Planet Swans ArchivesSwansea were forced into a couple of changes from the side outclassed at Macclesfield last weekend and lined up as follows
Freestone
Evans Cusack Mumford Bound Howard
Brodie Phillips Coates
Williams Watkin
The game was billed as a relegation six-pointer and in reality these were two teams looking at relegation as a distinct possibility with chances at a premium and decent football just as lacking.
If there was one consolation that you could draw from a game like this it is that Carlisle are probably marginally worse than us on this display but it is small comfort indeed. Gary Martin has mentioned in some of his previous reports that you can judge the quality of the game by how long it takes for the “give us a wave chants” to start, well today it was 17 minutes, but such was the atmosphere at the Vetch even they were half hearted.
Andrew Mumford went close early on with a shot that just cleared the bar and Steve Brodie had a shot from just outside the box well saved by Keen in the opposition goal.
The most vocieforous the crowd got in the first half was when Brodie went down spectacularly in the penalty area under challenge but despite the appeals from the crowd the only decision made by the referee was one of a booking for Brodie for diving. A cynic could say at this point that his chances of getting the decision his way were hampered by the exaggeration on the dive?
Half time saw mooted boos coming from the North Bank and immediately after the interval Williams (did he do anything today?) was replaced by Sidibe in a bid to inject something into the side.
Swansea’s side seemed scared to shoot at goal when well placed with the exception of Andrew Mumford who looked far and away the best player on the pitch today. Another long range effort dipped just over and with the impending departure of Matthew Bound to Oxford, Mumford could find himself a regular in coming weeks.
The best chance of the game came as time was running out when a loose ball fell to Coates 12 yards out but, not for the first time during the game, he failed to show any control of the ball and it was gathered by a relieved Keen.
Further chances fell to Sidibe, Phillips and Brodie but in truth Carlisle were never under serious threat of losing the game despite superior Swansea possession.
This was a bad performance and I found nothing, bar the performance of Mumford, to give me any optimism that we will not be in a similar position come the end of April and that alone must be a major worry for Colin Addison as we head into the busy Christmas period that will see us play 5 times in just over two weeks starting Friday against Bristol Rovers.
What on earth has Mike Lewis done to our football club?
