Match Highlights

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

SWANSEA CITY 2 DERBY COUNTY 1

JOEL PIROE’S FIRST SWANSEA CITY BRACE SEALED VICTORY OVER DERBY COUNTY AS RUSSELL MARTIN'S SIDE RECORDED THEIR THIRD WIN IN A WEEK AT THE SWANSEA.COM STADIUM.

TEAM LINEUPS

Swans: Andy Fisher; Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, Joel Latibeaudiere; Cyrus Christie, Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Hannes Wolf; Joel Piroe (Korey Smith 76), Jamie Paterson (Olivier Ntcham 60); Michael Obafemi (Kyle Joseph 90).

Subs not used: Ben Hamer, Ryan Manning, Nathanael Ogbeta, Cameron Congreve.

Derby County: Ryan Allsop; Nathan Byrne, Eiran Cashin, Curtis Davies, Lee Buchanan (Festy Ebosele 45); Krystian Bielik, Luke Thompson (Bartosz Cybulski 84); Malcolm Ebiowei, Ravel Morrison, Tom Lawrence (captain); Luke Plange (Jason Knight 73).

Subs not used: Kelle Roos, Craig Forsyth, Richard Stearman, Carlos Richards.

Referee: Tim Robinson

Attendance: 18,374

Your digital marketing partner

Want to succeed digitally?

We’re an integrated digital marketing agency who can help your business be found and convert online when it matters most.

Backed by industry leading partners, we have access to the latest technology and tools to help you succeed online.

We can help you with:

SEO - Improve your organic search visibility and be there when a customer searches for your products & services.

PPC - Generate new leads TODAY by fast-tracking your way to the top of Google.

Paid Social - Leverage the power of Facebook and Instagram ads to drive new business and promote your brand on social media. Web Development - Represent your brand and identity correctly online with an up-to-date easy to edit website.

CRO - Optimise your website and maximise the value of every visit, ensuring new visitors convert into paying customers.

The team have quickly proven their knowledge in their fi eld is 2nd to none, proving not only with a huge growth in traffi c but also they are there to help with other duties online that may require further in depth knowledge. Super easy to work with - a friendly approach. They are there to support the growth of the business.

Request your FREE digital marketing audit today! Usually £299

WOLF UNLEASHING BEAST MODE WITH FINE FORM

Russell Martin believes Swansea City’s Wolf is unleashing his beast mode after a series of fine performances from loan signing Hannes.

The attacking midfielder joined the Swans from Borussia Monchengladbach in January, looking to get game time under his belt and rediscover his best form after injuries.

He has certainly hit those targets having nailed down a regular spot at wing-back, and he has recorded a goal and two assists in his last three appearances.

The most recent of those came via a clever and perfectly-weighted cross that allowed Joel Piroe to fire the Swans into the lead against Derby County at the weekend.

And the Austrian has offered a consistent and persistent threat on the left flank during Swansea’s best run of results this term. “He was a beast,” said head coach Martin in assessing Wolf’s display against the Rams.

“I singled him out in the dressing room – I don’t often do that because it’s all about the team – but I thought he was excellent.

“He was awesome and outstanding physically and athletically against a tricky opponent.

“He was a threat going forward but the amount of work he did defensively for the team was just incredible.

“I think he’s enjoying his football again. He’s enjoying being here and the fans have taken to him brilliantly, so have the players.

“He’s really hardworking and serious about his profession. We’ve really enjoyed having him here.

“He came here to try and kick start and get going again after a tough period with injuries and he’s just got better and better and better. Hopefully he can continue that until the end of the season.

“He’s really comfortable in both roles – he was brought in to play inside the pitch. Obviously we were without a left-back at one point and he’s stepped in and done it brilliantly.

“It’s not a position he’s enjoyed playing before but he’s loved it here and we’ve had chats about that.

“He played inside against Millwall on Tuesday and I thought he played really well. Against Derby, he was great so hopefully whichever position he plays, he’s happy and he’s enjoying it and he can keep up that form until the end of the season.”

WELSH COLUMN BY ALUN RHYS CHIVERS, GOLWG

Does dim angen meddwl yn ôl yn rhy bell ar gyfer ymweliad diwethaf Barnsley â’r stadiwm hon, ac mae’n siŵr y bydd pawb yn cofio’r achlysur am flynyddoedd i ddod. Roedd yr Elyrch newydd guro Barnsley o 1-0 ar eu tomen eu hunain diolch i gôl Andre Ayew, ac yn llygadu lle yn rownd derfynol y gemau ail gyfle am yr ail dymor yn olynol.

38 munud gymerodd hi i’r Elyrch ddyblu eu mantais i 2-0 dros y ddau gymal, gyda’r capten Matt Grimes yn taro chwip o ergyd o ymyl y cwrt cosbi. Roedd ganddyn nhw funudau digon nerfus yn niwedd yr ornest ar ôl i Cauley Woodrow grafu gôl yn ôl i’r ymwelwyr ar ôl 70 munud. Ond ar ôl trechu tîm Valerien Ismael, gornest yn erbyn Brentford yn Wembley oedd y wobr am ymdrechion tîm Steve Cooper. Prin y byddai neb wedi dyfalu bryd hynny mai hon fyddai gêm ola’r rheolwr wrth y llyw, ac fe fyddai dyrchafiad wedi bod yn wobr deilwng am ddau dymor llwyddiannus o dan y Cymro o Bontypridd.

Gyda chwe gêm yn weddill o’r tymor hwn, mae’r Elyrch yn ddi-guro mewn pum gêm ond mae’n deg dweud bod unrhyw obaith o gyrraedd y gemau ail gyfle’n prysur ddiflannu, gydag wyth pwynt yn gwahanu tîm Russell Martin, sy’n bedwerydd ar ddeg, a’r safleoedd ail gyfle. Byddai’n cymryd ymdrech arwrol erbyn hyn i gyflawni hynny, ac mae gorffen yn hanner ucha’r tabl yn darged llawer mwy realistig ac yn rhywbeth sydd wedi edrych yn annhebygol ar adegau yn ystod y tymor diolch i ganlyniadau anghyson.

Un gwahaniaeth mawr yn y canlyniadau’n ddiweddar, serch hynny, yw fod Joel Piroe a Michael Obafemi wedi bod yn darganfod y rhwyd yn hawdd, gyda phedair gôl yr un yn y pum gêm ddiwethaf, a Piroe bellach wedi cyrraedd y garreg filltir o 20 o goliau yn ystod y tymor.

Pe bai’r rhediad diweddar hwn o fuddugoliaethau wedi dechrau’n gynt yn y tymor, gallai’r Elyrch fod wedi bod mewn sefyllfa dipyn gwell wrth wynebu’r gemau olaf hyn. Mae’n rhaid mynd yn ôl mor bell â 1974 ar gyfer buddugoliaeth ddiwethaf Barnsley yn Abertawe, gyda Bobby Doyle, Brian Mahoney a Paul O’Riley yn sgorio i’r ymwelwyr, felly bydd Abertawe’n ddigon hyderus o barhau â’u rhediad da heddiw.

Ar Ddydd Gwener y Groglith y llynedd, roedd yr Elyrch oddi cartref yn Birmingham. Ond fe gollon nhw o 1-0, a’r canlyniad yn golygu bod rhaid iddyn nhw fodloni ar le yn y gemau ail gyfle yn hytrach na dyrchafiad awtomatig, gan eu bod nhw naw pwynt y tu ôl i Watford erbyn hynny. Y tro hwn, mae’n frwydr i gyrraedd y gemau ail gyfle.

Olivier Ntcham a Jamie Paterson sgoriodd yn y fuddugoliaeth o 2-0 yn Barnsley fis Tachwedd. Y dwbl amadani heddiw?

STILETTOS AND STUDS BY JULIE KISSICK

Another home game, another relegationbattling side to welcome to the Swansea.com Stadium this Good Friday.

Some would say the fixtures are being kind to us as four of our final six games are at home.

But there are no ‘easy’ games at this stage in the season, especially when we face another two sides battling for Championship survival - today’s visitors Barnsley who are currently 22nd and next, we travel to 21stplaced Reading, who sit one spot above the relegation zone.

Then, back home for Middlesbrough who are currently eighth and the big tests of second-placed Bournemouth at home and fourth-placed Nottingham Forest away, before the final home game of the season against Queens Park Rangers, who occupy 11th place as things stand.

Russell Martin has been keen to point out that he wants his side to finish strong and lay down a marker to start next season by building on what can be achieved in these last few games.

“I want us to go on and finish the season as strongly as possible so we can show what we can maybe achieve next season,” said the gaffer before the win at Millwall.

And of course, next season is going to look like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The English Football League has had to adjust the schedule to accommodate the Qatar World Cup, which takes place over five weeks in November and December.

That means there is going to be an early start to the new campaign as the Championship and League One and League Two seasons begin on the weekend of July 30.

That’s 12 weeks on from the end of this season and there will also be a pause in Championship proceedings for five weeks in November and December before it resumes following the end of the group stages of the World Cup.

So, another season of disruption but, unlike that brought about by the pandemic or inclement weather, at least there is no uncertainty about the duration of this one and there is a chance to plan around it.

The uncertainty of life, inside and outside of football, was the focus of an interview Barnsley head coach Poya Asbaghi did with The Guardian last month. He is a man who has experienced and escaped some exceptionally challenging times and he now finds himself in a relegation fight, a situation that requires perspective, he told the newspaper.

He was only a year old when his family fled Iran to avoid political persecution in the 1980s. They settled in Sweden and he went on to study economics before becoming a football coach including for one of Sweden’s biggest clubs, IFK Gothenburg.

“Sometimes when you lose a game, those of us who work in football and also the fans think it is the end of the world because we put so much passion and hard work into it,” Asbaghi said.

“But those experiences … give you a little bit more of a balanced perspective on life.”

Thought-provoking words, particularly given the time of year.