Fulton Thunderbolt Seals Fourth Straight Home Win as Swans Beat West Brom

Jay Fulton was the unlikely hero for the Swans as he struck with fifteen minutes to go to deliver a fourth straight home league win for the Swans and move us up to 15th in the table and very much looking upwards with a New Year’s Day win at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Fulton’s strike gave the Swans a deserved three points on an afternoon where patience was the key but that patience was rewarded as the long serving midfielder struck minutes after coming on to replace the impressive Yalcouye who was starting for the first time since October.

Having won at Oxford on Monday night it was key that the Swans would follow that up with a maximum return at home and we are now as many points away from the bottom three as we are from the top six as Vitor Matos continues his impressive move to SA1 with another strong result.

First Half: Swans Take Control Yet Stay Goalless

Swansea went into this one with a bold and slightly surprising team selection from Matos, who chose to start without a recognised striker and made four changes from the side that beat Oxford. It took only a minute for the tone of the afternoon to reveal itself when George Campbell was booked for what looked a soft foul on Yalcouye. If anything, it hinted that the referee might be in for a busy day.

The Swans settled into their shape with Widdell leading the line, flanked by Inoussa and Ronald, and Yalcouye pushing high from midfield. That early energy earned a corner inside three minutes, though Tymon’s delivery was dealt with comfortably. The first real moment of quality came soon after when Inoussa and Yalcouye combined to find Stamenic on the edge of the box. His strike was fierce and needed tipping over, and from the resulting corner Stamenic again threatened with a downward header that was blocked.

For a spell the game drifted, both sides guilty of loose passing, but Swansea always looked the more likely to knit something together. West Brom’s first meaningful effort arrived on twenty minutes, a tame shot that Vigouroux gathered without fuss. At the other end Ronald chased a hopeful ball down the line but couldn’t keep it in, a reminder that while Swansea were edging the play, the final ball wasn’t quite there.

The Swans began to build pressure down the right and earned a free kick when Ronald was chopped down by Styles, who went straight into the book. Tymon’s effort was on target but lacked the power to trouble the keeper. Moments later, Vigouroux had to make his first real save of the afternoon, reacting sharply at his near post to deny Iling‑Junior after the winger skipped into the box.

Yalcouye continued to be a thorn in West Brom’s side, drawing foul after foul. Mowatt became the third Baggies player booked inside half an hour, and there could easily have been more as Swansea’s midfield began to take control. The only concern came when Josh Key went down clutching his foot. He returned to the pitch but moved gingerly, and it felt like a change might be forced sooner rather than later.

As the half wore on Swansea grew stronger. Inoussa burst down the left and delivered a dangerous ball that Widdell struck well, only to see it blocked at the last moment. Yalcouye then tried his luck from distance but again West Brom threw bodies in the way. Another free kick on the edge of the area gave Widdell a chance before the break, but his strike hit the wall and the moment passed.

By the time the whistle went the Swans had become the better side, sharper in the press and more inventive in possession, yet still without the goal their play deserved. West Brom collected four yellow cards and spent much of the half reacting to Swansea’s movement rather than dictating anything themselves. Goalless at the break, but the feeling in the stadium was clear. Swansea were edging it. They just needed the finish to match the intent.

Second Half: Fulton strikes and the Swans win again

Swansea City opened the second half with the kind of disruption no manager wants, but one that felt inevitable after watching Josh Key limp through the final minutes before the break. Ethan Galbraith stepped in at right back and, to his credit, settled quickly. The Swans actually began the half with purpose. Yalcouye continued to boss the midfield and twice fed Inoussa into promising positions, only for West Brom’s defenders to snuff out the danger at the last moment. It was a reminder that Swansea were the side trying to play, while the visitors were clinging on through sheer numbers and a willingness to foul whenever the game threatened to open up.

A soft free kick for a foul on Ronald gave Swansea a chance to test something clearly rehearsed on the training ground. Widdell swept the ball across the pitch to Galbraith, who tried to strike it first time. The idea was clever but the execution was nowhere near the level Matos demands. Still, the intent was there and the pressure was building. West Brom’s response was another clumsy challenge on Yalcouye, another yellow card, and another sign that they were struggling to cope with Swansea’s energy.

Matos made his first big call of the half when he introduced Vipotnik and Eom. It was early for a double change but it injected fresh movement into the attack. Ronald almost threaded Galbraith through moments later and Cabango headed over from a corner as Swansea pushed for the breakthrough. For a spell it felt like the goal was coming.

Then, out of nowhere, West Brom woke up. Grant forced Vigouroux into two sharp saves and Burgess had to bail out his keeper after a deflected shot almost crept in. Another header needed tipping around the post and suddenly Swansea were hanging on. It was a strange shift in momentum because the Swans had been in control for so long, yet here they were scrambling to stay level. Tymon picked up a booking in the middle of it all and Galbraith had to make a vital challenge in the box to stop what looked like a certain goal.

The game needed someone to steady it and, as it turned out, that someone was Jay Fulton. He replaced Yalcouye and within minutes delivered the moment that changed everything. Galbraith broke down the right but lost the ball. Ronald, who had been outstanding all afternoon, stretched to win it back and the loose ball rolled perfectly into Fulton’s path. From 25 yards he struck it clean and true, sending it past the keeper and into the net. It was a brilliant finish and a reward for Swansea’s overall control, even if it arrived against the run of play. Ronald stayed down after the tackle that created the chance and it was clear his afternoon was over. Bobby Wales came on to replace him.

Wales made an immediate impact, pressing hard and linking well with Franco, who had one of his best halves in a Swansea shirt. The Swans refused to sit back. This is what sets a Vitor Matos team apart. There is no instinct to protect a one goal lead by retreating. Instead they pushed higher, hunted the ball, and forced West Brom to defend deeper and deeper. Vipotnik almost sealed it with a powerful strike that was blocked at the last second. It would have been a deserved second.

West Brom threw on Dike late on and tried to force the issue, but Swansea managed the final minutes with a mix of grit and calm. There was a moment of unnecessary drama when Vigouroux was penalised for holding the ball too long, gifting the visitors a corner, but the Swans survived it. The keeper spilled the initial delivery but was fouled as the ball came back in and that was the last real scare.

When the final whistle blew the sense of satisfaction around the stadium was unmistakable. Four straight home wins. A clean sheet earned through character as much as quality. A wonder strike from Fulton. And a Swansea side that looks more confident, more aggressive, and more united with every passing week.

A perfect start to the New Year.

Looking forward

The Swans now head to South London and a visit to Millwall on Sunday but with confidence high and we should head there with a belief that we can win on the road once again.   After the dismal performances of November that saw Alan Sheehan replaced as head coach we have now replaced them with a run of form that could have even produced more than the fifteen points from the last twenty-one we have earned.   As one of the form sides now in the division we should head up the M4 on Sunday with confidence and heads held high and look to return with another haul of points to continue our upward trajectory.

Credit today for the performance of Yalcouye who impressed many times before he was substituted for the match winner Fulton but also for pretty much everyone on the pitch today.  There were – not surprisingly – some question marks raised over the team selection prior to kick off but Matos got it right and also timed his substitutions well although not sure he would have expected the return from Fulton that he got.

Onwards from here definitely and every reason to believe that will be upwards as well!

This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.