MATCH PREVIEW – SWANSEA CITY V BRISTOL CITY – KICK-OFF AT 12:30PM

️⚽️ LIVE RADIO COMMENTARY & PREVIEW  

🎙 Swansea host Bristol City still searching for their first win under Michael Duff  

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Preview written by Dan Perkins, Radio City Lead Football Commentator:  

The summer transfer window slammed shut last night, with plenty of huge deals taking place around the world and Swansea City played their part with some much-needed recruitment.  

Supporters will be delighted the window has closed meaning Michael Duff can now put his sole focus into the players in the Swans dressing room for the foreseeable future.  

Kristian Pedersen kicked off the window, a versatile left sided defender from Cologne, with previous Championship experience after four years with Birmingham City, and last season he made 14 appearances in the Bundesliga and Europa Conference League.  

Jamal Lowe returns to the club on loan from Bournemouth for the season, having left the Swans in 2021 scoring 14 in 58 appearances, including a memorable brace against Cardiff City.  

24-year-old Josh Tymon was a late announcement, joining for about £2m and finally gives the Swans a first-choice option at left back. He comes in on a three-year-deal from Stoke City having made over 150 senior appearances in his career so far. 

And overnight, Chelsea youngster Bashir Humphreys signed on loan, a versatile ball-playing centre-half – who is comfortable using either foot – provides additional options to head coach Michael Duff on the left side of his defence. 

All of this means some time is required for the 13 new signings to gel and fit in, but nabbing their first three points of the season against relative rivals Bristol City will settle the nerves in SA1.  

Speaking of Bristol City, their deadline day was much quieter after Nigel Pearson admitted several weeks ago that The Robins’ wage budget was maxed out with no more room to add to the five signings made during the summer.  

They got deals done early, spending £5m on Jason Knight, Ross McCrorie and Rob Dickie. Haydon Roberts arrived on a free from Brighton which Taylor Gardner-Hickman joined on loan from West Brom.  

They did get one deal done. Swans target Zak Vyner signed a new deal with the club, keeping him at Ashton Gate until 2026.  

As far as results go, one win, two draws and a defeat leaves them in mid-table, but much like Swansea, they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in midweek at home to Norwich City.  

Recent history favours the Swans. They are unbeaten in the last four league games against Bristol City since losing 3-1 here in 2021 though the away side did knock Swansea out of the FA Cup last season, also at the Swansea.com Stadium.  

Team News  

Although Swansea pushed Bournemouth in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, none of the players that came into the side did anything of note to earn a start in the league. That could see Duff being willing to start with the Swansea XI that lost to Preston, although Jamie Paterson’s goal from the substitutes’ bench could see him selected as the most creative of a midfield three or as a second striker.  

Andreas Weimann is expected to miss out for Bristol City after suffering a recurrence of a heel injury soon after his introduction against Hull City. Barring the possibility of Taylor Gardner-Hickman replacing George Tanner at right-back, the starting lineup could stay the same.  

Swansea City possible starting lineup:  

Rushworth; Wood, Cabango, Darling; Ashby, Fulton, Grimes, Patino, Key; Yates, Cullen  

Bristol City possible starting lineup:  

O’Leary; Gardner-Hickman, Vyner, Naismith, Pring; Williams, James, Knight; Sykes, Wells, Bell  

Match Facts

7 – Swansea City are unbeaten in seven of their last eight league meetings with Bristol City, winning four and drawing three of those games.

34 – No Championship player has come out on top in more individual duels than Swansea’s Josh Key, whose tally so far this season stands at 34.

Transfer Deadline Dildo – 02/09/2014

Few could argue that over the years, Transfer Deadline Day has given many football fans something to talk about. For me, Sky Sports News has been a main stay on my screen around this time of year. It’s an occasion that makes me feel like a kid at Christmas, except I’m 26 with a beer and a beard, not 16 with bum-fluff, spots and college to look forward to.

However, am I the only one starting to feel a sense of disappointment? Does anyone else want to rename their channel Sky Sports Olds? I used to look forward to Jim White and the team getting excited at every development, finding news from rumour & in-the-knows and allowing reporters to include fans in their segments. Now it feels like over-produced nonsense and hearsay while a minority of supporters, who crowd behind the terrified suited man holding an overly large microphone, shout exhausted catchphrases from viral YouTube videos and toss blow-up dolls around the crowd. “Back to the studio, Jim”, followed by apology number 17 of the evening.

Despite the swearing and the shocked-faced plastic lady, the worst offence was yet to come. The precarious position these reporters put themselves in is entirely unnecessary.

Alan Irwin outside Everton’s Finch Farm Complex with supporters

Alan Irwin (pictured), standing outside Everton’s Finch Farm complex, was speaking about the things that weren’t happening, when something did happen. There was one fan that probably caused as big a stir as Falcao that day, but for all the wrong reasons. How can anyone justifiably applaud a man who pokes another man in the face, repeatedly, with a big purple sex toy? I was as shocked as the doll I saw 5 minutes earlier, nay, disgusted (and I’m not easily offended, usually because these types of incidents are written as a joke). How dare he do that to anyone, who knows where it had been? I give 100% credit to Mr Irwin for not turning around, for not breaking stride and for continuing his non-report about Tom Cleverley. As desperate as he was for the Utd midfielder to make his move to Everton, it never materialised. £9m was banded about as a fee; Everton should probably be renamed Cleverton.

Which brings me back to why I’m so disillusioned with Deadline Day. Firstly, I don’t blame Sky, Jim White, Alan Irwin or any of the hundreds of idiots plastered around the grounds acting like kids in a park drinking White Lightning, trying to recreate a face Ricky Gervais does in the bath. As a public we demand attention, we want news and we want it now. What happens when nothing happens though? We get Olds. Tottenham signed a defensive midfielder, Benjamin Stambouli, a 24 year old from Montpellier. I admittedly hadn’t heard of him before this news broke early in the afternoon. By the end of the night, I had created a drinking game. Anytime Stambouli’s name was mentioned… you get the idea.

The day seemed destined to be about one player though. Radomel Falcao and his proposed move to the Premier League dominated the headlines all day. His arrival to Manchester was replayed long into the night by way of the fascinating video package of three cars, all with blacked out windows, driving through a country lane with nothing else to tell us, other than Jim shouting “THAT IS FALCAO. HE IS IN MANCHESTER”. That sequence played for 4 hours over and over and over again – more olds from Sky. If there’s nothing to report, break away for 5 minutes and tell me about Golf or Tennis.

Luckily for me, I didn’t care too much; I was drunk from playing the Stambouli game.