Phil SumblerThe views of the two managers were in stark contrast last night after the Swans 1-0 win at Ashton Gate as Russell Martin talked about improvements still being needed whilst Nigel Pearson thought his side’s performance was good enough.
Joel Piroe scored the only goal of the game to give the Swans the win on a night where the home team had the bulk of the chances but rarely threatened the goal of Steven Benda with any great regularity.
It meant a 12th home game in a row without a win for the Robins – a club record – whilst the three points were the first maximum achieved in the Russell Martin era at Swansea.
Here is what the managers said after the game
Russell Martin
“It’s not been easy since we’ve come in. We’ve not been dealt the easiest hand
“Losing Kyle Naughton and Ryan Bennett to Covid so quickly after coming in, two massive players, was tough. Now these guys [Downes and Cabango] as well.
“The guys who’ve come in, Ryan Manning and Brandon Cooper, who haven’t been training for very long, have done incredibly well so I’m really proud of them and grateful for what they’ve given us.
“So there’s loads of exciting stuff and I don’t want to be down on it but we need to improve and the players know that and they will.
“I’m really proud of so much of what they’ve done already since we’ve been here because it takes a lot of courage to do what we’re asking them to do, and tonight they showed courage in a different way.”
Nigel Pearson
“It was difficult as in the result but I think the performance was pretty good, again. We rue chances not taken. As an away side like we’ve been and you come away with three points I keep it in perspective by looking at what the performance was like.
“I think we performed well and created lots of chances but didn’t quite find the way in tonight. I’ve been happy with the way we’ve approached the games at home but clearly one point out of two games at home isn’t what we’re looking for, probably not what we deserved but that’s what it is and you have to get on with it.
“I don’t need to make observations about our opponent tonight. It’s more important that I make reflections and give you opinions on ourselves and it’s not about excuses it’s about being realistic. We created enough chances to win the game tonight, maybe to win two games but we didn’t take them. Having said that, I’m pleased with the players that we have.”
