Swansea v Southampton

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Swansea v Southampton Sat 18 April 15:00

It’s the penultimate home game of the season next Saturday and back to a regular kick-off time of 3pm.
In-form Southampton are the visitors with one away defeat this year and 17 games undefeated. It will be a tough ask but not impossible to get the win. We have a strong home record and have only lost to Coventry in the last ten games, plus we have the Championship’s leading scorer in Vipotnik.
Vitor Matos has said he wants to finish the season strongly and with two draws and a win against strong opposition last three games we are on course.
Midfielder Galbraith is a big miss and it’s a shame he’s out injured for the remaining matches. Also right-back Key is out injured with Academy product Sam Parker filling in for him last few games, sharing game time with the experienced Joel Ward.
We meet up again with ex-Swans Manning, Wood and Downes, all regulars in the Saints line-up. Let’s make sure they go home with their tail between their legs.

[Estoban]

Here’s the Southampton pre-match press conference with Vitor Matos -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=***llqkfpS4

[Estoban]

I watched last night’s match Blackburn v Coventry.
The Blues only needed a point to clinch promotion but boy did they make hard work of it.
Blackburn unlucky not win with Coventry having an off night, but they just about managed to get a late equaliser in front of their impressive away support of 7,500.
Blackburn had lost 3-0 away earlier in the week to the Championship’s form team Southampton, our opponents this afternoon.
What will our tactics be, sit back and play a defensive game or go all out attack?
We have to be wary of their wide players who will try to exploit our defenders lack of pace. Key is still out injured so rookie youngster Parker plays right back and backed up by the experienced but lacking pace veteran Ward.

[Estoban]

Left-Back Samuel’s-Smith has returned to Chelsea injured
Right-Back Key injured.
Midfielder Galbraith injured
Left-Winger Inoussa injured

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Swans: Lawrence Vigouroux, Sam Parker, Ben Cabango (c), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon, Marko Stamenic, Goncalo Franco, Liam Cullen, Jisung Eom, Melker Widell, Zan Vipotnik
Subs: Andy Fisher, Jay Fulton, Malick Yalcouye, Gustavo Nunes, Leo Walta, Joel Ward, Ollie Cooper, Adam Idah, Ronald

Saints: Daniel Peretz, Ryan Manning, Flynn Downes, Taylor Harwood-Bellis (c), Finn Azaz, Ross Stewart, Leo Scienza, James Bree, Nathan Wood, Caspar Jander, Kuryu Matsuki
Subs: George Long, Jack Stephens, Cyle Larin, Tom Fellows, Cameron Archer, Samuel Edozie, Shea Charles, Welington, Cameron Bragg

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Match report

https://www.swanseacity.com/news/report-swansea-city-1-southampton-2

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Reaction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a290Bok94

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Swansea 1 (Stamenic 20’) - Southampton 2 (Charles 57’, Archer 90’)
After all the hard work we concede a winner at the end of a match again.
Our subs weakened us except Yalcouye, their subs both scored. We sat back too deep after the equaliser and neither Ward nor Tymon could stop their wingers sending numerous crosses into the box.
Downes should have seen red for an elbow to Cullens chops and an attack on Widell. Wood another lucky Saint to stay on the field after numerous fouls, one a blatant foul on Eom in the box, no penalty said the inept referee, then the dive into Franco that should have been red.
Ref was incapable of making any decisions and was one of the worst seen this season here, completely biased against us.

[jackaway]

Match highlights

https://www.skysports.com/football/video/30998/13533420/swansea-city-1-2-southampton-championship-highlights

[Estoban]

Huge disappointment at losing another game in the final minutes of the match, so many times this season.
Next reaction who the cluck was that referee, he was useless. He favoured Southampton so bad it was embarrassing.
Next why were we sitting so deep and inviting them onto us.
Next the job of a full-back is to stop the crosses, they continually crossed the ball into the box unimpeded.
Next Nunes is so poor and what was Burgess doing, he passed the ball four times straight to a Southampton player.
Best players were subbed, only Yalcouye was any good of the subs.
We need five players in the summer, a centre-back who can accurately pass the ball, a right-back who can stop a cross, a left-back who can stop a cross, a right winger who can beat his marker and cross the ball, and an attacking midfielder who can create chances.
Widell MoM for the Swans, he was everywhere.

[Iolo]

Well boys that was tough to take after that last minute goal, we deserved more.
Archer scoring the winner two minutes after coming on in the 88th minute.
Why we’ve got to bring on five subs I don’t know but it disrupted momentum and weakened the team. They brought on five subs as well but they have a stronger squad.
Three games left as the season draws to a close, QPR, Norwich away, Charlton at home.

[Iolo]

Extended highlights

https://www.swanseacity.com/video/swansea-city-v-southampton-extended-highlights