Planet Swans ArchivesKenny Jackett admits that the penalty failure against Barnsley at the Millennium Stadium last May gave his side a hangover that they carried into this season when a poor start led some fans to be calling for a replacement in the managers chair.
This time twelve months ago, the Swans were top of the league and looking set for a second successive promotion as they stormed clear at the peak of League One. However, some indifferent form from Christmas onwards saw them stumble only into the play offs where they were defeated by the Tykes after 120 minutes of football failed to separate the two sides. As Barnsley celebrated the prize of a place in the Championship, Jackett and his side were left to face the prospect of another season in League One – this time almost with a sense of failure hanging over their heads.
Talking to the News of the World, Jackett said “We started pre-season feeling we had failed in the previous campaign although that probably wasn’t true. When you lose a play-off final you think subconsciously that you have failed and the season has been an anti-climax
“If you look at what we achieved last season that wasn’t really the case but there was that feeling around the place with the players and me.
“Everyone was disappointed because we put in a lot of effort the previous year and didn’t make it. We were quite dominant in the final and in my opinion we were the better side. The new season came around very quickly and maybe the play-off defeat knocked the stuffing out of us.”
An opening day home defeat to Cheltenham didn’t help and a reverse the following weekend at Oldham saw the Swans with just one point from the opening nine and calls for a change in management – just weeks after Jackett had had his contract extended by the club. As the Swans struggled for any kind of consistency the calls were getting louder. But, as he prepares to face Bristol City at the Liberty Stadium, he has a side looking to move into the top four after a run of 13 points from the last 18.
“We’re more than capable of getting promotion – we’re not that far away. We had a great start last season but it was a case of people asking ‘Who are Swansea?’ Now we are recognised as one of the bigger club in this division along with Bristol City. They are always among the pre-season favourites and maybe they’ve underachieved in the past.”
And looking back at last year’s corresponding fixture, Jackett adds “That was a terrific game for us. We only scored our first goal in first half injury time and that came direct from a corner. But we got six in the second half and that takes some doing. They were cracking goals as well.
“There aren’t going to be many games when you score seven goals. We played some terrific stuff that day but it’s not my favourite game as Swansea manager. THat was the 1-0 win at Bury on the last day of the season which clinched promotion from League Two. We had to win to go up, we were in a pressure situation and we got it.”
And most Swans fans would settile for that same pressure situation on the last day of this season – if only to wipe the painful memory of the last day of last.
