Phil SumblerSwansea City are three games without a win after a late penalty decision went against them at Bristol and cost us a win and a potential place inside the Championship top two.
Connor Roberts was adjudged to have fouled the Bristol City player while lying on the floor and the referee pointed to the spot for a decision that simply was as farcical as many of the fouls given by a referee who could easily have had a squad number for the home side.
Wells was not going to pass up the invite and hit home the penalty with ease to earn the Robins a draw in a game that they looked for all the money in the world as if they would lose to Jamal Lowe’s strike early in the second half.
The Swans front man had struck home after some good work from Roberto and he finished well giving the keeper no chance to give the Swans the lead after a typical first half which saw both sides struggle to create anything of note.
It is a pattern that we play under Steve Cooper in the first half of matches and one that has proven to be very beneficial in away game with Cooper’s side still only beaten away four times in league matches since his arrival around 16 months ago.
And when Lowe struck home six minutes into the second half I am sure I am not alone in thinking that it was going to be enough to give us all three points and frankly should have done had it not been for the incredible decision to award the home side the penalty.
In truth the referee had almost been spoiling to give the Robins a big decision for most of the afternoon. Almost every corner the Swans had ended in a free kick to the defending side and yet the decisions never seemed to be reversed at the other end. The only real surprise was that he didn’t follow it up with a second yellow card for Roberts given the defender was already on a first booking just a minute or two earlier.
Aside from the crazy decision this was a game between two well matched sides who will find themselves never far apart from each other during the course of the season although the seeming lack of creativity in both sides could be the factor that stops them really mounting serious automatic promotion campaigns.
The seven minutes of injury time played itself out with no real chances falling to other side – a half chance for Korey Smith maybe the best of a bad bunch but the Swans will be left to rue one very bad refereeing decision that cost them the win they so desperately craved.
