Planet Swans ArchivesIs there any stopping the Swansea train at the moment as they moved up a place in the league and within touching distance of leaders Yeovil with a 3-0 demolition of Chester at the Vetch Field.
It wasn’t the Swans at their best but the side at the moment is just too good for the likes of Chester who were here to try and contain the Swans and for almost half the game they managed to do just that but still it wasn’t enough.
As expected, the Chester management duo of Ian Rush and Mark Aizlewood got differing receptions from the Vetch crowd with Aizlewood flanked by two policemen from the moment he left the team bus until getting back on it after the game.
Wisely Kenny Jackett elected not to rush Roberto Martinez back into the side on his return from injury, preferring to leave his central midfield pairing as captain for the day Andy Gurney and Leon Britton. New Welsh call up Sam Ricketts was given a warm reception by the 9,000 crowd at the Vetch along with the 25 goal pairing of Paul Connor and Lee Trundle.
Gueret
Ricketts Iriekpen Monk Austin
Forbes Britton Gurney Robinson
Connor Trundle
Subs: Murphy, Pritchard, Tate, Maylett, Anderson
Chester more than matched the Swans for most of the first half and indeed at times had the better of the play as the Swans struggled to gain any rhythm ormomentum to their play and too often were left playing too deep again – a criticism often aimed at them in recent weeks.
Connor and Trundle were starved of any real service up front for this period and were left to fed off scraps as the ball seemingly spent more time in the air than on the floor at times.
But we should have been one up very early in the game. A quick throw out from Willy saw Trundle beat a defender to the turn but as he advanced on goal he elected not to use the three team mates in the middle that had made the run with him and went for goal only to see his shot well saved. A pass would have seen us a goal to the good but this is Trundle and we know what he is about – unlikely to pass when he has a sight of the onion bag.
That in truth was the best chance of the half until Swansea were awarded a free kick with just two minutes of the half remaining. On the edge of the area on the right hand side of play is only going to produce one thing – a Trundle shot on goal. And how often have we seen it – Trundle strikes, top corner of the net rattles and the Swans are a goal up. A lead that we probably didn’t deserve at the half but we had it. And at half time we talked about the Notts County game the week before Xmas which was exactly the same principle on the first half.
That Notts County game produced a widely different half where the Swans run riot in complete control and the reality was this afternoon was to be no different. Andy Robinson had already come close when Paul Connor turned in his ball across the area five minutes into the second half and the Swans were two goals up and threatening more.
And as the Swans pressed for more there was a sickening clash in the area between what looked to be Brown and Britton with the much bigger Brown coming out the worse off. Play was held up for five minutes after the stretcher had been immediately called for and the neck brace was soon to follow as Brown headed out of the Vetch surrounded by Paramedics and Doctors – we can only hope that the action taken was a precaution rather than anything more serious.
Chester made their forced change but within a minute were three goals down. Trundle broke through the middle and struck a curler from the edge of the box that pretty much everyone (maybe even Trundle included) thought was going wide but it didn’t – it nestled nicely into the bottom corner and Trundle stood arms outstretched knowing that it was a shot of perfection and his 17th goal of the season in the process.
Chester were beaten and surely now it was a question only of how many would the Swans score. With half hour left you wouldn’t have banked on no more goals in the game but that was the case – mainly thanks to the brilliance of Mackenzie in the visiting goal and the desperation of Trundle to complete his second treble of the season.
Robinson on several occasions drew the best out of the keeper and Trundle twice could have laid the ball across to Connor which ironically would have given one striker the hat-trick the other one was so craving. This though is a strike partnership that is living off their confidence and have hit it off together so well in recent matches that it’s not a question of where is the goal coming from it’s a question at times of how many will they notch.
There was though to be no more on the afternoon but the result from Scunthorpe was enough to send the Swans above them in the table and into 2nd place
We stuttered for points of this match but once the first goal went in there was no doubt as to the result and really it was a case of, as Aizlewood put it before the game, damage limitation for Chester.
Jackett elected not to give his substitutes a run out on the afternoon – clearly happy with what he was seeing and bar 130 travelling supporters I don’t suspect there were too many gripes at the final whistle. It could have been so many more but I’m certainly not going to pick fault with a striker that senses goal when we are three to the good.
Man of the match for me? Tough call – the back four dealt with what little Chester had for them, Britton gave everything he had. Robinson was far more effective second half than first and likewise Forbes. Gurney came in and out of the game but it was an improvement on recent weeks and Connor and Trundle? Well they grabbed three goals between them. Singling one out today is hard but I’ll lump for Britton.
Southend will not be relishing their Friday trip to the Vetch next weekend and who is to say that come 10pm Friday night, promotion isn’t looking one very big step nearer but on this form, win, lose or draw that game it is hard to see us not picking up the points that we need to reach the season’s main goal.
Who are we?
