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Team of the Week – Swansea FC
Published by DSAdmin on February 16, 2009
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In a weekend of FA Cup draws and Portsmouth unsurprisingly grabbing a win after sacking their manager, there was no clear cut winner for the team of the week. Sure, Manchester United played a weakened team and still ran out convincing winners and Chelsea bounced back from a shock at Vicarage Road but Swansea City have to be commended for their result and more importantly performance against Premier League team Fulham.
Coventry City may find themselves hard done by as they also obtained a draw against top flight opposition, away from home against Blackburn Rovers when the Premier club equalised in the dying seconds, but the flamboyant Welsh team really took the game to their opposition and won over many neutrals with their attitude and skill. When small teams obtain a good result against more fancied opposition, it is usually down to dragging their opponents down to their level and grinding out a performance. Swansea City were vibrant and attacking, performing in the same manner as they have done all season which has seen manager Roberto Martinez be mentioned in dispatches for some of the bigger jobs and the club sneak into the promotion dogfight.
Swansea dominated the first half with a number of great chances going a begging and just when it seemed that the team would have to settle for going in at half-time goal-less, disaster struck when captain Garry Monk put through his own net to give Fulham the lead. This sort of setback may have derailed many clubs but the Championship side were level within ten minutes of the second half when main man Jason Scotland drilled home from the edge of the box. It was the strikers’ 12th goal in 12 goals and Swansea sensed that a famous Cup upset could be theirs.
The club continued to swarm forward in an attractive fashion but Fulham managed to hold them off without offering any attacking threat of their own. No doubt Fulham boss Roy Hodgson will be delighted that his team hung on in the face of adversity but there must be concerns about the fact that his team was comprehensively outplayed by lower league opposition.
It will undoubtedly take a big effort at Craven Cottage to overcome their top flight opponents in the replay but there is every incentive for Swansea to do so. The draw for the next round of the Cup has decided that the winners of this tie will play at home to Manchester United and no doubt earn another bumper pay day with gate receipts and television money flooding in. The fans and players be excited about the prospect of acing the European and World Club champions but the task at hand of triumphing over Fulham is not something that will come easily.
Regardless of what happens in the replay, Swansea fans can be rightly proud of their teams performance which would have alerted many people to the new revolution that is occurring in Wales under Martinez.
** Photo Credit: Wikimedia **
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Ian John on Thu, 19th Feb 2009 10:14 am
Yes, they were excellent against Fulham at the weekend. Roberto Martinez and his staff have them playing some lovely football. With Cardiff going well too, it looks like Welsh football is finally being given a good shot in the arm.