With the sale of Stuart Roberts in midweek, the management due were forced into change and Nathan Tyson came in for a start in place of Roberts leaving the starting line-up as
Freestone
De-Vulgt O’Leary Bound Todd Howard
Phillips Cusack Coates
Tyson Williams
Swansea were penned back in their half right from the start of the game in a first half that produced little exciting football. In fact the only real chance of the half came when the lively Watts broke through on Roger’s goal and the outstretched leg of Freestone took the ball away and eventually out for a goal kick.
Swansea played the entire 45 minutes without a shot on goal with a Williams cross arguably being the nearest to any form of chance but nobody was there to get on the end of it.
If the small crowd thought that the first half was bad, the second was marginally better but only in terms of the fact that Swansea got a chance on target with Tyson’s downward header saved by the keepers legs. It was indeed Tyson who was involved early in the second half as he broke with a defender in tow and despite falling inside the box, the referee decided the challenge was outside and from the resulting free-kick the best the Swans could manage was a corner.
As the board went up to indicate stoppage time, Leyton Orient grabbed themselves a winner. The ball was crossed into the Swansea box from the left and with the home side looking to clear, Minton turned and hit a nice shot past Roger into the corner signalling Swansea fans starting to leave in droves.
Indeed, the 3600 crowd had been reduced by around 1000 when Swansea almost equalised as John Williams headed over when he should have been looking at an on target attempt at minimum.
At the end of the game, with Swansea’s players trapsing dejectedly off the pitch, around 150 fans protested at the running of the club but, as was to be expected, the protest was falling on relatively deaf ears. Shuttleworth was definitely at the Vetch as I believe was Lewis but neither from where I was standing showed their faces in the directors box.
The marches and singing have been done but we all know what it will take to get rid of Petty (legally) and it really needs to be the proverbial knight in shining armour.
Man of the match today? Any guesses? May as well go to Stuart Roberts as there wasn’t much else to sing about ๐