with his header. The fouling continued from Boro with Nathan Jones almost having his shirt removed, again with no action from the referee. She wasn’t running the game at all well. Abdulai immediately looked confident but the nipping fouls at the feet of Swans players continued. Key also reviewing the same treatment.

The Swans continued to press with Abdulai pulling the strings.

Luke Ayling supplied a great cross for Emmanuel Latte Lath who headed wide. He was getting closer. The cheap fouling continued as Jay Fulton tried to get forwards, On twenty seven the Swans earned themselves another corner taken by Paterson, and what followed was a series of shots as the ball ricocheted around the home area. The game was flowing end to end when Emmanuel Latte Lath had a decent shot well covered by Carl Rushworth. Bar the chanting from the near three hundred travelling fans the stadium was extremely quiet. When not offside the pressure from Swansea was commendable. But it wouldn’t last.

The game was flat but at least we were seeing some urgency from the Swans.

The reporter in front of me started to check the referee’s ancestry with all the free kicks going to Boro. Then as expected this season Boro went one up with a few minutes of injury time to play. Emmanuel Latte Lath was found in the centre of the Swans box and he fired home the first goal of the day. It could have been avoided, the Swansea defending was pretty poor. With that the journalist in front of me shouted, She’s from bloody here ! ‘She’s from thirty miles up the road” Much laughter. But it did make me think. Rebecca Welch also courted controversy when she was involved in a Sunderland v Boro game when the assesors from the EFL apologised for the way the game panned out. In that game a Sunderland player was sent off in very bizarre circumstances.

Obviously she is making her way in the game and will learn from afternoon’s like this.

Anyway.

Boro came out the better side in the second half, buoyed no doubt from the Swans defending which resulted in their goal.They pressed high but couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities they created. That continued until fifty one minutes when Jamal Lowe had an opportunity he worked for himself, but it was saved well by Dieng. Sam Greenwood responded with a soft effort a minute later. It has to be said in this game, because of the pace being slow it wasn’t dominated by either team in the centre of the pitch. Surely a dream for Grimes ?

He was anonymous.

Ronald now had two defenders on him from his pretty decent performance in the first half. Unfortunately when the ball did get wide Key was slow and inaccurate in his crossing. It was becoming another Swans bore performance. Another dubious decision by the referee (she didn’t spot the ball half a metre out in the first half) when Lowe worked himself into the opponents penalty area. It was a corner, but turned in to a free kick. Even the local press laughed at that.

Hymns and Arias rang out from the away section, you really have to marvel at the Jack Army’s dedication to their team, and in a season which has offered very little. On sixty four minutes the Swans made changes. Liam Walsh for Fulton, Ollie Cooper for Paterson and Yates off for Cullen.

Ronald gained a corner for his hard work on sixty six minutes the outcome turned in to a home free kick. The Swans did press a bit more but it was painful to watch, there seemed little determination in the final ‘action’ It was tepid and I have to be honest very, very boring. Then on seventy one minutes Ronald earned a free kick right on the edge of the Boro area, hauled back but no yellow card. The free kick was wasted and another opportunity fizzled out as the weather I have to say was getting warmer. Although I’m not certain the Swans did have a few sun beds by the dugout, drinks maybe too ?

What was happening, and it was continuously was the Swans lack of creativity when in the final third. Passes were being made but across the centre of the pitch and despite Cullen’s runs they went ignored. Then Govea entered the fray. Remember that daft penalty in the Newcastle v West Ham game in the week ? The one where the player looking forwards was adjudged to have fouled a player he couldn’t see ? Exactly the same happened to Walsh, but in play. The free kick went the opposite way. All we are saying …

The Swans negativity and poor marking led to Boro’s second goal. With five players strewn across the defence Emmanuel Latte Lath, on his own picked out a spot in Rushworth’s net and cooly slotted his effort home. The game was signed, sealed and delivered with ten minutes to go. To be honest the Swans could have played until midnight and they would continue to look like amateurs.

The only player to look like he has any industry was Jamal Lowe in this whole attempt at playing football.

Northern Echo quote : (with permission) With six defenders between himself and the goal, Latte Lath had no real right to score but he kept his cool and somehow managed to squeeze a shot in at the front post. It was the lift Boro and the Riverside needed at the end of a flat first half.

At no time in this game bar the first twenty minutes did Swansea look in anyway capable of taking anything from this game. I think the next time I’m on Indy match duty I will decline. It’s not that I regularly wash my hair on a Saturday afternoon but I do have a tendency to leave the gas on.

File this game under the last three, an utter shambles.

Artwork by Swansea Independent

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