Expectations were low going into this game against an inform Swansea team that had not yet lost a match. Town defied the odds and emerged from south Wales with all three points following a great team effort in the pitch.
It was a disciplined performance that also required a fair share of luck to see us over the line. On balance, the win felt deserved and there were some excellent individual displays from Town’s players. Here are my ratings.
Ben Hamer – 7 out of 10
A busy game for Hamer, with him making all the saves you’d expect him to make and notching up another game without a goal-conceding error. I thought he was regularly given the ball in tight areas and pressured by the Swansea attack but kept his cool and got the ball out of danger. Some of his passing was a bit wayward at times and he flapped at a few crosses but otherwise he’s continuing to build on his decent start to the season.
Pipa – 8 out of 10
It’s impossible not to love the lung-bursting runs he makes in the dying stages of games. Willing to do whatever it takes to get the team on the front foot and a real danger going forward. I was also pleased with his defensive work, with some decent tracking back and interceptions.
Richard Stearman – 8 out of 10
Stearman’s recent good performances must have made it easier to switch to three at the back as it meant Schindler could return without having to drop Stearman. He was excellent against Swansea, showing some composure on the ball when he ventured forward. It was Stearman’s cross that initiated the passage of play that led to Koroma’s goal. Lovely to see.
Christopher Schindler – 8 out of 10
Had that serene quality that typifies Schindler when he’s at his best. Defending can be an ugly job but he makes it look graceful and effortless. Soaked up pressure all afternoon and didn’t look like he’d broken a sweat.
Naby Sarr – 7 out of 10
Not as adventurous a performance as he played against Rotherham but it was reassuring to see he can defend well when we’re up against a trickier opponent. Not all of his long range passing found its target but he was strong in the air and made some good interventions to break up play.
Harry Toffolo – 9 out of 10
Toffolo never seems to have a bad game but this was one of his better ones. The little touch for his goal was perfect to guide the ball away from the keeper and into the net. He deserved it too because his effort to regularly get into the box and still track back and cover his wing should get rewarded. Should have had a second after missing a sitter but everything he did in the build up to the shot was a joy to watch.
Jonathan Hogg – 7 out of 10
Playing with three central defenders meant he played further up the pitch but still did his usual thing of snapping at the opposition and organising Town into the right shape. Not a standout performer but an important man to have on the pitch when we were protecting the lead.
Juninho Bacuna – 7 out of 10
I only remember cursing him once for trying a stupid flick in his own half, which is progress. He looked determined and aggressive but did well to avoid a second booking after picking up an early yellow card. Played a funny kind of role which could be described as an 8, 10 or false 9 if you want to start throwing numbers about. It was common for him to be the furthest forward and filled up the middle when the two forwards split wide but also dropped into the midfield three without the ball. It was his shot that lead to Toffolo’s goal. We’ll never know if it would have gone in without that touch but credit to Bacuna for getting a shot away.
Carel Eiting – 8 out of 10
I’d still like to see him getting on the ball more and looking to become the focal point of our possession play. He had more of the ball against Swansea than against Rotherham but I think there’s still more to come from him once he’s adjusted to the pace of play in the Championship. I’m giving him and 8 out of 10 anyway because the times he did get on the ball he showed off an amazing range of passing skill. Every time he received the ball he improved our situation by playing intelligent and progressive passes forward.
Josh Koroma – 9 out of 10
Capped off a great game with a long-awaited goal. He’s looked like scoring in most games so I’m delighted for him to have got his first goal of the season. I pointed out before the game that Grant’s departure and the lack of a replacement puts more pressure on the players already at the club to step up. It’s early days but Koroma could be the player to fill Grant’s shoes if he can make scoring goals a habit.
Isaac Mbenza – 8 out 10
His attitude has been unquestionably better this season and its starting to pay dividends in his performances. Hit the post with an effort that could have dropped in on another day but was a lively and industrious presence which showed he’s a different proposition this season. Like Koroma before this game, he needs a goal to boost his confidence but otherwise he’s looking good.
Substitutes
Frazier Campbell – 7 out of 10
Buzzed around and gave us more presence at the top end of the pitch in the closing stages and held up the ball well. Made some silly fouls on Swansea defenders that took pressure off them which he has a habit of doing when he comes off the bench, like he’s trying a bit too hard at times.
Lewis O’Brien – 8 out of 10
Great to see him back out on the pitch and gave us a glimpse of what we’ve been missing. An organiser and leader in the middle of the pitch as well as a willing runner to overload the wide areas. His return gives Carlos a selection of headache for Tuesday night.
Demeaco Duhaney – N/A
Brought on late to add fresh legs to midfield and did a decent job in his small cameo.
Your ratings are very fair. This was a performance to give us all a little more confidence. I am particularly pleased about Koroma and Mbenza. I think that Koroma has the potential to score double figures and offer more to the team ethic than Grant. Longer term I think that he will be a much better overall player than Grant, who I thought was a one trick pony. As for Mbenza, I really hope he gets a goal soon. His pace is frightening, he clearly has the right attitude and work ethic now. One goal could light a fire that could make him very hard to play again. Let’s hope so.
Thanks Mike. I think you’re right about Mbenza needing a goal to boost his confidence. I’m not sure he’s got that instinct to score but it’s something he can add to his game. Koroma has a long way to go before he reaches Grant’s goalscoring ability but I think his all-round game has potential to be better than Grant.
Your comments and I think your ratings were roughly fair maybe a tad generous, but why not!! Swansea with a win would have been joint top. I would make an exception with Sarr’s; I agree his influence on the game beyond our penalty area and in theirs was minimal, but the number of headers he made and probably his influence on his fellow defenders was immense, we no longer look like capitulating at every corner or free kick. I felt quite calm in these situations yesterday – not my usual mental state!
Cheers Beck. I realised I might have been a bit generous when I read the Examiner ratings. I avoid looking at other opinions too much before it write these articles to make sure it’s my genuine opinion.
Sarr didn’t roam forward as freely yesterday as he did against Rotherham but his defensive work was very good. He won every header he went up for and was a commanding presence.
I still think we need a recognised goal scorer, but nice to see Karoma get his goal , maybe its the sign of things to come, the overall play was excellent, a real all for one attitude, even making Swansea revert to the clog in the last quarter, nice to see Bacuna not going for the full house when he got his yellow card, games coming thick and fast now, and need to make Carlos,s training methods pay, they certainly did yesterday in the last 15mins. Town could have won more handsomely, in those red shirts and blue shorts they looked more like the coaches home nation as the game went on (I wish) all good coaches build from the back and Carlos looks like he is getting a very good defence together, just hope they can do it in the next two at the JS. UTT
Yesterday’s game definitely softens the disappointment of not signing anyone on Friday but I agree we are short up top. Maybe we’ll be OK until January or might even pick up a free agent but it’s a big risk to sell so many players without adequate replacements.
It will be interesting to see how Town manage in this next few weeks. The intensity we play with now might be hard to keep up over 7 games in 3 weeks. But you’re right, the fitness yesterday was fantastic.
Not sure how you can hand our midfield excluding O’Brien those marks – our defensive stats were awesome but largely due to our starting midfield being absolutely abject in their interceptions, tackles , blocks, and passing. For god sake keep Bacuna as from our own goal as possible – though he can manage to score an own goal from the half way line so suggest he is under orders to stay well into the opposition half where he can be destructive to the opposition
I might have been bit generous with my scores but I think you’re being a bit harsh too.
I don’t think it would be possible to beat one of the form teams on the league at their own stadium if the whole midfield unit were “abject”. I’ve been very critical of Bacuna in past games but I thought he played pretty well yesterday and ran his socks off to cover two positions.
The fact we can all watch the same game and come away with different opinions is one of the things that makes football great.
Thanks for your comment, you got stuck in the spam box, so there was a delay in it going live.
Two points: The supposed high flyers Norwich and Brentford sit on the same number of points as Town so we’re not doing that bad. One of Town’s Achilles heels has been that they were only fit enough for 70 mins and they gave away a lot of goals in the last minutes. I don’t think you can say that now and if they are in a good position at 70 mins they will outlast their opponents, as they did against a Swansea side, who Oggy commented looked tired.
Great point John. I thought the fitness has looked very good this last three games. Up to the Brentford games we looked worn out in the closing stages but it looks like the players’ bodies are adjusting to the new expectation.
Pipa’s defending shouldn’t be seen as a bonus, it’s his prime responsibility. Any attacking that he can give us without leaving us exposed is the bonus.
If barely describe the way he’s plays as a rightback or even a wingback, it’s more like a deep lying right winger. It seems risky but so far is paying off and giving us lots of width when we attack.