Swansea City

Lawrence adds to Swansea's woes
Swansea's miserable start to the season continued when new signing Dennis Lawrence was injured in the 3-2 Liberty Stadium Carling Cup loss to Wycombe. \"He came off after pulling his groin in the first half hour, we hope he won't be missing for long,\" said Swansea manager Kenny Jackett. Lawrence, 32, joined for £75,000 from Wrexham after a serious injury to Swans captain and centre-back Garry Monk. But Jackett said he had no regrets on fielding a strong side against Wycombe. \"There have been a lot of changes to the team and it needs time to bed in,\" he said. \"We're short of confidence and belief as a unit. That's why I didn't really lay into them at the end - we need to build morale, not knock it. \"There's no doubting that the performance left a lot to be desired. We couldn't hold the ball or create chances, it was very average. \"The players have taken a few knocks from the match, but we'll gather and go again at Leyton Orient on Saturday. \"This squad has the ability, but it needs some self belief.\"

Leyton Orient 0-1 Swansea
Leon Knight scored Swansea's winning goal, missed a penalty and was sent off as both sides finished with 10 men. Justin Miller was sent off for a push on Darren Pratley in the first half, but Wales and Orient keeper Glyn Garner saved Knight's resultant penalty well. Garner came for Alan Tate's 54th-minute free-kick, but saw the diminutive Knight head an unlikely goal. Shortly after Knight - already booked for diving - saw red for a late tackle on Brian Saah, but Swansea held on. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leyton Orient: Garner, Miller, Lockwood, Fortune, Saah, Tudor (Barnard 35), Simpson (Ibehre 83), Easton, Keith (Connor 67), Alexander, Steele. Subs Not Used: Morris, Corden. Sent Off: Miller (35). Booked: Alexander, Steele, Easton. Sent off: Miller (35). Swansea: Gueret, Tate, Williams (Akinfenwa 69), Austin, Iriekpen, Amankwaah, O'Leary, Pratley, MacDonald (Way 90), Fallon (Butler 90), Knight. Subs Not Used: Oakes, Watt. Sent Off: Knight (65). Booked: Knight, Austin, Amankwaah, Gueret. Sent off: Knight (65). Goals: Knight 54. Att: 4,162 Ref: A Hall (W Midlands).

Sluggish Swansea bemuse Jackett
Swansea boss Kenny Jackett admits he is at a loss to explain their slow start to the season after they rescued a 1-1 home draw against Yeovil on Friday. \"Quite often we only start playing when we go behind, I don't know why. Maybe it takes pressure off and we had a real go after Yeovil went ahead,\" he said. \"Bayo (Adebayo Akinfenwa) did make a difference when he came on, at least he gave us a platform to build attacks. \"We then looked a threat in the final third, which hadn't been the case.\"

Ban warning after football fight
Three football fans face being banned from every league ground in England and Wales for fighting before Lincoln City played Swansea City last year. Scuffles broke out as a group of Swansea fans tried to enter a pub, a judge at Lincoln Crown Court heard. Neil Roberts, 36, and Mark Williams, 42, of Swansea, and Duncan Davison, 40, of Lincoln, admitted affray. Adjourning sentence for reports, Judge John Machin said they would not be jailed, but banning orders were likely. Fighting broke out on High Street, Lincoln, an hour before the League Two game kicked off on 9 April, 2005. CCTV footage played in court showed scuffles in the middle of the road shortly after a group of Swansea fans tried to enter the Blue Anchor pub. Throwing punches Julie King, prosecuting, said the way in which the Swansea supporters \"surged\" into the pub \"showed the demeanour\" of the fans. The court heard Roberts, who was seen throwing two punches, now rarely attended football matches. Williams admitted when questioned he was among the men who rushed into the pub. He later went to help a fellow Swansea fan who had been knocked to the ground. Davison had claimed he suffered 14 blows to his legs when he was arrested after police arrived at the scene. Judge Machin said he would not jail them but said he was considering imposing banning orders when they return to court later in September for sentencing.

Swansea try out French left-back
Swansea City manager Kenny Jackett says he will decide by the end of this week whether to sign French triallist Sofiane Zaaboub. The 23-year-old is out of contract after leaving Belgian First Division side Brussels, and impressed Jackett in a Swansea reserve game this week. \"He's very good going forward and we've given him a trial this week,\" Jackett told Sir Stanley. \"We'll give him a week's training and we'll assess it at the end.\" Zaaboub has had unsuccessful trial spells at Plymouth and French club Metz since leaving Belgium over the summer. Meanwhile, Swansea central defender Dennis Lawrence is expected to resume full training on Thursday and could be in contention for Saturday's home game against Bradford. Lawrence has made a surprisingly quick recovery from a groin injury he sustained in the Carling Cup defeat by Wycombe last month, forcing him to miss the last two games.

Swansea 1-0 Bradford
Andy Robinson came off the bench to give Swansea victory over Bradford at the Liberty Stadium. Moments after coming on, Robinson wriggled free of the Bradford defence to fire a left-foot shot into the net from six yards after 72 minutes. Swansea striker Adebayo Akinfenwa was denied in each half by Bradford goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. And Ricketts was again alert to save Leon Knight's 25-yard effort a few seconds before the final whistle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swansea: Gueret, Amankwaah, Austin, Iriekpen, Lawrence, Tate, Britton (Robinson 67), Pratley, Butler (Way 83), Akinfenwa, Trundle (Knight 77). Subs Not Used: Oakes, Fallon. Booked: Butler. Goals: Robinson 73. Bradford: Ricketts, Doyle, Wetherall, Bower, Rogers, Schumacher, Bridge-Wilkinson, Jermaine Johnson, Holmes (Colbeck 34), Eddie Johnson (Parker 85), Windass (Graham 45). Subs Not Used: Howarth, Edghill. Booked: Colbeck, Jermaine Johnson, Wetherall. Att: 11,481 Ref: I Williamson (Berkshire).

Robinson's tribute to late father
Swansea's Andy Robinson dedicated his goal against Bradford on Saturday in memory of his late father. Robinson attended his father's funeral in midweek, and immediately pointed towards the heavens after scoring a late winner at the Liberty Stadium. \"This week has been tough, well the last two weeks have been tough. But when you go out and do that, it makes it all a little bit better,\" he said. \"I think my old fella with be up there now jumping for joy.\" Robinson needed just six minutes to leave his mark on the game after coming on as a 67th-minute substitute. He cut inside for the right wing after taking Lee Trundle's pass and fired a sweet left-foot shot into the corner from just inside the penalty area. \"I don't think the keeper saw it! It was a clean strike and you know sometimes when you hit them were they are going to end up,\" Robinson told Sir Stanley. After the game, Robinson paid tribute to his father, who recently lost his long battle against cancer. \"He pushed me on and was brilliant,\" said the 26-year-old, who lost his mother to cancer three years ago. \"He did everything for me in terms of confidence. When I was down, he'd be there for me. \"He was proud of what I've done and when I played football, that helped him along and maybe helped keep him alive a bit longer. \"So the goal was a tribute to my old fella, and I know he'd be up there now with my mum jumping for joy.\"

Brentford v Swansea
Simon Cox, who can play in midfield or up front, could make his Brentford debut after moving to Griffin Park on a month's loan from Reading. Winger Gavin Tomlin is available again after a foot injury, but midfielder Oli Skulason (hamstring) and defender Andy Frampton (ankle) remain sidelined. Swansea City have injury concerns over striker Lee Trundle (swollen knee) and midfielder Tom Butler (calf). Both players will undergo late fitness tests on Tuesday morning.

Brentford 0-2 Swansea
Two moments of class from Leon Knight were enough to seal the points for Swansea as they ended Brentford's unbeaten start to the season. The livewire striker pounced either side of the break to seal the points in an end-to-end thriller at Griffin Park. First Knight drilled a low drive inside the far post from 18 yards, then cut inside to fire into the top corner. The visitors could have been further ahead, with Adebayo Akinfenwa and Leon Britton both hitting the woodwork. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brentford: Nelson, O'Connor, Tillen (Osborne 45), Heywood, Griffiths, Pinault, Brooker, Cox (Willock 85), Rhodes (Tomlin 53), Kuffour, Moore. Subs Not Used: Masters, Carder-Andrews. Booked: Heywood, Pinault, Osborne. Swansea: Gueret, Amankwaah, Austin, Iriekpen, Lawrence, Tate, Britton, Pratley, Butler (Robinson 70), Akinfenwa (Fallon 70), Knight. Subs Not Used: Williams, Way, Oakes. Booked: Knight, Britton. Goals: Knight 37, 55. Att: 5,392 Ref: G Poll (Hertfordshire).

Jackett wants more Swans effort
Despite ending Brentford's unbeaten run with a 2-0 win at Griffin Park on Tuesday night, Swansea boss Kenny Jackett says they can still improve. \"I know we did what we had to do, but we can play better than that,\" he said. \"Leon Knight scored an outstanding second goal but, in the second half, there was room for improvement. \"Lee Trundle might be fit for the weekend, but there is still quite a lot of swelling, although Leon has just scored a couple of terrific goals.\"

Gillingham v Swansea
Gillingham welcome back left-back Danny Jackman after suspension, but Clint Easton may keep his starting place. Boss Ronnie Jepson is without defender Brent Sancho, who has been ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury, and goalkeeper Kelvin Jack (knee). With Lee Trundle still injured, Swansea boss Kenny Jackett is likely to keep faith with striker Leon Knight after his two goals in midweek. Owain Tudur-Jones and Garry Monk (both knee) remain sidelined for the Swans.

Jackett points to set-piece lapse
Swansea boss Kenny Jackett admitted that Gillingham were the better side after their 3-1 away loss on Saturday. \"Gillingham deserved their victory, they had Matthew Jarvis up front and he gave us lots of problems,\" he said. \"But we conceded goals from two corners, which is a big disappointment considering the height and the size of our back five. \"We did create some chances in the second half, but we didn't get our basics right.\"

Jackett accepts fans' criticism
Swansea City manager Kenny Jackett says the disgruntled fans had every right to boo his side after Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Huddersfield. Another defeat on Tuesday at home to Crewe will equal Swansea's worst run in Jackett's two-and-a-half year reign. And he said: \"When results aren't fantastic, and we've lost our last two games, people will ask questions. \"It's my job in the next game to come and answer those questions. We need to be near the top of the league.\" Swansea have slipped down to 10th in League One after two successive defeats. After occupying top spot for large parts of last season, Jackett accepts the fans are entitled to expect better results. \"There's always been pressure on me, but I don't feel any more pressure now,\" Jackett told Sir Stanley. \"I've just got a burning desire to rectify this and we start to climb the table.\" The timing, though, could not be much worse as Swansea's next two games after Crewe will be against the league's top two clubs, Nottingham Forest and Tranmere. But Jackett said: \"I know they are good sides, but I'm only looking at one team and at the moment that's Swansea City. \"Crewe have some good footballers and I'm not underestimating them at all. \"As usual, they have players that will go onwards and upwards in the league pyramid, but my only concern is Swansea City.\" And Jackett is confident that once performances and results improve, the noise from the stands will turn from jeering to cheering. \"If we play and put on a performance the fans will cheer,\" Jackett added. \"On Saturday they were right with us and when we got one back they were right behind us to get that equaliser and that's fantastic.\"

Swansea's Gueret shocked by drop
Swansea City goalkeeper Willy Gueret says he is finding it hard to accept Kenny Jackett's decision to drop him from the side for the first time. Summer singing Andy Oakes made his debut as Gueret's replacement in the 2-1 win over Crewe on Tuesday, and will keep his place for Saturday's game. The win ended a run of two successive defeats, but Gueret says he feels he has been harshly treated by his boss. \"I don't feel I've done anything wrong but I have to cope with it,\" he said. \"It was a shock, I didn't see it coming. It was the manager's decision as he felt I needed a break. I'll just have to keep working hard every day. \"I know we had two bad results, but I don't feel I let the team down. \"It's not an easy thing to take when you've been playing every single game for the last two-and-a-half years - especially when you feel you haven't done anything wrong. \"If I was making mistakes, fair enough. I'll just keep working hard in training and come back into the team as quick as possible.\" Gueret's omission was one of five personnel changes made by Jackett on Tuesday. The reshuffle paid dividends as the Swans delivered a much improved performance, although Oakes did concede a penalty which allowed Crewe to equalise Rory Fallon's opener. Jackett said he felt Gueret would benefit from a break, but insisted he has not lost faith in the flamboyant 33-year-old Frenchman. \"I think there is a time for everybody to come out of the side,\" Jackett told Sir Stanley. \"Mentally as well as physically, you need to give people a breather. Willy's a really good professional and I'm sure he'll be back. \"I've got confidence in both my goalkeepers. They've both got experience, quality and whoever plays I'm confident the goalkeeping position is well looked after. \"I was pleased with Andy, it was a good debut for him. It's likely Andy will keep his place . \"When you win a game like that, you don't make too many changes.\"

Jackett makes Swans rallying call
Under-pressure Swansea manager Kenny Jackett insisted his side will come good this season after a disappointing 0-0 home draw with Tranmere. \"Managers always need to take a club forward and if you're in an inferior position to the previous season it's frustrating,\" Jackett told Sir Stanley. \"But the league is wide open and it will be for a long time yet. \"It's not a question of if Swansea City get going this season - it's a question of when they get going.\" Jackett was forced to endure the jeers of the 12,347 Liberty Stadium crowd, especially after his decision to replace fan-favourite Leon Britton with Shaun MacDonald in the 63rd minute. \"Leon was creating well, but I just felt that maybe Shaun had the size to get in on a header at the far post,\" said the Swans boss. \"In the first half I felt the game had been pretty even with both sides creating chances, but after the break we totally dominated possession and created some outstanding chances. \"We had a good penalty appeal from Britton turned down, and Andy Robinson had two fantastic opportunities that he couldn't convert. \"All I said to Andy afterwards was that you have to be there to score them, he's got so many over the years. \"He just needs to keep his self belief, he'll bounce back fine.\"

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