So much of the attention of the media when discussing Swansea’s dominance in south Wales derbies over the last decade focuses on the so called “double double” when the jacks won the four league games between the two teams played in the 21/22 and 22/23 seasons to record the first, and only, league doubles in the long history of the fixture.
In the second of those two seasons, City at least had the excuse that they were reduced to ten men inside the first ten minutes of the first game and fought back from two down to level the second match before succumbing deep into added time, but their performance in both of the earlier fixtures was feeble and embarrassing.
The thing is that those two woeful showings shouldn’t have come as a shock to a City fan if they were being honest with themselves, because Cardiff were in the habit of not showing up for the derby well before the double double and the truth was that there was a feeling that the inevitable was just being delayed.
Even when City managed to win a game, it was during the period of Covid restrictions which meant there was no crowd in attendance and there was a feeling that the City had to come through a siege on the goal to get their 1-0 away win.
Last season’s 2-0 win at Cardiff City Stadium to end the jack’s winning streak was very welcome and well deserved, but I have to concede that Swansea’s victory by the same score in the reverse fixture was more comprehensive.
So, it still felt like Swansea had the superiority and last March I had to write another one of those highly critical pieces on a City v Swansea match where I struggled to contain my anger at our latest failure against opponents that I always say come second in the rivalry stakes for me to Bristol City!
The argument (supported by me) has grown in recent years that City don’t “get” what the south Wales derby is all about like Swansea do. Well, for a while at least (actually I suppose it could be a long while if we go down this season), the boot is going to be on the other foot after today’s 3-0 home win for Cardiff and it’s going to the jacks fans who’ll be having the discussions about what went wrong, where was the passion in the team and how their team rolled over to have their tummy tickled.
Make no mistake, after an opening spell where City appeared to be happy enough to concede possession and territory to Swansea, this was as comprehensive as anything we’ve suffered at the hands of the jacks in recent years with the possible exception of their 4-0 here in 2022.
The question I’m asking myself in these hours following the game is where did this performance come from and why?
Let’s face it, there’s been very little this season to suggest we had such a dominant performance in us apart from those wins over Plymouth and Portsmouth from around four months ago. Since early November we’ve had our usual issues at home and although we’re pretty good at getting our noses in front, we’ve lost too many leads – the truth is that for the vast majority of this season we’ve looked like a relegation threatened team.
I can come up with two reasons for today’s so welcome and encouraging display. First, although his future beyond this season still remains very much in doubt, there does appear to be a great deal of goodwill in the squad towards Omer Riza and the awful news yesterday that his father, Josh, had died suddenly may well have created a “this one’s for the boss” mentality.
Certainly, for probably the first time, it felt like the crowd were thinking that this was Riza’s team and kudos goes to whoever it was who started the chant of “this one’s for your dad” in the second half.
Given the last forty eight hours or so he’s had, it wasn’t that surprising that Riza created an unwelcome first double in the fixture as City became the first team in the to have their manager sent off in both games of a season as he followed Erol Bulut’s example in the 1-1 draw back in August.
Riza’s offence was to run on to the pitch in pursuit of Swansea midfielder Goncalo Franco late in the game after a pretty mild collision between the two men as the ball was going out for a throw in. Although referee James Bell’s decision to show the red card was a correct one by the letter of the law, Riza’s reaction was out of character based on what I’ve seen of the man and I hope the disciplinary panel takes the strain he was under into account when they consider what sort of punishment our manager should face.
The second possibility I referred to earlier is a pretty obvious one really. We’ve only been two goals clear in a league fixture three times this season and it’s no coincidence that our most convincing displays have come in 5-0, 3-0 and 2-0 wins over Plymouth, Swansea and Portsmouth respectively – we were able to win each game with a bit of style, whereas you’re always fearing the worst when we go into the closing minutes of a match with a one goal lead.
City made three changes to the team that should have beaten Watford in midweek as Callum Robinson, Joe Ralls and Ollie Tanner came in for Perry Ng, Chris Willock and Rubin Colwill and there was another early change as Callum O’Dowda came off with what looked like a hamstring injury to be replaced by Joel Bagan.
The first half was pretty typical derby fare with space and chances at a premium, but, even so, by City home game standards, there were more opportunities for us than normal as we gradually began to take a degree of control on proceedings. First though, we had the period of Swansea superiority in terms of pressure mentioned earlier and Franco maybe should have done better than fire not too far over from fifteen yards after City struggled to cope with a clever free kick routine.
For a long time, that remained Swansea’s only meaningful goal attempts and the game was as good as over when their second one came along.
Alex Robertson dragged a shot wide, but that was an isolated incident until the minutes leading up to half time when City’s pressing and fierce tackling began to sway the game in their favour.
Callum Chambers had a similar chance to Franco’s, but not from so far out, but the result was the same as his shot flew over and then the midfielder forced Lawrence Vigouroux into the half’s only serious save with a close range angled shot. Arguably though, the best chance fell to Robinson who hit a weak effort when unmarked on the edge of the penalty area straight at the keeper after being set up by Robertson.
During the interval, it felt like half time had come just when City didn’t need it as they had momentum behind them, but the opening minutes showed that, if anything, the opposite was true as they were able to gather themselves for the one sided forty five minutes which followed as Robinson wrote himself into City folklore with a quick fire double to take his tally of goals against the jacks this season to three.
Just seventy seconds had been played in the second half when Tanner knocked over a cross from the left to Robinson who took advantage of some slack marking by Harry Darling (the fact the Jacks’ winder up in chief had a stinker of a game was one of the most pleasing of the match’s sub plots) to take a touch and then hook a left footed shot precisely across Vigouroux and into the net from twelve yards.
Four minutes later, Robinson did it again, although he owed an awful lot to Swansea left back Josh Tymon whose pass back intended for Darling, split the Swansea centre backs and landed at Robinson’s feet. From here, our top scorer took his goals tally for the season into double figures as he easily beat Vigouroux with another left footed shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Given how games have gone between the teams, I was now expecting the inevitable Swansea fight back, but it never came – in fact, the rest of the game was pretty easy for City as they continued to win individual battles all over the pitch.
Midway through the half, City extended their lead as they persisted with their policy of having Robertson take all of the set pieces and his out swinging corner was headed powerfully home by Dimi Goutas for his first goal of the season.
I believe there could have further goals there for City if they had needed them, but there was an air of celebration which suggested they’d already done enough.
Swansea briefly roused themselves as right back Josh Key headed inches wide and Robinson was well placed to nod a header by Darling I think it was from a corner off the line, but the closing minutes saw some petulance from the frustrated visitors as their bookings mounted. There was then a dispute between the teams after the final whistle as the jacks showed more fight after the final whistle than they had done in the last hour of it – a point made more forcibly (he labelled it “pathetic”) by Swansea manager Luke Williams in his post game press conference.
Given the occasion, this was City’s best performance of the season and they won’t go down if they continue to show this type of form. The one doubt I have is that the occasion was a unique one in that there were over 25,000 present and our manager was in mourning after a sudden death in his family. Next Saturday when we face Derby in what is becoming a very important game, there will probably be ten thousand less present and you have to wonder as to whether we’ll be able to recapture the intensity shown today? One thing’s for sure though, City will head to Millwall in midweek full of confidence because a corner certainly seems to have been turned since the Boxing Day horror show at Oxford.
Just a brief few words on last night’s 2-1 Youth Cup loss at Leckwith to a big and powerful Bristol City side that played a direct game in a manner you very rarely see at this level these days. Dan Ola gave City the lead with a good finish just before half time, but the wurzels instantly equalised and we’re ahead shortly after the break with both goals coming from corners.
Mannie Barton hit the crossbar with a free kick in added time, but you couldn’t deny the visitors their deserved win as they took charge after the break following an even first period.
In local football, there were away draws for Treherbert Boys and Girls Club in the Ardal South West League (3-3 at Pontardawe Town) and Treorchy Boys and Girls Club in Division One East of the Highadmit South Wales Alliance League (2-2 at Pantyscallog Village), Meanwhile, Ton Pentre are still getting beaten every week in the Premier Division of the Highadmit league despite them having become more competitive in recent weeks – this time they went down 2-0 at home to Aber Valley.
Thanks Paul.
Agree – where did that performance come from? What a great result and fantastic atmosphere too. Felt like a “proper” game of football that had everything.
Forgotten what it is like to have a big crowd and such a positive feeling about the place. You are right to question what will it be like in a week’s time for an equally important game ( aren’t they all from now on in?)
The players – to a man – were well up for it and all deserve massive praise. Obvious plaudits for Robinson, but clean sheet also very important and a great shift from our captain too. Very honourable mentions too for Rinomhota and Bagan who probably had their best games ever for the City. And Chambers again showing his new-found midfielder abilities.
Great support from the crowd and noticeable how they got behind the team and the manager to forge a real connection.
Let’s see if we can do it again and hope we have turned a corner?
Thanks Paul as ever. And like you I was greatly encouraged by the sheer ‘hwyl’ our boys managed to inject into their performance.
In my mind’s eye, I was back on the Bob Bank again, as I was as a 17 year old in April 1965, delighting in our ex Swansea stars taking their hometown club to the cleaners with a 5-0 drubbing. The peerless Ivor Allchurch scored a hat-trick, and Mel Charles a brace… which included the most memorable goal I ever saw at Ninian Park.
And that 1965 Swansea team were no mugs… for just 13 months previously, they had beaten Bill Shankly’s Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter final before a swaying raucous packed Anfield Kop – all singing She Loves You – with Noel Dwyer in goal pulling off one heroic save after another.
And that fine Swansea team nearly made it to Wembley, narrowly losing the semi-final to PNE.
Yet we blew the Swans away just a year later. I got the train home to Porth never realising that 60 years later we would still not have matched that score.
As for our 3-0 success, did I not say after the Watford game that my high praise for Harry Darling might come back and bite me?!
Mind you, I reckon Paul that he hardly had the ‘stinker’ you claim. Oh for sure, the first goal could be largely laid at his door… but the second was not… he made the angle for a safe pass back… and no such accurate pass was made.
That said, I will cry no tears for him… he is a nasty piece of work. He had it coming… but he is also a proper player.
Will sign off now. Had a siesta early this afternoon, and had a terrifying dream that I had died and was in a bodybag not totally zipped up and I could see the grim countenance of the boss undertaker bouncing morbidly obese me down my 13 stairs.
He looked so scary in his Dickensian black garb that he woke me… and I was sweating like I knew this guy… and I did.
It was Luke Williams sacked by the Swans, and in true Ramon Wilson style, had taken up a more secure job!
Right, time to put down my tablet and swallow my smaller medicinal ones.
Oh and incidentally, no City player scored under 7 in this derby.
TTFN,
Dai.
Paul compadre,
A few things I meant to say last night, but failed to, due to sleep ambushing my best intentions.
First, the extraordinary commentary from Sky TV’s Gary Weaver. It was stirring stuff to the ears of Bluebirds’ fans. That said, those words will have proved deeply wounding to the citizens of our Second City… a city you will recall that seriously canvassed for capital status in 1997 following the devolution referendum.
This is verbatim from the Sky Sports’ commentary as the goals went in…
‘…
[1st goal:]
Cardiff City from the capital send Swansea City to the floor with a direct hit.
[3rd goal:]
Cardiff city are defending their city, defending their seat of power in Wales. And right now the team from the city down the road are being denied entry to this capital.
…’
Like I say, truly extraordinary words for a football commentary. Words that would have not been out-of-place as the brave Soviets withstood the Germans at the Siege of Leningrad in World War Two…!!
As to the derby game… you make a good point re the possibilities of a future Trivial Pursuit question being ‘Which team had two different first team managers sent off in successive derby games against the same opposition in the same season?’
Shocking to see Omer’s overreaction. It was the second time in the last decade that I have been ashamed of a Bluebirds’ manager and his on-field behaviour… the last time was when Nuno Holy Ghost ran up to Neil Warnock to apologise for hugging the Wolves backroom staff in relief at surviving our two very late penalty misses, and then realised Neil had not waited for his belated handshake. So he runs up to Neil who was now in the centre circle, and in full view and hearing of the Sky cameras, attempts to humbly apologise.
And our Neil’s reaction? A brusque ‘F!!k off!… do not come near me…’
Shameful. After the game Nuno impressed me hugely by saying to Sky that his relief at such an incredibly close shave, had made him over-celebrate at the final whistle, and he was deeply sorry that Neil had taken offence.
How classy was that? I became a Nuno fan that very day.
As for Omer, I guess we should be thankful that he did not ‘do a Nigel Pearson’ and get the boy Franco in a headlock.
Now changing the subject to Denis Law: I remember him appearing at The Rhondda Sports Centre in Gelli at a dinner event with George Best and Rodney Marsh. The trio got their share of laughs and it was a good evening.
I left with one regret: viz… that when the emcee, BBC Wales’ Dewi Griffiths asked for questions, I had lacked the cojones to ask Denis if he had any regrets over his gratuitous over-the-top foul on our great Steve Gammon (a foul that essentially ended a career that had been so full of promise).
Anyway, what I want to say re the superb Denis is that I was down behind the goal in October 1958 to see 17 year old Denis make his Scottish debut at Ninian. I had a close up view of our skipper Dave Bowen making a desperate goal-line clearance, and the ball bouncing in off Denis’s boney bum… and thus it was that the Scottish scorers included Denis Law on his debut…!!
Years later I was living and working in Aberdeen… and the first thing I did was to seek out 6 Printfield Terrace off the Great Northern Road in Aberdeen… maybe no more than a quarter of an hour’s walk from Pittodrie.
He was a true hero.
And finally a thought on a possible Welsh l’entente cordiale between Cardiff and Swansea.
Would it not be great to have a group statue at the CCS of Swansea-born Cardiff City heroes post WW2….?
Trevor Ford, John Charles, Ivor Allchurch, Mel Charles, Barrie Hole, would be the first names I would think of.
TTFN,
Dai.
Most of what I thought has already been said.
I did think the Robertson shot in the first half was significant at the time, as it came after Swans best period in the game, and I feared they were going to dominate (again), and that Robertson shot, although dragged wide, signalled that we were still a force to be reckoned with, and I felt a mood change around the stadium after it.
While I’ve previously said that I find Robinson a frustrating player because he gets caught offside far more often than a player of his experience should, when he gets time and space, he can be a more than decent striker who knows where the net is, so likely to be vital for the rest of our season.
As you and Dai said, Darling was at fault for the first goal and Tymon at fault for the second (the sort of pass played by a team who have been rattled).
For the third goal, while Daland and Cabango held each others shirts and blocked each other, Goutas completely lost his marker (Tymon again), and Darling didn’t react.
Even at 3-0 I was impressed by our strong tackling, and pressing, nicking the ball back, and frequently stopping the Swans from building momentum.
I thought Swans had pulled a goal back from my angle, from their best move of the second half, when I saw the net bulge, but fortunately, it turned out to be Vipotnik who ended up in the net, not the ball!
After that incident it seemed the Swans players finally realised it wasn’t going to be their day, and I can’t remember any other serious threat on our goal.
While they were second-best by far in the second half, I didn’t think the Swans were terrible, and so some of the grief their fans have been giving to players and manager has been a little harsh imo.
As for us, we need to use this result and performance as a launching pad, so four points from the games against Millwall and Derby would be very welcome – I just hope we haven’t expended too much energy in our fantastic victory!
Time, as they say, will tell!
Thanks all for the replies, just a few random thoughts in reply. Huw,I’ve heard so many theories as to why it looked like we were the ones who “got” the derby on Saturday and Swansea the ones that didn’t. First, I agree with that observation – we were up for that game in a way we haven’t been in recent matches with the jacks and they looked like us in the way they wilted after falling behind.
I think wanting to win for Omer Riza was definitely a factor and others have suggested that having more Academy graduates (Ashford, Ralls, Colwill and Bagan) involved than normal meant we had a nucleus of players who knew what the rivalry means. i’ve also seen it mentioned that Cardiff players who have been here a few years and City fans have been wound up by years of Swansea gloating and joking about their dominance in the fixture, in particular the “double, double” and we got a fierce reaction on the pitch and in the stands when we had them on the run.
From a Swansea perspective, it was interesting to hear Liam Cullen talk about the talks they were given by the club kitman and cook about the fixture – the impression was given that those two men were obsessed by us and while it was an effective PR tool which probably had a positive effect on the players first time, and maybe second time, around, it’s would surely become less of an influence each time it was repeated and it just came over as a bit same old, same old this time.
I think Liam Williams got a few things right in his post game interview, including when he said that some of his players with not much experience of the fixture frosze. On that score, it was interesting to hear that the combined stats for the two wingers who started the game for Swansea were no effective runs with the ball and only one worthwhile cross (from which they had their closest miss of the afternoon). Ronald and Eom were useless I thought, but the whole Swansea side seemed to be taken aback by our competitiveness.
This takes me on to Harry Darling. Dai, he was clearly at fault with the first goal and I don’t think he escapes blame for the third one eithe. As for the second, well I blame him for that one as well because he’s Harry Darling – he looked like the architypal bully who can give it out, but not take it back on Saturday. According to a jack on one of their messageboards, he was distracted by thoughts of the hefty pay rise Bristol City are supposed to be offering him and, although I haven’t got a cluw as to whether there is something to that speculation, that word does seem an appropriate way to describe his display.
Gary Weaver was a bit more over the top than usual on Saturday, but that does seem to his default method for making his commentaries distinctive – I’d expect something similar if he was commentating on Crawley v Shrewsbury this weekend.
Here’s my contribution to the Dennis Law RIP thread on the messageboard I use;-
“I’m over exaggerating here, but Dennis Law was maybe the reason for the closest my mum and dad came to divorcing. He was a real favorite of my mums, more so than George Best and Bobby Charlton, but my dad couldn’t forget that tackle on SrEve Gammon was it (I was too young to have seen it) and he would argue back at her all the time.
I remember Law as a very exciting player even if he never really fully overcame the injury which forced him to miss the 1968 European Cup Final and it was one of the biggest football ironies I’ve seen that he scored the goal that sent Man United down in 1974.
RIP”
With regard to Omer Riza’s red card, I didn’t think Franco was to blame at all for the incident when I first saw it, but, having seen it a few more times now, I’m less willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and feel he was lucky to avoid a yellow card (as was Liam Cullen to avoid a second yellow). As I said in my piece, Riza had to receive a red card for what he did, but I also mentioned that I hope some consideration is given to the strain. our manager was under following the death of his father less than forty eight hours earlier.
Blue Bayou,I’d be interested to hear Dai’s opinion of the current Swansea team and how they play. The “Swansea way” was effective in the Premier Division because they had a nucleus of players who could make it work in the way Martinez, the originator of the aforesaid Swansea Way, wanted, Having seen them on Saturday and a few times through this and last season, I feel they now have a group of players that are maybe top half of the Championship quality, but I doubt very much whether they’re good enough to go any higher, especially when trying to play in the Swansea way.
Now, their manager’s unfortunate remarks about West Brom’s apparent interest in him seem to have prompted what could develop into a crisis of confidence down there. Swansea fans are saying Williams’ football is boring and there’s no plan B, but I’d argue that all he’s doing is trying to get his team playing in a Swansea way style, the same style they were crying out for when they when they were hounding their last manager out of his job. Put that with the loss of that certainty they had that, whatever else happened, they would still be able to have their twice a season laugh at the expense of their hated rivals from the capital because we have started to show our teeth when the two clubs meet as opposed to rolling out the red carpet and, suddenly, there’s an air of crisis down west which may well get worse when Sheffield United come calling tonight.
I think what has been big in the last two home games is that they didn’t score early against us – I believe they’d scored in the first ten minutes in their three previous visits to our ground prompting a “here we go again” feeling to settle over the home contingent, but the nature of our win on Saturday and the Swansea reaction to going behind very heavily hinted that, just as with Peter Thorne’s goal in the 2003 Play Off against the wurzels, an era was coming to an end.