Planet Swans ArchivesSwansea City contrived to make a simple task difficult against beleaguered Bournemouth last night but eventually emerged with maximum points if not top marks. It was the sort of performance to drive a manager mad, but Kenny Jackett finished up smiling in the end after his players had done their best to surrender a three-goal advantage handed to them by Izzy Iriekpen and a quickfire double from Rory Fallon.
Bournemouth, who appear decent bets for relegation on this showing, looked down and out until substitutes Danny Hollands and Bret Pitman fired them back into it in the last 11 minutes. Swansea’s crowd – like Jackett – were agitated all of a sudden, but nerves were eased when Lee Trundle curled home a cracker in stoppage time. And so a tick goes next to this fixture as far as the result is concerned, although there is still work to do on performance.
This was a welcome return home for Jackett’s men after two games – and two somewhat unfortunate defeats – on the road this week. In truth Tuesday’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy exit at Peterborough did not prompt too many tears in the travelling camp, but last Saturday’s 1-0 reverse at Northampton had hurt. Before that Swansea appeared to be on an upward curve and, on the balance of play at Sixfields, they deserved to extend their unbeaten league stretch to four matches.
The side charged with restarting the climb up the table showed one change from Northampton, with Darren Pratley reclaiming the armband from Dennis Lawrence after recovering from an ankle injury. Shaun MacDonald dropped to the bench. If Swansea think they are having a frustrating season, they should spare a thought for Bournemouth, who arrived on the back of a 10-match winless run. Kevin Bond has only been in charge for four of those games, but he has already got a good idea of the task he faces at Dean Court.
After the midweek defeat at Millwall, Harry Redknapp’s long-time No. 2 admitted his new team struggled to score and could not defend. As a result two loan signings were parachuted onto the bus heading for South Wales. Jack Cork – son of former Swans boss Alan – and Ryan Bertrand came straight into the side. The two teenagers from Chelsea’s reserves soon discovered about life in senior football. The game was not yet four minutes old when Bertrand headed Trundle’s cross behind for a corner.
Trundle whipped in the corner from the right and with the visiting defenders standing round waiting for someone to clear, Iriekpen bundled the ball over the line from barely a yard. Trundle’s delivery looked to be heading for the net anyway, and there may be some debate about whose goal it was. Bournemouth screamed long and loud for a foul on goalkeeper Gareth Stewart, but the softest of openers stood. Swansea, without a goal in their previous two outings, had a dream start.
Things could have got even better with only 12 minutes gone from another corner, this time chipped in from the left by Pratley, but Fallon headed wastefully wide. The big Kiwi had another sight of goal when Trundle’s attempted chip was only half-cleared, but this time Stewart was on hand to make a comfortable save. On the touchline, Bond was in turmoil, shaking his head one minute, clutching it between hands the next. Another goal at this stage and Bournemouth may have caved in. But only one down, the strugglers grew in confidence as the half wore on.
Winger Steve Foley drilled over the top from distance just after the half hour, then forced a smart stop from Willy Gueret at the near post after meeting Franck Songo’o’s cross with a firm volley. With the crowd subdued on a freezing night, the contest was still to warm up despite the early breakthrough. There was a flurry of activity just before the turnaround, Fallon forcing Stewart to claw the ball away under his bar with a back-header and then Darren Anderton volleying just wide of the target. The former England man claimed a corner, the referee said no, and Jackett’s half-time cup of tea tasted much sweeter than Bond’s.
Yet both managers were hoping for better from their teams in the second period and, after a slow opening, Jackett sent on MacDonald for Owain Tudur Jones, who had been short of his best. But it was a trademark Leon Britton run which finally stirred Swansea into life. The little right winger skipped infield before feeding Andy Robinson, who in turn touched the ball on to the overlapping Williams. The left-back’s cross looped over Stewart and into the far corner of the net via the onrushing Fallon, who just got the final touch ahead of defender Neil Young.
Three minutes later, the big targetman again got his name on the scoresheet. Once again Swansea made inroads down the left, Trundle twisting and turning past Stephen Purches before delivering the perfect centre for Fallon to head home via the underside of the bar. The points looked sealed, but Swansea switched off and made it difficult for themselves in the closing stages as Bond’s substitutes prompted thoughts of a remarkable comeback.
First Hollands was given too much space to turn and rifle past Gueret at the near post after Stephen Purches’s centre with 11 minutes to go. Six minutes later, Foley’s deep cross was headed into the danger area by Shaun Maher and Pitman bundled the ball over the line. Cue boos from home fans and a nervous spell before Trundle, latching onto a throw-in, rolled his marker and curled the best goal of the game into the top corner of Stewart’s net. Test passed, in the end.
