Match Highlights

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

SWANSEA CITY 0 LUTON TOWN 1

SWANSEA CITY SUFFERED DEFEAT AT THE SWANSEA.COM STADIUM AS HARRY CORNICK’S STRIKE GAVE LUTON TOWN ALL THREE POINTS.

TEAM LINEUPS

Swans: Andy Fisher; Ryan Bennett (Kyle Joseph 89), Kyle Naughton (Korey Smith 22), Ben Cabango; Cyrus Christie, Flynn Downes (Joel Piroe 74), Matt Grimes (captain), Ryan Manning; Olivier Ntcham, Hannes Wolf; Michael Obafemi.

Subs not used: Ben Hamer, Jay Fulton, Joel Latibeaudiere, Finley Burns.

Luton Town: DJames Shea; Reece Burke, Gabe Osho, Kal Naismith (captain); James Bree, Allan Campbell, Henri Lansbury (Luke Berry 81), Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Amari’I Bell; Fred Onyedinma (Harry Cornick 63), Danny Hylton (Cameron Jerome 63).

Subs not used: Jed Steer, Dan Potts, Carlos Mendes-Gomes, Tom Lockyer.

Referee: Oliver Langford

Attendance: 16,598

CAZOO YEAH! IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO BUY YOUR NEXT CAR?

WE HAVE TO TAKE OUR CHANCES WHEN ON TOP IN GAMES SAYS MARTIN

Ru ssell Martin felt Swansea City paid the price for not scoring when on top as missed chances proved costly in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to Luton.

Harry Cornick’s 72nd minute goal gave the visitors the three points at the Swansea.com Stadium, but the hosts had their chances to take a positive result from the contest.

Michael Obafemi and Joel Piroe were denied from close range, Hannes Wolf was unable to convert and Ben Cabango was denied by the woodwork.

And the head coach believes a lack of a clinical edge in the final third is costing his side at the moment. “I felt we had three huge chances and we didn’t score, they created the one big chance towards the end and took it,” he said.

“Apart from that they had a couple of bits in the first half from setpieces, a few balls flashing across goal but they did not cause us much harm, although they are a really good team who are well organised and you can see why they are doing so well.

“But we have to score when we are on top, how many times have I said that? It’s that little bit of quality in the final third.

“Michael has a brilliant chance, Hannes has a brilliant chance and in another game or two that might have been another outcome as I thought he was great tonight, and Michael did well too.

“Ben Cabango hits the post and Ryan Bennett missed the follow-up, and it means we are really disappointed.

“I did not see many problems with the performance in general, they made it hard for us when we did not beat the press.

“The lads are giving us everything they have got, that is all you can ask. We limited them to very little, we had a lot of the ball but we have got to make more of it.

“Unfortunately at the moment, it is not quite clicking in the final third and we concede such a poor goal. You cannot concede a goal like that.”

YOUNG SWANS HARI AND DYLAN HAILED AS HEROES FOR AVERTING M4 CRASH

Ac ademy youngsters Hari Thomas and Dylan Pritchard-Evans, 12, from Aberporth, were being driven home from a Swans Academy training session by Harri’s mum, Catrin, when she fainted at the wheel near Junction 47.

Sitting alongside her, Hari managed to grab the steering wheel, change gear and guide the Volkswagen onto the hard shoulder.

Once it came to a halt Dylan shouted at Hari from the backseat to engage the handbrake and switch on the hazard warning lights. Showing admirable teamwork the two boys – both pupils at Ysgol y Preseli, Crymych – then flagged down passing motorists, who went to Catrin’s aid.

“We were going out of Swansea when my mum started feeling a bit sick,” Harri said.

“We were doing about 60 mph when all of a sudden she just passed out.

“Me and Dylan were on our phones when I saw her head go back – but I was able to grab the wheel and steer for the hard shoulder.” The boys were later picked by Hari’s uncle while police drove Catrin to Morriston Hospital where she was subsequently discharged after checks.

“What those boys was absolutely brilliant,” said Catrin, who has made a full recovery.

“If Hari hadn’t managed to get control of the car there could have been carnage.”

Hari’s dad proud Martyn said: “He didn’t freeze when many people would have.”

The club will be showing their appreciation for Hari and Dylan during half time this evening.

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STILETTOS AND STUDS BY JULIE KISSICK

Thursday was Time to Talk Day, so designated to give us an opportunity to focus on having conversations about mental health.

Just as we all have physical health, we all have mental health and yet while one is stigmatised the other is accepted.

No-one would question someone with a broken leg but, sadly, we haven’t got to the place as a society – or in football - where we have normalised our mental health impacting on the way we function, on the decisions we make, or the way we view the world.

“Football is quite a macho world and people find it difficult to drop that image and admit they have problems,” said Kev Johns, official chaplain at Swansea City for 20 years and PA announcer and matchday host.

“But more and more recently, footballers who are heroes to thousands have come forward to say they have a mental health problem.

“And it helps them in talking about it, but it allows others to come forward too and football fans think, ‘if he can talk about it, I can talk about my problem’, and it impacts everybody.”

The club launched its weekly One-Stop Mental Health Hub yesterday, (Friday), in conjunction with the Jac Lewis Foundation, a charity providing mental health and wellbeing support in the community.

Qualified counsellors will facilitate the Hub sessions between 9am and 5pm and they are open to supporters and local residents alike. BRILLIANT! What a fantastic initiative. You can find out more about it HERE.

This is one of the many reasons why I’m proud to be a Jack. I believe wholeheartedly in professional football clubs making a positive impact in the community and through initiatives like this, together with our Swansea City Foundation, our club is doing just that.

And of course, we have our own part to play too. As individuals we have all seen the #BeKind used liberally across social media following a tragic event or the unfair treatment of an individual or group.

We all know we could and should be kinder, yet I think football and those of us associated with it on whatever level, could still do more.

How many times have we verbally berated a player or commented on a decision made by the coach or taken to social media to direct our anger at someone for doing something we don’t agree with, without thinking about the consequences of our comments on those individuals?

We are all familiar with the saying ‘noone knows what goes on behind closed doors’ and the truth, is we don’t always know what’s going on in our own minds, let alone be able to explain it to someone else.

We’re all influenced by those around us, by the company we keep and those we live and work with.

Whatever we do in life we want to feel valued, be that in our relationships, our jobs, or our social activities.

Days like Time to Talk Day and initiatives like our One-Stop Mental Health Hub are not just for people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health, they should be the catalyst for us all to consider the impact we have on others.

They should be the nudge we need to see one another as individuals with feelings, not as commodities incapable of being hurt; a reminder not to let ourselves off the hook when it comes to our treatment of one another.

WELSH COLUMN BY ALUN RHYS CHIVERS, GOLWG

Mae’r Elyrch eisoes wedi colli yn erbyn Cymro yr wythnos hon, gyda thîm Luton Nathan Jones yn fuddugol o 1-0 nos Fercher, ac mae Cymro arall yn glanio yn Stadiwm Swansea.com heddiw. Mae’r Elyrch wedi arfer â gweld hen wynebau’n dychwelyd i’r ddinas a sgorio yn eu herbyn nhw ar hyd y blynyddoedd, a’r dasg heddiw fydd cadw’r asgellwr Ryan Hedges, un o wynebau newydd Blackburn, yn dawel yn ei gêm gyntaf i’w glwb newydd.

Mae’r Cymro sydd wedi cynrychioli timau dan 19 a dan 21 ei wlad yn llygadu lle unwaith eto yng ngharfan Cymru ar ôl symud o Aberdeen i ogledd-orllewin Lloegr ar ddiwedd y ffenest drosglwyddo. Enillodd yr olaf o’i dri chap dros ei wlad yn erbyn Trinidad a Tobago yn 2019, ond mae e wedi bod yn yr anialwch ers hynny ac eithrio un alwad i’r garfan heb lwyddo i ddod i’r cae.

Roedd e wedi gobeithio perfformio ar lefel ddomestig a dal sylw Ryan Giggs ac yna Rob Page wrth i’r garfan ryngwladol baratoi ar gyfer yr Ewros y llynedd. Ond yn yr anialwch arhosodd e, ac mae e bellach yn llygadu cyfle o’r newydd ar drothwy gemau ail gyfle Cymru ar gyfer Cwpan y Byd. Mae’n bosib y caiff e rywfaint o hwb o gofio mai yn fuan ar ôl symud i Aberdeen o Barnsley yr enillodd e ei gap diwethaf, ac mae’n siŵr ei fod e’n awyddus i fwrw iddi y prynhawn yma, yn y ddinas lle dechreuodd ei yrfa broffesiynol.

Roedd e’n 18 oed pan ddaeth e i Abertawe ar ôl saith mlynedd yn nhîm ieuenctid Everton a chyfnod yn y Fflint, dafliad carreg o Ysgol Hawarden lle cafodd ei addysg – ysgol sydd â rhestr o gyn-ddisgyblion sy’n cynnwys Gary Speed, Danny Ward a Michael Owen. Yn yr ysgol honno y gwnaeth e argraff fel aelod o dîm Ysgolion Cymru dan 18 oed.

Enillodd Hedges ei le yng ngharfan dan 21 yr Elyrch yn 2013-14, gan sicrhau cytundeb blwyddyn ar ddiwedd y tymor hwnnw, cyn cael estyniad o dair blynedd yn 2015. Serch hynny, daeth sawl cyfnod ar fenthyg i ffwrdd o’r clwb wedyn – yn Leyton Orient, Stevenage a Yeovil – cyn iddo symud i Barnsley yn barhaol yn 2017 ar gytundeb dwy flynedd a hanner. Ond symudodd e eto yn 2019 i’r Alban at Aberdeen ar ôl gwrthod cytundeb newydd gan Barnsley, ond buan y daeth e’n rhwystredig o barhau ar gyrion y garfan genedlaethol, ac fe symudodd e eto yr wythnos hon ar ôl sgorio 11 gôl mewn 66 o gemau yn Uwch Gynghrair yr Alban, ac 18 mewn cyfanswm o 86 o gemau ar draws yr holl gystadlaethau, gan gynnwys hatric Ewropeaidd.

Mae e wedi llofnodi cytundeb tair blynedd a hanner ar Barc Ewood, gyda’r opsiwn o’i ymestyn am 12 mis arall. Ac mae’n dychwelyd i Abertawe ag atgofion melys o’i “fagwrfa dda” yn y clwb. “Bydd hi’n braf mynd yn ôl a gweld nifer o wynebau cyfarwydd, ond bydda i’n mynd yn ôl yno a chael triphwynt, dyna’r peth pwysig”.

A dyna fydd y peth pwysig i’r Elyrch a Russell Martin hefyd ar ôl y golled ganol yr wythnos. Ers dechrau’r flwyddyn a’r golled yn y gwpan yn erbyn Southampton yn dilyn y seibiant hir oherwydd Covid-19, dim ond unwaith mae’r Elyrch wedi ennill ac maen nhw wedi llithro i’r pedwerydd safle ar bymtheg, un uwchlaw Caerdydd ond 12 pwynt uwchlaw safleoedd y gwymp ac un gêm wrth gefn. Ond does dim cuddio rhag y ffaith fod angen pwyntiau – a goliau, yn dilyn tair gêm heb gôl ers y fuddugoliaeth o 1-0 dros Preston dros yr wythnos a hanner diwethaf. Mae gan yr Elyrch opsiynau, ond bydd rhaid i un ohonyn nhw danio – a thanio’n gyflym.