Much has been made of City’s very tough first three away matches, I’d have been quite happy with a return of one point from them before a ball was kicked, but knowing now that it could have been seven has set alarm bells ringing and it’s because we’ve been unable to hold on to leads that I never expected us to get!
Football’s weird like that, but, meanwhile, it could be said that our first couple of home games could not have been more gentle – against the context of our last three seasons, three points from two games at Cardiff City Stadium is a reasonable return, but it’s not been convincing and it took a penalty deep into added time against a team that didn’t have a point at the time to clinch our win.
Never mind, we’ve got another side without a win tomorrow at home, a team that has played very poorly in losing what could be called a local derby at home last time out, but the problem is they’re that team from not far to the west that turns our players’ legs to jelly if they get on the same pitch as them!
I’ll leave it at that, suffice it to say we’re playing a side we should be confident of beating, but I’ve got no expectation we will whatsoever, so here’s the usual quiz and I’ll post the answers on Sunday morning when we’ll know which one of the clubs is in an early season crisis and which manager will be feeling the pressure with just six league matches played – it might be both of course if we somehow manage to draw the game.
60s. What began at Bradford Park Avenue, ended at home to Exeter and contained trips to Oxford City and Weymouth along the way?
70s. This footballer with a more famous relative had ten different spells with clubs playing at different levels of the game in Wales. This included two with the jacks and his displays during his first time with the Swans persuaded a club to spend a record fee on him. Having started off with a Yorkshire club thats nickname sounds the same as a band that had one of 90s’ most controversial number ones, he then played for two First Division teams which began with the same letter. His record with both teams was modest, but he did at least earn a kind of immortality with one of them by scoring the only goal in a derby game. Next was his first spell at Swansea, followed by that club record move, The fact that it didn’t work out as planed could be proved by him next dropping into non League football at the place where Doctor Foster stepped into a puddle. However, he made it back to the Football League and had three more seasons playing in its lower reaches which ended with a second stint at Swansea before he went on a tour of some of the bigger names in non league football in south Wales, who am I describing?
80s. Four former England internationals played for the Swansea team which dropped into the third tier during this decade, name them.
90s. Voter pets, end yesterday initially favouring striker. (5,6)
00s. Why does a journeyman midfielder sum striker who turned out for the likes of Norwich, Luton, Blackpool, Millwall and Grimsby have a unique place in Swansea’s history?
10s. Debbie Reynolds/Marvin Gaye (to begin with anyway) collaboration leading the line!
20s. Attack a loved one maybe?
Answers:
60s.Swansea Town’s last ever season. The 1968/69 campaign for the jacks began with a 1-1 draw at perennial strugglers Bradford Park Avenue and ended nine months later with a 2-0 home win against Exeter. Swansea also faced FA Cup trips to non league sides Oxford City and Weymouth which they survived before losing at home to Halifax in round 3.
70s. Alan Waddle was a striker who is also Chris Waddle’s cousin. Waddle began his career with the Shaymen of Halifax (the Shamen got to number one in the early nineties with a song called Ebenezer Goode which contained what were generally considered to be pretty obvious drug taking references). Waddle was John Toshack’s deputy during his time with Liverpool where his only goal decided a Merseyside derby in Liverpool’s favour. There was just the one goal for Waddle at Leicester as well before he was reunited with Toshack at Swansea where he scored goals at a good enough rate to persuade Newport County to spend what was a long standing club record fee of £80,000 for his services in the early eighties. Waddle next played for Gloucester City, but would later have two spells with Hartlepool as well as spending time at Peterborough and Swansea, again, before turning out for teams like Bridgend and Llanelli as his career wound down in the late eighties.
80s. Jimmy Rimmer, Emlyn Hughes, Ray Kennedy and Bib Latchford.
90s. Steve Torpey.
00s. Adrian Forbes scored the last ever goal at the Vetch Field when Shrewsbury were beaten 1-0 in April 2005.
10s. Tammy was a hit by Debbie Reynolds from 1957 and the superb Abraham (Martin and John) by Marvin Gaye reached the UK top ten in 1970 – Tammy Abraham spent the 17/18 season on loan at Swansea.
20s. Harry Darling.