Swans Lose Last Friendly

Swans Lose Last Friendly

WESTERN MAIL

AS Kenny Jackett flies back from Swansea City’s pre-season tour of Holland today he might wish he could stock up on a few goals from the duty free shop.

With the new season just five days away, Jackett’s Swans side are finding them hard to come by. True, they managed to put four past non-league Noordwijk on Saturday, but, without wishing to take anything away from the young team that Jackett put out, the opposition were about as strong as a row of tents in a hurricane.

The defeat that brought an end to Swansea’s unbeaten pre-season campaign yesterday was, the Noordwijk game apart, the fourth match in which Jackett’s side failed to muster a goal from open play.

The clich goes that you should never read too much into pre-season affairs, but Swansea do not look particularly potent right now.

The goals have not been flowing. In mitigation, Lee Trundle, who remains a big doubt for the visit of Northampton on Saturday, and Adrian Forbes, currently rated as 50-50, are major absentees.

But there are plenty of others who Swansea would have hoped to see start the new campaign fresh from a pre-season scoring spree.

Paul Connor, for instance, has failed to find the net in five summer matches. James Thomas and Kevin Nugent have scored one apiece.

Between them the midfielders have chipped in with three goals, one of which was an Andy Robinson penalty which put Swansea 1-0 up against strong First Division outfit Haarlem.

Neither of the two highest goalscorers – Mark Pritchard and Dennis Oli (three each) – would be in Jackett’s first-choice XI. Jackett, however, believes all will be well on the goal-scoring front.

"The number of goals we’ve scored from open play isn’t a concern for me," he said after watching the Swans surrender their lead yesterday by shipping two second-half goals.

"I think I have got goals in my forward line. They’re fully capable of scoring. I also think I’ve got goals in my midfielders.

"Both Adrian Forbes and Lee Trundle have picked up injuries, but I think Paul Connor has played well. For me, he has looked a threat.

"Other than that, we’ve had bits and pieces in terms of goals from James Thomas and Kevin Nugent, but it is not a concern."

On a more positive note, Jackett has made good on his promise to turn Swansea into a stronger unit.

Though old habits were in evidence again yesterday when they fell away somewhat towards the end, generally the Swans now look less likely to crumble.

Less likely to be bullied off the ball or out of the contest altogether.

And, though some doom merchants predicted Jackett would turn Swansea into long-ball merchants, there is still plenty of midfield flair, with the likes of Leon Britton and Andy Robinson on top form as they go into the new season.

Apart from the possible return of Forbes and Gary Fisken, the team Jackett fielded in the final match of the Dutch excursion could well resemble that which kicks off against Colin Calderwood’s Cobblers.

"That was near enough to being my first-choice XI," confirmed Jackett, who would also start with Kevin Austin, another injury victim, at left-back were he not suspended for the opening 2004-05 skirmish.

The reason Fisken will probably return is because Jackett sees him as the man to provide the midfield steel that Swansea were missing last term.

On their pre-season form, it would be harsh if either Robinson or Britton had to make way for him, but Jackett cleary hasn’t signed the former Watford player to leave him on the bench.

Yesterday there were comebacks for Connor, Kris O’Leary and Garry Monk as the injury crisis that had forced Jackett to fly extra players out to Holland began to ease.

It was not that Swansea struggled to create chances – Maylett and Robinson could have scored a couple each – just that they couldn’t convert them.

That pattern was set from the seventh minute when Robinson fired just past a post after wriggling past two defenders. Again, the Swans might have gone 1-0 up 10 minutes before the break when Nugent flicked on Connor’s cross and Maylett thumped a right-foot volley straight at the keeper.

After making a more successful start to the second half, Maylett and Britton both coming close with speculative attempts, the Swans went in front from the spot after defender Roy Witteman inexplicably raised his hand to Robinson’s corner that was flicked on by Tate.

But Swansea’s lead lasted only nine minutes, Mulders breaching the visitors’ defence with a crisp header from a corner.

Willy Gueret made a smart save from Laurens van Heuvel on 73 minutes, but could not foil the Haarlem striker nine minutes later when he converted a cross from Geoffrey Verweij.

The first defeat of the summer and perhaps an unpleasant reminder for Jackett of how things panned out at the tail end of last season. "We’ve got to learn to be more resilient," he said.

"If we go 1-0 up away from home, we’ve got to learn to shut up shop and be ruthless. You can’t end up coming home with nothing."

Despite the injury headaches it provided and the fact it was scheduled perilously close to the start of the new campaign, Jackett declared Swansea’s Dutch trip a worthwhile exercise. "I’m relishing the new season now. I’m hopeful and optimistic about what lies ahead," he said.

Swansea City: Gueret, O’Leary (Jones, 36), Monk, Tate, Ricketts, Maylett, Britton, Martinez, Robinson, Nugent (Thomas, 71), Connor (Pritchard, 71) Subs (not used): Murphy, Rewbury, Surman, Davies, Corbisiero, Roberts, Evans.

Goal: Robinson (58).

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?