The Lads crossed the border in Wales and did something we've not done since Bishop Auckland was a choirboy - came from two down to win. The opening twenty or so minutes were as ragged as we've been in ages, with only the occasional ineffective foray up the field, but a Ballard header before the half hour gave us hope.
Naturally, we were wondering who would be the new Clarke/Mundle/Watson - and probably get injured in the process. That wondering took place after a very early start enlivened by a couple of horses galloping either side of the bus. Only in Bishop. On our breakfast stop we were joined by a solitary fool in a magpie Christmas jumper. Fancy dress, he claimed. A clown, very good, we replied.
I managed to resist the offer of a can from Bob before we hove into our scheduled luxury dinner venue, where we cheered Preston on, ate nachos, and warmed up nicely and selected the music for the return journey. Comfortably at the ground just after 2 there was a catch up with Little Michael (now, more sensibly just plain Mick) and various others to discuss the team...
Patterson
Hume Ballard Mepham Cirkin
Neil (c) Bellingham
Roberts Rigg Mayenda
Isidor
... and a bench of Moore, O'Nien, Aouchiche, Jones, Rusyn, Hjelde, Connolly, Aleksic, and Alese.
We were in the stripes, and after a respectful applause to mark the passing of former Swan Vic Gomersall, we faced the far end and they kicked off.
Barely five minutes in a second cross into the box was knocked into the air, Patto stood firm rather than charge forward a few yards to take the dropping ball, and it was walloped in off his despairing dive. Bugger - if only he'd shouted I'd have sprinted from row C and got it. A minute later a shot was touched wide for a Swansea corner on our left. We broke down the left from that but there was no card for the foul that crudely ended the move. The ref missed, or chose to ignore, a very obvious pull on Mayenda as we tried to break, but carded Jobe when he lost the ball 25 yards out and they curled it over the wall and in off the underside of the bar. Seventeen minutes gone, and with it looked like the game as well. The 350 mile journey home seemed like much longer than that.
A couple of minutes later Jobe was away through the middle but brought down for a yellow quite central - but they cleared the free kick. That preceded a decent period for us with a couple of scrambles in their box, but the ball always seemed to bounce loose to a home player. Another foul, this time on Roberts, brought a free on the right - and Hume whipped it in for Ballard to dive onto and head home on 28. Brilliant, but not enough to stop a diplomatic incident with polis cameras in our end as tempers remained frayed. At least we were properly back in the game, performance-wise and scoreline-wise.
Three added minutes were announced in which the home side applied some pressure and brought a low save from Patto.
A goal down at the break, but we'd shown enough (just) to hint that we could get/rescue something from the game. Perhaps we should do something simple like switch to 4-4-2, mebbe with O'Nien buzzing in midfield and giving instructions rather than Rigg, who'd looked a bit off. No changes, though, even though we'd opened the proceedings as if the players' Christmas party had been last night.
Cirkin headed an early corner over, then he got a yellow for a foul on halfway that meant the ref ignored Rigg's dodgy dive in. Just as well, given his bias with the notebook. We set Isidor away, but his first touch wasn't the best and he was forced right and shot wide. Thankfully, we upped the pace and showed that we're far better at passing quickly and at speed than stroking it about carefully. Mayenda mis-controlled in the box but still won a corner - not according to the ref. Dreadful decision, as was the one to believe their keeper was actually in discomfort.
Off went Cirkin for O'Nien on 70, which was a bit of a surprise (Cirkin, not Luke) just before Mayenda got on the end of a decent move only to whoosh a curler/cross way up and harmless. Damn. A minute later Neil picked up a pass from Bellingham, who'd won it back in the middle, strode forward and assessed his options before hitting an absolute belter into the keeper's top right corner from outside the box. Boom! Marvelous, just marvelous, and it made the game very winnable.
Even more winnable two minutes later when a low one in from Rigg on the right after swapping passes with Roberts was slid in at the back post by Bellingham from a yard. Even bloody marvelouser. Fifteen to go - please don't sit back, Lads. Dinnet do a Millwall, please. There was a really late one on Ballard as he hoofed it up from the left with ten to go, but no card was forthcoming. Boo, ref, be fair - 4-1 in Swansea's "favour" in the booking front is far from a fair reflection of the afternoon's physical side.
Mayenda shot off the keeper's foot and it hit Isidor to fly out for a throw, but it was in the final third and that's where we wanted the ball to be. He was through again from the left but the shot flew low past the far post.
We kept pressing and four added minutes were announced as Bellingham was fouled on halfway. High balls were dealt with, then hoofed upfield as we did the right kind of defending - on the front foot and as far away from Patto as possible. We fans chanted the dying, final five seconds and, bless him at last, the ref blew bang on 94.
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to see
Sunlun win away!
Man of the Match? First half it was probably Jobe for the way he carried it about the midfield, but overall it has to be Neil for augmenting that in the second half, scoring that goal, and generally pulling the strings.
Nice one, Lads.
