A return to the stadium, but a rather flat performance against a well-organised Sheffield United side.
As was the case in the opening game last Friday, we started with a 4-3-3 formation but moved quickly to 3-4-3 with right back Bill Clarke joining midfield, leaving a back 3 of Iestyn Jones, Arthur Parker and Jack Fanning. Tom Woodward led the line again.
Evan Watts; Billy Clarke, Arthur Parker, Iestyn Jones, Jack Fanning (s – Seb Dabrowski 71m); Milo Robinson (s – Kai Rhodes 71m), Yori Griffith (captain), Joel Cotterill; Joe Davies, Tom Woodward, Florian Bianchini (s – Jacob Cook 61m).
Unused substitute: Joe Collins (g/k), Harlan Perry
Overall, we enjoyed lots of possession, very few penetrative moments and got caught through inattention at the back to concede 2 goals to a Blades side that took full advantage of its opportunities.
Left winger Ukaki got the opener on 35 minutes from a corner clearance that sat up nicely for him on the edge of the area with no Swansea player in the near vicinity.
We continued to probe away but were limited to speculative efforts from distance.
Substitutions were essentially like for like and it was quite evident that while we swamped midfield we lacked any thrust up front. Tom Woodward is an excellent attacking force, but it’s not in his armoury to provide the physicality and movement that Morgan Bates has supplied in the centre forward role in the past season.
We went 2-0 down on 68 minutes from an unchallenged header from a corner.
Kai Rhodes offered a bit of variety on the flank and Yori Griffith was close with a shot that Betts tipped over but we rarely delivered a real threat or imaginative spark. Sheffield United looked settled, organised and increasingly confident over time. Could have done without central defender Okyere being rewarded with high 5s from his colleagues on cutting down Griffith on the edge of the area, but that was the job he was no doubt expected to do, even with the result of a caution and another wasted Swans free kick opportunity.
Coach Anthony Wright has often overperformed with the resources he’s been provided. Today it was difficult to get a tune out of a squad that was over blessed with similarish midfielders and very little in the way of real penetration. We’ll have to go again.
Here are the video highlights from game: