Swansea v Watford

[jackaway]

Swansea v Watford Sat 23 Aug 12:30
Early kick off guys, don’t forget. Another home game and a chance to build on last week’s excellent win over Sheffield United.
We face a Watford team who have one win and one draw from their two games. Firstly a 1-0 defeat at newcomers Charlton to a 94’ goal by Addicks new signing midfielder Harvey Knibbs, a 2 mill capture from Reading, then a 2-1 home win over QPR yesterday with a brace of goals from 1.97m/6’5” Dane Luca Kjerrumgaard, a new number 9 on loan from Udinese (Pozzo family own both clubs). One to watch out for next week then!
Watford were relegated from the PL in May 2022 and finished last season in 15th place, their first season in the bottom half of the Championship table since 2014.
Another good match in prospect and hopefully another win.

[Estoban]

Alan Sheehan on Watford, Press Conference-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRKK7q0QhZw

[Estoban]

………and from Watford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OQKhw9grEI

[jackaway]

Swansea 1 (Vipotnik 82’) - Watford 1 (Irankunda 35’)

Swans:
Lawrence Vigouroux, Josh Key (Melker Widell 75’), Ben Cabango (c), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon, Malick Yalcouye (Marko Stamenic 53’), Ethan Galbraith, Goncalo Franco, Ronald, Jisung Eom (Zeidane Inoussa 53’), Liam Cullen (Zan Vipotnik 75’).
Subs not used: Andy Fisher, Jay Fulton, Bobby Wales, Kaelan Casey, Sam Parker

Watford:
Egil Selvik, Jeremy Ngakia (Ryan Andrews 78’), Max Alleyne (Rocco Vata 87’), Kevin Keben, Hector Kyprianou, Luca Kjerrumgaard (Vivaldo Semedo 78’), Marc Bola, Moussa Sissoko (c), James Abankwah, Edo Kayembe (James Morris 87’), Nestory Irankunda (Kwadwo Baah 58’)
Subs not used: Nathan Baxter, Mamadou Doumbia, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Amar Sanghrajka.

[jackaway]

We were outplayed first half and couldn’t handle Watfords tight marking and robust play. A Kjerumgaard header was tipped onto the bar and Cabango cleared off the goal line from the same player. A free-kick for a foul by Key, exaggerated contact made the most of by Irankunda running into Key and collapsing in a heap on the floor. He then took the free-kick himself and it was a beauty, over the wall and into the top left hand corner of the net.
Swans lucky not to be further behind at half time.
The game slowly turned in our favour second half when Stamenic and Inoussa came on, then Widell and Vipotnik came on, almost too late twenty minutes later, should have been sooner, for the ineffective Key and Cullen.
With Galbraith moving to right-back and Vipotnik up front we looked much better and once Vipotnik scored with a header on 82’ it was mostly Swansea. Nine minutes added time due to Watford feigning injuries and cramp to disrupt our momentum worked and they hung on and the game ended in a draw.
Pity the substitutions weren’t made sooner as we could have won this.

[jackaway]

Here’s the link to the match highlights

https://www.skysports.com/football/video/30998/13416778/swansea-city-1-1-watford-championship-highlights

[Estoban]

The extended highlights

https://www.swanseacity.com/news/extended-highlights-swansea-city-v-watford-3

[Estoban]

The subs made the difference, ours positively, theirs negatively. They ran out of steam with their dominant all-action play and high press. Watford brought on fresh legs but couldn’t consolidate their lead. We were making no headway but then brought on subs that changed the game.
Watford used any means they could to spoil our momentum at the end. Shame really as first-half they outplayed us and looked a really good side.

[Estoban]

Sheehan frustrated, after match reaction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL8P8Moidfg

[Iolo]

Iolo says - Watford could have been out of sight by half-time. Besides the free-kick, Vigouroux made a super save onto the bar and Cabango cleared off the line.
They tired, brought on subs, we brought on subs with a tweak in tactics. Game turned, we equalised, should have won it at the end.

[jackaway]

Regarding yesterday’s match. The difference was our subs changed the game, last season our subs were not good enough and couldn’t improve us.
Watfords unsportsmanlike behaviour to waste time should have been clamped down on by the ref. How many times did he stop the game for Watford players rolling on the floor. He should have insisted the trainers came on each time and the player to leave the field for the obligatory time out, they would then have stopped doing it.