Swansea v Coventry Competition - Sky Bet Championship Venue - Swansea.com Stadium Date - 1 February 2025 Kick off - 3pm Following a fairly turbulent week on the transfer front during which the Swans agreed to sell captain Matt Grimes to tomorrow’s opponents Coventry City and have yet to recruit a replacement - or add reinforcements to an already paper thin squad - Luke Williams’ Swansea squad need to quickly get some points on the board, and increase the buffer between them and the teams in the relegation places. Last Saturday, Josh Sargent scored twice in his first start since October as Norwich City returned to winning ways with a 5-1 hammering of the Swans, whose poor recent run continued at Carrow Road. Sargent slammed home on the stroke of half-time to give Norwich the lead as he returned to the starting XI following groin surgery. The Swans equalised on 62 minutes as Liam Cullen powered home a header from Josh Key's cross. But Sargent had restored the Canaries lead within 30 seconds of Swansea's leveller after the visitors squandered possession, with the 24-year-old firing into the bottom corner of the net. Aston VIlla loanee Lewis Dobbin made the points safe on 77 minutes as he flashed home after robbing Key of the ball, as the Swans once again created their own problems. Disappointingly, the Swans unravelled defensively in the closing stages and Ante Crnac scored a fourth as Swans’ debutant Hannes Delcroix lost possession in embarrassing fashion, and Emiliano Marcondes walked the ball over the line for a fifth after Crnac's effort hit the crossbar. This was a significant result in the middle of the Championship, with two clubs in poor recent form now clearly heading in opposite directions. Luke Williams and the squad (& the Board) need to stop the rot now. The same day that the Swans were imploding at Carrow Road, two goals from Victor Torp were enough for Coventry to see off Watford and deny a spirited comeback for the Hornets. In a dominant first half, the hosts broke the deadlock when Torp tapped home Jack Rudoni's cross from close range. The Dane then extended Coventry's lead in the second half with a scorching free-kick from the edge of the D but Watford responded less than 10 minutes to go through Liam Kitching's own goal. Despite insistent pressure from the Hornets to try find an equaliser, the Sky Blues held on to win all three points and move up to 12th whilst Watford drop down to ninth. The Swans have played the Sky Blues on 38 previous occasions, winning 13, drawing 13 and losing 12 - indeed the Swans haven’t lost since October 1981…… In the corresponding fixture last season, the teams played out a 1-1 draw: Turning to tomorrow, as it’s almost 11:00am, it seems as though the paperwork will not be finalised in time to enable Grimes to play against the Swans - probably for the best in the circumstances…. I’m hopeful that the Swans will put in a gutsy determined performance tomorrow and secure a much needed win. However, I have an awful feeling that Coventry will score early, the atmosphere will turn ‘toxic’ and the Sky Blues will run out 0-2 winners. Hoping that the Swans will win (my heart) but expecting a loss (head).
Cheers Taff. This is an odd one to predict with all the uncertainty right now. However, we're in terrible form and Coventry aren't, so away win. Hope I'm wrong and there's a response from the squad. I can't get in any way optimistic though.
That’s what I’m hoping for. I will be there with my wife and grandson - although the wife is doubtful at the moment: she had her first Shingles injection yesterday and it’s knocked her for six
‘Singers FC was formed in 1883 by a group of men at the Singer Factory Gentleman’s Club, and five years later they changed the team name to Coventry City.’ Seems to me that by making their move for Grimes this week they’ve tried to stitch us up ….
Thanks Taff. It has been a thoroughly depressing few weeks. I was so disappointed and at times angry at the inept performances that I decided to keep my own counsel! The air of despondency was increased last weekend when sadly my father in law passed away. So very much in need of a pick me up. I can't see the match in Paris tonight helping. So optimistically going for a 2-1 win tomorrow.
Thanks Taff. He was 96, he was pretty good but had a fall the week before Christmas caused by low blood pressure and an infection. He seemed to be getting better but got another infection
Coventry City have completed the signing of Swansea City midfielder Matt Grimes for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a half-year deal.
The fact that it’s Coventry he’s gone to tells me he wasn’t that highly rated by other teams I suppose. I’m just hoping he was the reason we were so ponderous going forward. 2-0 to the Swans.
Welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for today's match against Coventry City. I want to start by saying that I am fully aware of what a tough month January has been so far for everyone connected with our club. We have not had the results or performances we would have wanted, and we have had plenty to attend to off the pitch whilst navigating the January transfer window. The Championship is renowned as one of the hardest leagues in the world for good reason, and there is no doubt we have had body blows on and off the field. However, we have to keep working hard to move us forward as a club, and I know that you, the Jack Army, are desperate for us to succeed in doing that. The departure of Matt Grimes is obviously a significant change given he had been with the club for a decade but, as Luke himself said earlier this week, we can either view these situations as opportunities or threats, and the only approach we can take is to look at it as an opportunity. We are working around the clock to strengthen our men’s first-team squad and make the right decisions for the club. I am aware that, as the moment, that is a work-in progress, but I remain optimistic about the future, and what is going on behind the scenes as we look to make additions before the transfer window closes. We have appointed a new captain in Ben Cabango, an academy product and a Wales international, who I know will do us proud as he leads us forward while we look to produce a positive reaction following a tough start to 2025. Ben recently committed his future to the club, as did another academy product in Liam Cullen, while we are delighted to have secured the exciting signing of Melker Widell. He is a talented young player who was attracting interest from a number of top-flight clubs here and in Europe, and we believe he is going to be an excellent addition to our squad. I am also aware of the concerns that have been raised about improving our communication with supporters. We are committed to improving our connection with you, I believe in being as transparent as we can be with you, and clearly laying out our plans to take the club forward. We are planning to hold a fans' forum once the transfer window closes to address your concerns and share our vision. Please do join us for that, and we will be able to update you on a number of areas. I know today, with our new captain leading out the team, we will all come together and create an electric atmosphere that will inspire our players and hopefully help us get the performance and result we want. Thank you for your continued support, and enjoy the match. Come on you Swans! Andy
