STATUES AT LIBERTY
Yan doesn’t want to be a stick in the mud.. he’s glad pitch is being dug up
YAN DHANDA is banking on a new pitch to help Swansea’s automatic promotion bid.
The former Liverpool midfielder kept on ploughing through a playing surface so poor even Monty Don would abandon it.
The Swans have done the same – digging it up with an army of ground staff and tractors under floodlights on Saturday night and readying themselves for a replacement in time for January.
It’s hard to be fluent and freeflowing on a mud pile, but Dhanda is reassured by having a defence
CLINCHER Matt Grimes’ corner ends up in the net
MUDDY HELL Swans’ Yan Dhanda and Barnsley’s Mads Andersen struggle on a difficult pitch behind him that has conceded just 12 goals in 20 matches.
“When I’m on the ball, I don’t feel if I lose it, anything is going to happen because I’ve got those defenders behind me,” said Dhanda, after Jamal Lowe (above) and an own goal by Victor Adeboyejo had settled the contest.
“Everyone can see it’s been difficult on this pitch but we haven’t lost many on it.
“We’ve done the job and got three points pretty much most weeks we’ve been on it.
“When the new pitch is laid and we can play our best football, I think the fans will be excited. We are third in the table but we are not happy there.
“We think we should be higher in the top two, or even the top one. I think that’s what we are going to thrive on and we are going to get there, to be honest.”
The Swans are now unbeaten is six matches at the Liberty Stadium and in five of those they have not conceded. Only four goals have been scored by visitors all season.
Barnsley had their moments, but rarely looked like turning possession into goals and Adeboyejo’s own goal sealed their fate. Tykes boss Valerien Ismael admitted his team are already tired by a punishing schedule
But they need to find energy from somewhere with three games in eight days to come against Huddersfield, Rotherham and leaders Norwich.
He said: “The problem was the intensity, fatigue and the pitch. All the little details went wrong.
“We need to recover now, and we have enough time to get fresh before the next game so we can prepare better.”
Woodman 7, Cabango 7, Bennett 6, Guehi 6, Roberts 7, Fulton 7, Grimes 8, Bidwell 6, Dhanda 7, Lowe 7, Ayew 6
Walton 6, Brittain 6, Sollbauer 7, Helik 5, Andersen 6, Oduor 5, James 6 (Palmer 70, 6), Mowatt 7 (Kane 82), Frieser 5 (Miller 56, 6), Chaplin 6 (Thomas 56, 5), Woodrow 6 (Adeboyejo 56, 5)
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