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W.B.A. 0-1 Swansea City
Match Report by Swansong
SWANS SOAR OVER FLIGHTLESS BAGGIE BIRD
The Swans showed great resilience and character to come away with a well deserved victory at WBA last night. Albion started brightly, but weren't able to create many clear chances and, even though they were awarded 2 free kicks in an excellent position on the edge of the penalty area, their execution was poor. Swansea seemed to grow in confidence and enjoyed the better of the last 15 minutes of the half, with their customary slick inter-passing creating several excellent openings. Sharper finishing would have resulted in them taking the lead before half time, but at least the solid defence was frustrating the home side's attack.
Albion made 2 changes at half time and, as expected, they came at us in the first 5 minutes. However, they were caught by a sucker punch as the Swans worked an excellent move down the left. Van der Gun, showing great balance, cut inside and slipped the ball to Gower who supplied a perfectly weighted ball to Beattie who finished clinically in the far corner.
The goal was well deserved and we showed great composure in closing out Albion for the rest of the half, with Dorus having to make only one save of note. We had an opportunity to close out the game near the end when Butler found himself in an excellent position on the right, but his shot was tipped onto the post by the Baggies excellent keeper Carson.
We survived a late scare when Woods headed wide, but the result was well-deserved and will give the players' confidence a massive boost.
Individual performances of note:
DeVries - did the business with the one real save he was asked to make
Rangel - as usual created opportunities on the right
Painter - can play better and will improve as he regains match sharpness
Tate - marshalled the defence well throughout the game and made some timely interventions
Williams - looked assured as ever
Britton and Pratley - worked tirelessly throughout to keep Albion out
Dyer - looked lively even though he was closely marked
Gower - supplied the killer pass to put Beattie in for the goal
Van der Gun - really came alive in this game, showing great change of pace and superb balance at times
Beattie - took his goal well and worked hard in the difficult role of loan striker
Great to see Joe Allen on the field again and made his usual impact when he came on towards the end.
Sousa - got his tactics right for this one and must be delighted with the progress the team are making. The defence is solid and a big win would be the icing on the cake!
Finally, the fans were excellent. In spite of all the traffic congestion prior to the delayed kick off, they outsung the Albion fans and gave the players a great reception at the end. |
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W.B.A. 0-1 Swansea City
Match Report by Richard of Warwick
Butterflies! Moles! Eagles!
If it was an eagle, Roy, then it was one only a few weeks old. Strong and aggressive for sure, flapping its wings very enthusiastically and every now and then lifting into the air, but always crashing back to the ground, sometimes a bit heavily. And still a bit gawky and scruffy, not yet with sleek plumage. That won't show until next summer.
Too much already.
It was interesting that WBA started 4-4-2 last night but were clearly troubled by our extra man in midfield. At half time they changed it, bringing on a midfielder in Koren and then matched us up with five in the middle.
That was a tactical victory for Sousa, forcing them to change to counter an area that was causing them big problems. Initially it seemed to be working for them and in the first few minutes of the second half they looked far more dangerous than before the break. So, it was almost against the half's run of play when we scored what was a very, very good goal after just five minutes.
Immediately we scored Sousa called over Rangel to talk to him and Tate ran 50m to have a similar chat. What was said I wonder? Park the bus, then hit them on the break would be my guess.
That forced them to start to chase it and they soon changed again to 4-4-2.
It did become a bit of a siege didn't it? When we can dominate teams like this for 90 minutes, then we may be able to talk about soaring. Or am I being a bit naive?
Certainly, WBA became more and more frantic yet we continued to keep them out with valiant defending. Eventually, they went three at the back when the coup de grace should have been tucked away by Butler after a brilliant break-out.
Shoot low Tommy, shoot low! Although he did hit it well enough, and on target too, and the save from Carson was as much down to luck as good keeping.
0-2 would have flattered us a bit but was exactly what our tactics were working for.
We have a very brave Manager in Sousa. Replacing Painter with Jazz Richards was a big decision. They targeted that side a bit then which in a way helped Rangel who thankfully was given a slightly easier time because of it. Jazz has extra pace and that certainly helped. He gave them no change at all and played a very important part in us keeping them out.
What an apprenticeship this boy is getting under Sousa! Right back, midfield, left back. Fancy a go with the gloves Jazz?
Match Comments and Ratings - Mike Thomas
What a fantastic night, one of those rare occasions that stick in your mind as a season highlight. Sorry to hear about all those traffic problems and people not getting in until half way through the first half, we did the sensible thing and drove to Kidderminster then got the train straight to the Hawthorns, piece of cake.
My ratings:
Doris 7 - was very solid throughout the night, apart from one or two flaps at the end, including diving very late for and missing a header two minutes from time when he was unsighted, luckily it missed the post.
Rangel 7 - seems to have lost a yard of pace, but defended well for most of the match, ran out of steam a bit towards the end.
Tate 10 - OUTSTANDING display, the boy is in the best form of his career, maturing like vintage port.
Ash 9 - also a rock in defence, and amazing to see him striding out with the ball, playing one/twos and going forward in attack.
Painter 5.5 - not match fit and looked very nervous. Got skinned several times and resorted to pulling his man down, earning him yellow, good decision to sub him at half time, he was odds on for a red.
Dyer 7 - played some neat football without hurting them too much, used his pace to good effect to get away from his man once or twice, tackled back well.
Gower 6.5 - still looks a bit off the pace in the middle but linked well with those around him for most of the night.
Leon 8 - Leon was just Leon, harrying, tackling back, neat in possession, a joy to watch.
Pratters 7.5 - apart from one mazy run backwards from a free kick with four Albion men giving chase which eventually saw him lose possession and put us in trouble, he had an excellent game, covered the whole midfield with endless energy and doing his best to support Beattie.
Van the Man 8 - first time I've seen him, well impressed, he's got the lot, great confidence, skill on the ball, good passing, acceleration, a shot. We have a gem.
Beattie 8 - a different kind of targetman to Scotland but showed great strength and good decision making, held the ball up well, caused them trouble in the air (isn't it good to see someone actually win flick ons from Dorus's high clearances?) and took his goal with fantastic aplomb.
Subs:
Richards 8 - another star in the making, was rock solid in defence despite us being under the cosh constantly in the second half, certainly let their star wingman Teixeira know he was in a game, I'll bet he's black and blue this morning.
Butler 7 - I was worried when I saw him coming on but he let no-one down, played sensibly and kept possession well, tackled hard when he had to. Shame he did't keep his shot low when teed up unmarked ten yards out in the dying minutes.
Allen 7 - not on long, but looked classy and full of confidence, great to see him back.
The Jack support was magnificent all night long, the bunch of twenty-somethings in front of me had me in stitches as they bantered good humouredly with the section of Baggie fans to our right, especially one unfortunate elderly blonde woman who became the butt of their 'Supergran' chants.
Yes, we had to defend hard in the second half, but this was no fluke win, we gave as good as we got, and for twenty minutes before half time we played the best football I've ever seen a Swans team play in all my 44 years of supporting them, including during El Greaseball's reign. No kidding, we ran them ragged. Fantastic stuff.
Match Comments and Ratings - Rich - Swansea
Went to the game tonight and what a result. The travelling jacks were unbelievable surely we have 1 of the best away support in the league! I thought that we matched West Brom in the 1st half although I did miss the first 15mins due to the horrendous traffic. 2nd half in all fairness to West Brom they dominated but found it very difficult to break down our unbelivable defence and midfield. My ratings-
DDV- 7- Did well but only had 1 or 2 saves to make thanks to our defending. Good distribution and better from crosses although he did fluff 1.
Rangel- 7- Good going forward and in defence but still doesnt look as fit as he was last year to me.
Tate- 10 MOM- What a performance again from Tatey. True Jack. Got in the way of everything tackled everything and headed everything. 1st name on the team sheet at the mo.
Williams- 9- Like his defensive partner Ash was quality tonight although 1 or 2 sloppy passes did taint his performance.
Painter- 5- Doesnt look match fit and was beaten repeatedly by their winger and earned himself a booking. Replaced at half time (good decision).
Dyer- 7- Worked very hard and is a great outlet on the break. Their left back played very well and marked Nathan very tightly which did restrict his performance.
Pratley- 6- Not one of Darrens better games but still worked very hard and has the best energy levels I have seen.
Leon- 9- Typical Leon performance he was everywhere and didnt lose the ball. Just what he always does- quality.
Gower- 6- Ran well and seems to have more confidence since his goal. Also linked very well with CvG and the other midfielders. Do still think that we could do with a bit more quality in this position behind the striker though.
Van der Gun- 9- 1st time i have seen this guy play live and I was very impressed. Stylish on the ball great awareness and good runner. Once this boy settles I think we may have a gem.
Beattie- 8- Worked very hard and battled against his former club. Looked very tired towards the end but deservedly so as he won every flick on and took his goal very well. Could turn into a fans favourite if he keeps scoring.
Subs-
Jazz (Painter)- 9- What a future this boy has got. Played out of position at left back but looked totally comfortable there. Marked his man well won headers and kept the ball. Great performance.
Butler (Dyer)- 7- I thought this was a weird move by Sousa but in all fairness Butler provided a better defensive option than Dyer and was good going forward. Could have taken the pressure off in the last 10 mins but was denied by a good save from their keeper.
Allen (Gower)- 7- Great to see Joe back as we seem to look much calmer in possession when he is on the field. His passing is unbelievable and he was good going forward aswell as chasing the ball down. Lets pray he stays fit for a good run in the side.
After the game all the players, subs and coaching staff went out onto the pitch in one giant huddle before applauding the supporters. This to me showed that they are bonding as a group and I feel that we now have a settled squad that is unbeaten in 7 with a great defensive record and the goals seem to be coming.
Onwards and upwards. STID.
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W.B.A. 0-1 Swansea City
Match Report by Daily Telegraph
Rather like this match, which was delayed due to congestion on the roads around the Hawthorns, Craig Beattie’s start to life at Swansea since becoming their record signing in the summer has been a trifle slow to pick up steam.
But he has now scored his second goal in as many matches, and against his former club West Brom no less. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Swansea City have now gone seven games unbeaten, but before this game they had scored the fewest goals in the division. One could see why when Cedric Van der Gun linked with Mark Gower on the edge of the area, and found himself in the perfect scoring position, only to hold fire.
Better opportunities than that do not come along often, although Nathan Dyer had one when Craig Beattie worked his way past Graham Dorrans and Joe Mattock to the right by-line. His ball back was a tap-in on a plate, but Dyer’s effort went straight at Scott Carson.
It was excellent anticipation from the former England keeper, and his reactions weren’t bad either, shooting out a hand to stop Tate’s header from point-blank range minutes later.
Carson should perhaps have done better when Beattie latched onto a great ball into the box from Gower five minutes into the second half and shot at goal, for the ball went straight across his bows. But Beattie’s shot stayed low before burying itself in the far corner, and it would be harsh to criticise Carson in light of his impressive first half.
Albion would be forgiven for feeling hard-done-by for they should have had a penalty after 20 minutes. Jerome Thomas cut inside from the line and charged into the area, before Alan Tate stopped him with a crunching block. It looked like a penalty to almost everyone except Andy D’Urso, who waved the incident away.
Carson produced a great save to deny Thomas Butler three minutes from time, but aside from having a goalkeeper on splendid form, Roberto Di Matteo might be concerned that his side have not consolidated on their weekend victory over Reading, but at least they are still top of the table.
Match details
West Brom (4-4-2): Carson; Zuiverloon, Jara, Olsson, Mattock (Cox, 75); Thomas, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Cech (Teixeira, 46); Moore (Koren, 46), Wood.
Subs: Kiely, Reid, Meite, Martis.
Swansea (4-4-2): De Vries; Rangel, Williams, Tate, Painter (Richards, 46); Britton, Pratley, Dyer (Butler, 62), Gower (Allen, 75); Van der Gun, Beattie.
Subs: Cornell, Lopez, Trundle, Idrizaj. Booked: Painter, Pratley
Goals: Beattie, 50
Referee: Andy D'Urso (Essex)
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