That Was The Month That Was

The action really starts hotting up now as we reach the turn of the year. The Swans currently enjoying top spot in the League One table, holding onto their place with the benefit of a mighty goal difference clocked up earlier in the year. We have lost the five-point margin we had on the side in third place though, which could be problematic. It's been a difficult month, but to play badly and retain top spot in the table has been an undoubted bonus.

Onto the match reviews….

Scunthorpe (H) - As it stands this was our last win in League One as we went up against fellow promoted side Scunthorpe. Another in a long list of workmanlike rather than inspired performances, a fine performance from Leon Britton (again) saw him create the first goal for the in-form Andy Robinson, while late sub Adrian Forbes raced on to a perfect LT10 through ball to seal the win. Nice three points, but nothing to shout about, except of course the pleasure of getting one over on Brian Laws. That's always well worth doing.

Colchester (H) - The form side in the division visits the White Rock, and can possibly consider themselves unlucky not to take all three points, missing a late penalty that would probably have given them victory. Conversely, the Swans also created enough chances to claim a victory, so on the balance of play a (disappointing to me) draw was probably the fairest result. An early capitalisation on a defensive lapse by the impressive Chris Iwelumo cancelled out by a trademark Andy Robinson freekick proving to be the only goals of the game.

Peterborough (H - LDV) - If only I'd just gone down for the extra time. 90 minutes of huff and puff (and three pillocks behind me with a scraping of brain cells between them) followed by a shock 'Boro opener in extra time, swiftly cancelled out by an Akinfenwa tap in and then almost as quickly by a crisp finish from player of the month Andy Robinson. Finally, a cracking late solo goal from Bayo finished a poor Peterborough side off, albeit somewhat masking the inadequacies of the evenings performance. Still, we're one step closer to the Mill Stad, and that's what matters.

Doncaster (A) - Last season's annoying habit of shooting ourselves in the foot has made a bit of a comeback in the last couple of weeks, which is disappointing when you consider that we could quite possibly have won this. An early red card for Kevin Austin, followed by a nonsensical penalty decision against Alan Tate put us on the back foot from the off. Despite this, the team rallied well and Sam Ricketts' annual goal making us look good for a point until a cruel, late winner denied us. Crap result, battling performance. C'est la vie!

Brentford (A) - Our trip to fellow promotion chasers Brentford led to an almost identical opening to the Doncaster game, where an early red card (Tate this time) set us at a disadvantage from far too early in the game. A shocking (by all accounts) first half display was offset slightly by an improved showing in the second, but by then it was 2-0 and too late. The only real bright spot being a serious candidate for goal of the season from Andy "goal machine" Robinson, which if scored by a Rooney or an Owen would be shown etc etc……

Gillingham (H) - Postponed due to Swansea City council incompetence. Can we get a refund on the bill for a "World Class Arena" with no undersoil heating?

Swindon (A) - Now, I know I'm gonna get pulled up by EXCB because I wasn't actually there for this one, but frankly I don't care ;). The cracks in the squad brought on by meaningless suspensions and injuries took a toll in our New Years Eve fixture, but the fact that the Swindon goalie won MOTM says a lot as far as I'm concerned. Another game we should have won, and with more quality on the bench (or the pitch) we probably would have, despite Swindon's current good form. A disappointing end to a disappointing month if truth be told.

Plus Points - Not an awful lot. Retaining our league place and advancing another step toward the LDV final being about the best moments from a poor month. In a twisted sort of way the injury that will keep LT10 out for almost the precise duration of the transfer window is also a possible benefit. But on the whole, let's hope January is a lot better.

Minuses - Form, fitness and discipline seem to have deserted us all at the same bleedin' time. An avalanche of injuries and suspensions cutting our squad to the bone at precisely the moment that we need is the most.

Overall grade for December - C

We need players. Quickly. I don't buy into the "must spend thousands" or "we need eleventy new players" standpoint, but there are gaping holes in the squad and players being forced to play when and where they shouldn't be purely because of a lack of serious alternatives. Time to earn your corn Kenny. At least two/three more (in addition to Williams) needed, be they on loan or permanently.

J

Previous Reviews: August September October November

Photo: Action Images via Reuters

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