That was for the fans - - The official of Alan Tate

That was for the fans - 09/12/2003

It was a great result against Stevenage on Saturday, and with a decent draw against Macclesfield or Cambridge in the third round, Swansea can be happy with the weekends events. I have to say that a great deal of credit should go to the Swansea fans – Peter Taylor mentioned that the Vetch Field can be an intimidating ground for visiting players and officials – it looks like Stevenage also thought so!!

Graham Westley (the Stevenage manager) made a few comments in the run up to the game and questioned whether the match officials were strong enough for the Vetch - it was music to the players ears. We know we have excellent fans, and if they can put pressure on the opposition and match officials then all well and good – that’s just an advantage of playing at home. But when the manager of a visiting side goes public about his fears of ‘intimidation’ – it’s a great boost as you know you’ve already scored psychological advantage. It’s wasn’t the most convincing of wins, but it’s the cup and we’re in the third round! So well done to all you fans - you really do make a difference!!

The lads capped off a great weekend with our Christmas Party on Sunday night. Lets just hope that they’re fit enough for the Southend game at the weekend! Southend beat us 2-1 in the LDV Trophy a few weeks ago, and although we didn’t put out our strongest side for that game, we under no illusion that it’ll be an easy game. The Shrimpers have a new manager and although they haven’t won all their recent games, they’ve certainly been playing above their league position.