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Match Report: Strength in adversity as City comfortably overcome refereeing - and negativity

Olé

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Olé

Olé

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A collective siege mentality is something that both Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho used to great effect to galvanise their teams and after a quiet transfer deadline week where their own supporters wrote them off, followed by 45 minutes where malicious and very deliberate refereeing from Oliver Langford did everything to give struggling hosts Swansea the advantage, City showed their resilience to dig deep and let their quality count, dominating for 90 minutes and scoring the goals that counted in front of their massed away fans.

With the UK heading into a late summer heatwave, Swansea Bay was bathed in sun - azure blue skies shimmering around the white expanse of the Swansea City stadium heading up the valley from the centre of the Welsh town with a capacity travelling support. All the talk had been of City’s failure to strengthen after selling superstar Andy Scott, but that talk quickly turned to referee Langford. Bad officials are normally chaotic, but the Blackpool based official was much more measured in very obviously treating City differently to their hosts.

A calculated lack of consistency between whistling every time the Swans felt minimal contact and tumbled cheaply, while waving away fouls every time City players were chopped down on the break, had already drawn cries of “cheat” from the away end. Three first half goals disallowed, a clear last-man red card call bottled, and even a simple back pass overlooked, had only added to the sense that even the officials were against City, but Nigel Pearson’s side kept their composure for Mark Sykes to setup a comfortable second half win.

The early kick off had not deterred the travelling support who started the match with the sweltering midday sun angling down into their packed end. Struggling Swansea opened with purpose and referee Langford - a Wolves fan with previous history of giving all his decisions against City - indulged a series of minor shoulder to shoulder brushes for soft free kicks, only to ignore an identical infringement as Joe Williams was barged off the ball in midfield and Charlie Patino threaded Liam Cullen clear to finish easily under keeper Max O’Leary.

IMG_6487.thumb.jpg.f36f8378c43d42a6e38c2b629571e966.jpg

In truth Pearson’s men had started a little shakily - Cam Pring giving it away around his own box just before the opener and Kal Naismith having to cut out the threat brilliantly. But the feature of the half was Langford, who continued to indulge a limited Swansea side, including awarding them yet another curious midfield free kick when their own player appeared to have swatted the ball away with their own arm. By this point all action midfielder Jason Knight had headed just wide - as he had at Hull - from a Taylor Gardner-Hickman corner.

But before even the quarter hour mark the pattern of the game was set - and it was literally all City. The relentless Nahki Wells stole the ball off a defender before laying off for Knight whose long range dipping shot flashed just over the top corner. Mounting pressure from a throw in saw Sykes cut inside and drill a low shot that keeper Carl Rushworth had to hold. Sam Bell seized on a back pass and forced a corner, while a collision outside the City box gave Wells room to break Bell clear down left but the Bermudan couldn’t turn in the return.

Knight and Williams both had shots blocked from another Bell break, but Langford was now comically one-eyed, City twice clearly fouled on halfway with nothing given, players showing their frustrations on sun-bathed turf where minutes earlier Swansea had been awarded a series of soft free kicks. Wells curled over wildly from range, before the visitors had their first goal disallowed, Naismith combatively winning the ball at the second attempt and driving the ball into the box to where Bell fired home but was adjudged to be offside.

Langford’s best attempts to thwart City’s dominance included more wildly inconsistent fouls awarded for the stuttering hosts despite having ignored similar when committed against City, a clear passback not given - even the keeper initially feigned to kick it - and then most conspicuously last man Kyle Naughton getting away with a yellow card after sending Wells tumbling to the ground as the striker roared clear on goal. For good measure City twice more in quick succession had goals ruled out including Knight for the softest of contact.

So at half time in the baking hot South Wales stadium all the talk was of a massive injustice being administered by referee Langford, so it was refreshing that City - already bruised by all the talk of a lack of deadline reinforcements - simply showed the pre-existing class and composure in their side by returning to the field with the same relentless attacking threat they started away at Hull a week ago, but this time making it count - racing quickly from 1-0 down into a 2-1 lead, the first coming barely as fans had time to return to their seats.

Williams did brilliantly to latch onto a loose ball in midfield before sweeping it out to Sykes in the right channel who raced into the box and executed a delightful drop of the shoulder and turn inside his marker before stroking the ball neatly into the far corner - away fans racing down to the front of the stand to celebrate with him. It was literally all City, Sykes clean through again after more good work by Williams but bundled over with Langford still disinterested, while Pring’s lung-busting run to the byline and last-gasp cross saw Wells’ finish deflected over.

IMG_6495.thumb.jpg.e50b9fba9ed2b4d66a5d3d7557a20b8c.jpg

Sykes was again pushed over on the run in the box and again Langford invoked his “but it’s Bristol City” rule to wave away the type of contact he loved to indulge for the hosts - the Irishman throwing his arms in the air in palpable frustration at the now endless stream of injustice - but the goalscorer would make amends almost immediately, a sensational spin taking him away from four midfielders and into the space between the lines through the right channel, before squaring past Wells to Bell far post who finished bottom corner. Pandemonium.

An injustice righted, a comprehensive performance rewarded, and one of our own completing the turn around, and all in front of the massed away fans, Bell standing arms aloft to lap up the adulation. A day after signing his new contract, Zak Vyner nearly put the icing on the cake as his looping header went just over from a Gardner-Hickman corner. Despite being hugely one sided City were almost caught ball watching from a corner as Harry Darling headed back at the far post and Ben Cabango nodded down past O’Leary and onto the post.

Pearson decided to dig in, George Tanner on for debutant Gardner-Hickman, then energetic Harry Cornick on for Wells. This allowed City to maintain their control and pressure although by now with little end product. With 10 minutes left former City man Jamie Paterson - off the bench - spun but fired well wide, while at the other end it opened up for Cornick on the edge of the box whose feet got in a tangle but he knocked it wide for the onrushing Pring who lasered an absolute barnstormer towards the top corner which flashed narrowly over.

O’Leary saved down low from a Darling far post header as the game headed into time added on, but in truth this was one of the poorest Swansea sides that City have faced in a long time and the visitors finished the game in total control, moving the ball as they wanted and winning free kicks from a chastened Langford as time ran out. Temperatures were now reaching 23 degrees as the final whistle went, but Pearson’s side - supposedly weaker after the transfer window  - had easily overcome the heat, their opponents, and the match official.

Max O’Leary 7

Gardner-Hickman 7

Cam Pring 7

Zak Vyner 7

Kal Naismith 8

Matty James 7

Joe Williams 9

Jason Knight 8

Mark Sykes 9

Sam Bell 8

Nahki Wells 7

 

George Tanner 6

Harry Cornick 7

Rob Dicke 6

Edited by Olé
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The Original OTIB

The Original OTIB

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A small misery of supporters wrote them off, many of us were/are prepared to back Nige and these lads now we are set until January. Would raise some scores to 8. Long journey home and night?

The endless moan threads are a bit tiresome now. We could have a good team here. Great attitude and characters, at last 

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City oz

City oz

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31 minutes ago, Olé said:

A collective siege mentality is something that both Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho used to great effect to galvanise their teams and after a quiet transfer deadline week where their own supporters wrote them off, followed by 45 minutes where malicious and very deliberate refereeing from Oliver Langford did everything to give struggling hosts Swansea the advantage, City showed their resilience to dig deep and let their quality count, dominating for 90 minutes and scoring the goals that counted in front of their massed away fans.

With the UK heading into a late summer heatwave, Swansea Bay was bathed in sun - azure blue skies shimmering around the white expanse of the Swansea City stadium heading up the valley from the centre of the Welsh town with a capacity travelling support. All the talk had been of City’s failure to strengthen after selling superstar Andy Scott, but that talk quickly turned to referee Langford. Bad officials are normally chaotic, but the Blackpool based official was much more measured in very obviously treating City differently to their hosts.

A calculated lack of consistency between whistling every time the Swans felt minimal contact and tumbled cheaply, while waving away fouls every time City players were chopped down on the break, had already drawn cries of “cheat” from the away end. Three first half goals disallowed, a clear last-man red card call bottled, and even a simple back pass overlooked, had only added to the sense that even the officials were against City, but Nigel Pearson’s side kept their composure for Mark Sykes to setup a comfortable second half win.

The early kick off had not deterred the travelling support who started the match with the sweltering midday sun angling down into their packed end. Struggling Swansea opened with purpose and referee Langford - a Wolves fan with previous history of giving all his decisions against City - indulged a series of minor shoulder to shoulder brushes for soft free kicks, only to ignore an identical infringement as Joe Williams was barged off the ball in midfield and Charlie Patino threaded Liam Cullen clear to finish easily under keeper Max O’Leary.

IMG_6487.thumb.jpg.f36f8378c43d42a6e38c2b629571e966.jpg

In truth Pearson’s men had started a little shakily - Cam Pring giving it away around his own box just before the opener and Kal Naismith having to cut out the threat brilliantly. But the feature of the hall was Langford, who continued to indulge a limited Swansea side, including awarding them yet another curious midfield free kick when their own player appeared to have swatted the ball away with their own arm. By this point all action midfielder Jason Knight had headed just wide - as he had at Hull - from a Taylor Gardner-Hickman corner.

But before even the quarter hour mark the pattern of the game was set - and it was literally all City. The relentless Nahki Wells stole the ball off a defender before laying off for Knight whose long range dipping shot flashed just over the top corner. Mounting pressure from a throw in saw Sykes cut inside and drill a low shot that keeper Carl Rushworth had to hold. Sam Bell seized on a back pass and forced a corner, while a collision outside the City box gave Wells room to break Bell clear down left but the Bermudan couldn’t turn in the return.

Knight and an Williams both had shots blocked from another Bell break, but Langford was now comically one-eyed, City twice clearly fouled on halfway with nothing given, players showing their frustrations on sun-bathed turf where minutes earlier Swansea had been awarded a series of soft free kicks. Wells curled over wildly from range, before the visitors had their first goal disallowed, Naismith combatively winning the ball at the second attempt and driving the ball into the box to where Bell fired home but was adjudged to be offside.

Langford’s best attempts to thwart City’s dominance included more wildly inconsistent fouls awarded for the stuttering hosts despite having ignored similar when committed against City, a clear passback not given - even the keeper initially feigned to kick it - and then most conspicuously last man Kyle Naughton getting away with a yellow card after sending Wells tumbling to the ground as the striker roared clear on goal. For good measure City twice more in quick succession had goals ruled out including Knight for the softest of contact.

So at half time in the baking hot South Wales stadium all the talk was of a massive injustice being administered by referee Langford, so it was refreshing that City - already bruised by all the talk of a lack of deadline reinforcements - simply showed the pre-existing class and composure in their side by returning to the field with the same relentless attacking threat they started away at Hull a week ago, but this time making it count - racing quickly from 1-0 down into a 2-1 lead, the first coming barely as fans had time to return to their seats.

Williams did brilliantly to latch onto a loose ball in midfield before sweeping it out to Sykes in the right channel who raced into the box and executed a delightful drop of the shoulder and turn inside his marker before stroking the ball neatly into the far corner - away fans racing down to the front of the stand to celebrate with him. It was literally all City, Sykes clean through again after more good work by Williams but bundled over with Langford still disinterested, while Pring’s lung-busting run to the byline and last-gasp cross saw Wells’ finish deflected over.

IMG_6495.thumb.jpg.e50b9fba9ed2b4d66a5d3d7557a20b8c.jpg

Sykes was again pushed over on the run in the box and again Langford invoked his “but it’s Bristol City” rule to wave away the type of contact he loved to indulge for the hosts - the Irishman throwing his arms in the air in palpable frustration at the now endless stream of injustice - but the goalscorer would make amends almost immediately, a sensational spin taking him away from four midfielders and into the space between the lines through the right channel, before squaring past Wells to Bell far post who finished bottom corner. Pandemonium.

An injustice righted, a comprehensive performance rewarded, and one of our own completing the turn around, and all in front of the massed away fans, Bell standing arms aloft to lap up the adulation. A day after signing his new contract, Zak Vyner nearly put the icing on the cake as his looping header went just over from a Gardner-Hickman corner. Despite being hugely one sided City were almost caught ball watching from a corner as Harry Darling headed back at the far post and Ben Cabango nodded down past O’Leary and onto the post.

Pearson decided to dig in, George Tanner on for debutant Gardner-Hickman, then energetic Harry Cornick on for Wells. This allowed City to maintain their control and pressure although by now with little end product. With 10 minutes left former City man Jamie Paterson - off the bench - spun but fired well wide, while at the other end it opened up for Cornick on the edge of the box whose feet got in a tangle but he knocked it wide for the onrushing Pring who lasered an absolute barnstormer towards the top corner which flashed narrowly over.

O’Leary saved down low from a Darling far post header as the game headed into time added on, but in truth this was one of the poorest Swansea sides that City have faced in a long time and the visitors finished the game in total control, moving the ball as they wanted and winning free kicks from a chastened Langford as time ran out. Temperatures were now reaching 23 degrees as the final whistle went, but Pearson’s side - supposedly weaker after the transfer window  - had easily overcome the heat, their opponents, and the match official.

Max O’Leary 7

Gardner-Hickman 7

Cam Pring 7

Zak Vyner 7

Kal Naismith 8

Matty James 7

Joe Williams 9

Jason Knight 8

Mark Sykes 9

Sam Bell 8

Nahki Wells 7

 

George Tanner 6

Harry Cornick 7

Rob Dicke 6

Great match report Ole. 

Your last paragraph sums it up.

O’Leary saved down low from a Darling far post header as the game headed into time added on, but in truth this was one of the poorest Swansea sides that City have faced in a long time and the visitors finished the game in total control, moving the ball as they wanted and winning free kicks from a chastened Langford as time ran out. Temperatures were now reaching 23 degrees as the final whistle went, but Pearson’s side - supposedly weaker after the transfer window  - had easily overcome the heat, their opponents, and the match official.

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Port Said Red

Port Said Red

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Your writing is becoming quite poetic @Olé, oh for the days when there were journalists that would take the time to construct a sentence like...

"With the UK heading into a late summer heatwave, Swansea Bay was bathed in sun - azure blue skies shimmering around the white expanse of the Swansea City stadium heading up the valley from the centre of the Welsh town with a capacity travelling support"

 As they might say in that part of the world "there's lovely for you'' :)

Great report.

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Davefevs

Davefevs

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2 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

Your writing is becoming quite poetic @Olé, oh for the days when there were journalists that would take the time to construct a sentence like...

"With the UK heading into a late summer heatwave, Swansea Bay was bathed in sun - azure blue skies shimmering around the white expanse of the Swansea City stadium heading up the valley from the centre of the Welsh town with a capacity travelling support"

 As they might say in that part of the world "there's lovely for you'' :)

Great report.

Followed by a Johnny Marr guitar solo.

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italian dave

italian dave

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3 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

Your writing is becoming quite poetic @Olé, oh for the days when there were journalists that would take the time to construct a sentence like...

"With the UK heading into a late summer heatwave, Swansea Bay was bathed in sun - azure blue skies shimmering around the white expanse of the Swansea City stadium heading up the valley from the centre of the Welsh town with a capacity travelling support"

 As they might say in that part of the world "there's lovely for you'' :)

Great report.

I can hear Michael Sheen reading that!!

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Bristol Oil Services

Bristol Oil Services

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3 hours ago, City oz said:

Great match report Ole. 

Your last paragraph sums it up.

O’Leary saved down low from a Darling far post header as the game headed into time added on, but in truth this was one of the poorest Swansea sides that City have faced in a long time and the visitors finished the game in total control, moving the ball as they wanted and winning free kicks from a chastened Langford as time ran out. Temperatures were now reaching 23 degrees as the final whistle went, but Pearson’s side - supposedly weaker after the transfer window  - had easily overcome the heat, their opponents, and the match official.

I like to think, when Max made that save, he got up and said: Thank you, Darling"

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Southport Red

Southport Red

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4 hours ago, Olé said:

A collective siege mentality is something that both Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho used to great effect to galvanise their teams and after a quiet transfer deadline week where their own supporters wrote them off, followed by 45 minutes where malicious and very deliberate refereeing from Oliver Langford did everything to give struggling hosts Swansea the advantage, City showed their resilience to dig deep and let their quality count, dominating for 90 minutes and scoring the goals that counted in front of their massed away fans.

With the UK heading into a late summer heatwave, Swansea Bay was bathed in sun - azure blue skies shimmering around the white expanse of the Swansea City stadium heading up the valley from the centre of the Welsh town with a capacity travelling support. All the talk had been of City’s failure to strengthen after selling superstar Andy Scott, but that talk quickly turned to referee Langford. Bad officials are normally chaotic, but the Blackpool based official was much more measured in very obviously treating City differently to their hosts.

A calculated lack of consistency between whistling every time the Swans felt minimal contact and tumbled cheaply, while waving away fouls every time City players were chopped down on the break, had already drawn cries of “cheat” from the away end. Three first half goals disallowed, a clear last-man red card call bottled, and even a simple back pass overlooked, had only added to the sense that even the officials were against City, but Nigel Pearson’s side kept their composure for Mark Sykes to setup a comfortable second half win.

The early kick off had not deterred the travelling support who started the match with the sweltering midday sun angling down into their packed end. Struggling Swansea opened with purpose and referee Langford - a Wolves fan with previous history of giving all his decisions against City - indulged a series of minor shoulder to shoulder brushes for soft free kicks, only to ignore an identical infringement as Joe Williams was barged off the ball in midfield and Charlie Patino threaded Liam Cullen clear to finish easily under keeper Max O’Leary.

IMG_6487.thumb.jpg.f36f8378c43d42a6e38c2b629571e966.jpg

In truth Pearson’s men had started a little shakily - Cam Pring giving it away around his own box just before the opener and Kal Naismith having to cut out the threat brilliantly. But the feature of the half was Langford, who continued to indulge a limited Swansea side, including awarding them yet another curious midfield free kick when their own player appeared to have swatted the ball away with their own arm. By this point all action midfielder Jason Knight had headed just wide - as he had at Hull - from a Taylor Gardner-Hickman corner.

But before even the quarter hour mark the pattern of the game was set - and it was literally all City. The relentless Nahki Wells stole the ball off a defender before laying off for Knight whose long range dipping shot flashed just over the top corner. Mounting pressure from a throw in saw Sykes cut inside and drill a low shot that keeper Carl Rushworth had to hold. Sam Bell seized on a back pass and forced a corner, while a collision outside the City box gave Wells room to break Bell clear down left but the Bermudan couldn’t turn in the return.

Knight and Williams both had shots blocked from another Bell break, but Langford was now comically one-eyed, City twice clearly fouled on halfway with nothing given, players showing their frustrations on sun-bathed turf where minutes earlier Swansea had been awarded a series of soft free kicks. Wells curled over wildly from range, before the visitors had their first goal disallowed, Naismith combatively winning the ball at the second attempt and driving the ball into the box to where Bell fired home but was adjudged to be offside.

Langford’s best attempts to thwart City’s dominance included more wildly inconsistent fouls awarded for the stuttering hosts despite having ignored similar when committed against City, a clear passback not given - even the keeper initially feigned to kick it - and then most conspicuously last man Kyle Naughton getting away with a yellow card after sending Wells tumbling to the ground as the striker roared clear on goal. For good measure City twice more in quick succession had goals ruled out including Knight for the softest of contact.

So at half time in the baking hot South Wales stadium all the talk was of a massive injustice being administered by referee Langford, so it was refreshing that City - already bruised by all the talk of a lack of deadline reinforcements - simply showed the pre-existing class and composure in their side by returning to the field with the same relentless attacking threat they started away at Hull a week ago, but this time making it count - racing quickly from 1-0 down into a 2-1 lead, the first coming barely as fans had time to return to their seats.

Williams did brilliantly to latch onto a loose ball in midfield before sweeping it out to Sykes in the right channel who raced into the box and executed a delightful drop of the shoulder and turn inside his marker before stroking the ball neatly into the far corner - away fans racing down to the front of the stand to celebrate with him. It was literally all City, Sykes clean through again after more good work by Williams but bundled over with Langford still disinterested, while Pring’s lung-busting run to the byline and last-gasp cross saw Wells’ finish deflected over.

IMG_6495.thumb.jpg.e50b9fba9ed2b4d66a5d3d7557a20b8c.jpg

Sykes was again pushed over on the run in the box and again Langford invoked his “but it’s Bristol City” rule to wave away the type of contact he loved to indulge for the hosts - the Irishman throwing his arms in the air in palpable frustration at the now endless stream of injustice - but the goalscorer would make amends almost immediately, a sensational spin taking him away from four midfielders and into the space between the lines through the right channel, before squaring past Wells to Bell far post who finished bottom corner. Pandemonium.

An injustice righted, a comprehensive performance rewarded, and one of our own completing the turn around, and all in front of the massed away fans, Bell standing arms aloft to lap up the adulation. A day after signing his new contract, Zak Vyner nearly put the icing on the cake as his looping header went just over from a Gardner-Hickman corner. Despite being hugely one sided City were almost caught ball watching from a corner as Harry Darling headed back at the far post and Ben Cabango nodded down past O’Leary and onto the post.

Pearson decided to dig in, George Tanner on for debutant Gardner-Hickman, then energetic Harry Cornick on for Wells. This allowed City to maintain their control and pressure although by now with little end product. With 10 minutes left former City man Jamie Paterson - off the bench - spun but fired well wide, while at the other end it opened up for Cornick on the edge of the box whose feet got in a tangle but he knocked it wide for the onrushing Pring who lasered an absolute barnstormer towards the top corner which flashed narrowly over.

O’Leary saved down low from a Darling far post header as the game headed into time added on, but in truth this was one of the poorest Swansea sides that City have faced in a long time and the visitors finished the game in total control, moving the ball as they wanted and winning free kicks from a chastened Langford as time ran out. Temperatures were now reaching 23 degrees as the final whistle went, but Pearson’s side - supposedly weaker after the transfer window  - had easily overcome the heat, their opponents, and the match official.

Max O’Leary 7

Gardner-Hickman 7

Cam Pring 7

Zak Vyner 7

Kal Naismith 8

Matty James 7

Joe Williams 9

Jason Knight 8

Mark Sykes 9

Sam Bell 8

Nahki Wells 7

 

George Tanner 6

Harry Cornick 7

Rob Dicke 6

Great report. How much did we get from selling Andy Scott though @Olé?

Edited by Southport Red
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downendcity

downendcity

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4 hours ago, italian dave said:

F’kin hell: we sold Andy Scott too?? Even more cash in SLs coffers…and I knew nothing about it. ??

Great trip, great game, great performance, great match report............

.........great Scott!!

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REDOXO

REDOXO

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12 hours ago, The Original OTIB said:

A small misery of supporters wrote them off, many of us were/are prepared to back Nige and these lads now we are set until January. Would raise some scores to 8. Long journey home and night?

The endless moan threads are a bit tiresome now. We could have a good team here. Great attitude and characters, at last 

You have something there! “A misery of Bristol City supporters” 

How about “A pikey of sags”

Or “A sheeepshagery of Taffs” 

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