Swansea v Preston Competition - Sky Bet Championship Venue - Swansea.com Stadium Date - 17 August 2024 Kick off - 3pm Following their opening day defeat at Middlesbrough, and their Carabao Cup victory over Gillingham, next up for Luke Williams’ Swansea squad is their first home Championship match of the new season. On Tuesday evening, Oli Hawkins scored for ten-man Gillingham as they fell to a 3-1 defeat in a spirited performance against the Swans in the Carabao Cup first round. Ronald opened the scoring for the Swans in the first-half with a smart curling finish into the far bottom corner out of Glenn Morris’ reach. The Gills were reduced to ten men six minutes into the second-half when Euan Williams was dismissed for a late sliding challenge on Kyle Naughton. Liam Cullen thought that he had put the tie out of the visitors reach when he slotted into the back of the net from Joshua Key’s low cross. However, Gillingham set up a nervy ending when Hawkins met Robbie McKenzie’s perfect cross from the right to thump a header beyond Lawrence Vigouroux. Azeem Abdulai added a third in the final seconds as he slotted home from ten yards out to secure victory for the Swans. Last Friday evening, relegated Sheffield United got off to a winning start back in the Championship with a comfortable victory at Preston. The Blades, who finished a distant bottom of the Premier League last season, got off to the perfect start when Ollie Arblaster's shot from the edge of the area took a huge deflection to leave Freddie Woodman in the home goal with no chance. Ex-Swan Woodman then gifted the away side their second after the break when Gustavo Hamer easily cut out his attempted throw forward and the former Coventry man chipped a super shot over the keeper and into the open goal from 30 yards. This turned out to be Ryan Lowe’s final match in charge of Preston: former Swans Asst Manager Mike Marsh has been put in temporary charge. The Swans have played Preston on 71 previous occasions, winning 29, losing 24 and drawing 18. In the corresponding fixture last season, the Swans ran out 2-1 winners: Turning to Saturday, Stephen Martin will be the man in the middle. Staffordshire-born Martin - whose father and grandfather officiated in the Football League - first took up refereeing in 2002 and had made it to step five of the football pyramid within six years. He joined the National List of Referees ahead of the 2012-13 season and took charge of his first Championship match in January of that campaign. In 2015, he was included in the list of Select Group 2 officials. This will be the 15th time he has taken charge of a Swans games. 12 of the previous contests were league matches and the most recent of these was the Swans victory at Blackburn last season. On Saturday he will be assisted by Mark Dwyer and Carl Fitch-Jackson. Tom Reeves will be the fourth official. As for the outcome, I’m going for a 1-1 draw.
https://not606.com/threads/swansea-city-swansea-com-stadium-17-8-2024.413809/#post-17767082 5AM get up last six league games all defats and not a single goal scored, the boil has been lanced and the problem removed see you tomorrow look of for two lost souls ambling aimlessly round the retail park before the kick off
The draw's the obvious result but I think we might sneak this. Lordy knows we need something positive going into the next match.
Thanks Taff. Hopefully we will be more positive than we were last week and the Gillingham game. I am going for a 2-1 win and a great start to your grandson's torturous journey following the Swans. I hope he has a great day.
1 - 0 Grimes (pen). Rather fortunate. A tedious first half really, all that possession and PNE had the best chance.
2 - 0 Cooper/Abdulai(?) Better spectacle this half. Not sure why Eom went off, probably our best player. Deservedly in front, let's hope we push on now.
Playing more purposeful footy today, controlling the game very well, Preston got a cats chance in hell of getting anything out of this game....
