Desperately disappointing conclusion to tonight’s match with our neighbours. We gave up a 2-0 lead to succumb at the last to lose 3-2. Having completely disrupted our pattern in the 2nd half, Cardiff deserved it, overcoming a 10-man Swansea side that lost its way after half-time.
We fielded what seemed a very decent starting XI – fielding both Tom Woodward and Yori Griffith and looking very confident in the opening stages. Griffith and Woodward put us 2 up from well-worked moves that they finished expertly from.
We adopted a 4-1-4-1 formation: Sam Seager; Bill Clarke, Kiel Higginson, Brogan Popham, Callum Deacon (captain); Jacob Cook (s- Aidan Higgins 87m); Ramon Rees-Siso, Tom Woodward (s – Caio Ifans 77m), Yori Griffith (s – Ben Phillips 46m), Josh Pescatore; Morgan Bates.
Unused subs: Isaac Dudding, Osian Williams.
Having looked in control for much of the game, we had to see out the last 25 minutes a player down when Brogan Popham – who’d been outstanding – was ordered from the field for picking up a 2nd card. Although we rearranged, we were on the back foot and never seemed to get back into the ascendancy.
Cardiff’s attacking midfielder Harry Watt dominated proceedings, we conceded one off the bar and post on 68 minutes, a 2nd goal 4 minutes after that and – although we had our moments in the remainder of the match – Cardiff’s winner with almost the last touch in 7 minutes of added time was a foreseeable bitter pill to swallow.
The match official wasn’t the best. We picked up an extraordinary number of yellow cards. Ramon Rees-Siso was our standout performer, with a really gutsy battling performance.
Goalscoring: Yori Griffith 1-0 (17m); Tom Woodward 2-0 (37m); Joseff Edwards 2-1 (68m); Leeyon Phelan 2-2 (72m); Leeyon Phelan 2-3 (90+7m).