Swansea City 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0

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Ratings submitted so far: 7

Brendan Clegg:

Another cheap defeat on our travels against a team who really aren’t very good. Even a few draws would have made our position feel more comfortable and we really shouldn’t have lost this one today.

Yes with the injury to Jed, Swift still struggling and the loss of Sarmiento we were down to paper thin options but I still felt there was enough in the 11 to get something.

First half, after a tough start, we came on really strongly and had to do better with the opportunities we made. BTA’s was the one - a super move with a great spin and pass from Fellows, and Asante did everything right to lose his defender before driving the ball too close the the keeper with his left foot.

There were other moments where we just did t get the bodies into the box or make the right choices, but honestly it was there for the taking.

I thought the reality was that as the rain and wind continued to come into it, Swansea just played the elements better than us.

Where as we tried to play intricate stuff, set traps, work it all over the pitch and take no chances, they just went blood and guts, high tempo, put every set play into the box and finished every attack with a speculative shot or cross.

They got the break from what’s our most common way of conceding- the second phase of a set play after which our zonal block from the first phase is transitioning. It happens a lot and here they put it straight back in, won the first ball and got a bounce off Mowatt for a sitter.

They probably should’ve scored more.

We ran out of ideas and brought on subs who probably weakened us, although I don’t doubt it was the right thing to do to avoid more injuries. There was no system change or plan B, and I can’t recall us ever genuinely looking like scoring even though we had 25 minutes to try something. Our record when going behind is really poor and Carlos really does have to find another way - I’ve said many times we’d do worse than sticking Ajayi up there with 15 to go if we’re losing 1-0 until we’ve got better options available. Today was definitely the day for that.

No faulting the players or coaches majorly though - they gave it everything after so many games in a short space of time, and with so few options available. I just hope they get at least a couple of additions to support then otherwise there is no doubt we’ll unfortunately fall away.

• Palmer - 7 solid game in tricky weather
• Furlong - 6 Must be fatigued, tried to link things from wide.
• Barts - 6 Decent enough
• Kipre - 6 Also did fine
• Townsend - 6 Same as Furlong, has played loads and yet kept making runs and trying
• Okay - 7 Not sure how he was on the losing team. Again looked as fit as he’s ever been.
• Mowatt - 6 Pretty decent for long spells on a tough pitch. Ran a lot of it.
• Molumby - 6 Heard after he had an injection to play and he did pass it like he had a numb foot but credit to him for getting out there
• Grady - 5 We didn’t get him onto it enough in the final 3rd but also he didn’t bust a gut to either.
• BTA - 6 Had to score and it will haunt him but just look at the effort again for the 4th game in a row as others drop like flies. Phenomenal.
• Fellows - 7 I thought he was great because there is always end product. A cross/shot/ corner or throw won. Compare that to, say, Sarmiento. He was clearly blowing in the first half but he kept going and still created stuff after the break, and he’ll benefit from it.

I thought all of the subs were sixes again although Pipa was a liability centrally - we shouldn’t do that again.