Match Report: Swansea City 2-1 Wigan Athletic

The international break never does us any good, it seems to come just as we start to get into the swing of things, and we lose all of the continuity that we had prior to our players jetting of across the globe. Last time round the break came, and straight after we lost and played dire against Manchester United. This time round we have lost and played dire against Swansea City, these are the kind of matches that we need to be winning.

As it was before the game, it was hard to separate the two teams. I think many people would have felt a draw would have been a fair result. By the end of the match, even the most biased Wigan fan, would find it hard to say we deserved to win the game on the merit of our performance.

On the view of the fist half, it would have been hard to say either team deserved a point. To say it was flat would be an understatement and I feel sorry for the fans who had to watch the first half, where there were really only two chances that could have warranted a goal.

Latics would have a couple of chances. Shaun Maloney with the first, after great build up play between the three up top, the ball was played into Maloney from Kone. The Scottish international tried to turn and scoop the ball into the corner, but Vorm was their to deny the midfielder.

It would be Maloney who would instigate Latics's best chance in the first half. He would set Jean Beausejour free on goal, with the Chilean looking to open his account for Latics. Yet the winger will have to wait longer has his chipped effort went over the bar.

Swansea were having a bit more of the ball, but not much more fun. Their best chances fell to the Spaniard Michu. He would come close on the counter, as Wayne Routledge with speed broke free of Ivan Ramis, causing Gary Caldwell to come a cross and cover. That left Michu to run free into the box for Routledge to find him, the English winger provided a beautiful cross, but Michu couldn't provide the finish.

Routledge would again be at the center of things mid way in the half. A fantastic run down the right hand side saw the winger get free and supply a cross for Michu to head home. Yet the attacker would miss from six yards out.

That is the first half in a nut shell. The second half could only get better, and for one team it did.

Swansea came out and straight from the off they looked more ready to go than our lads did. The Swans wanted the ball at their feet to run out of defenders and push us back into our own half, eventually all that pressure would tell as our lads got tired.

It would be the Swans new boy Pablo Hernandez who would start the scoring. Twenty minutes into the half and Wigan had been lucky to get forward with the ball. Yet Leon Britton laid the ball of to Hernandez, who turn on a penny and fired the ball in between Gary Caldwell's legs and into the corner of Ali Al Habsi's goal. No chance for the keeper and this game and romp written all over it.

With in two minutes that feeling would be hammered home. A needless corner given away, would be fired in by De Guzman, who would find Michu unmarked at the front post. The Spaniard had been allowed to run free and meet the ball and smash it home.

2-0 game over you would think, Wigan had looked out of ideas and hope and Swansea could run away with this now.

But why is it that when we go behind and get our buts kicked we start to play well? After that second goal went in the team came to life all of a sudden and were back in it after two minutes. Emmerson Boyce would back heel flick the ball into the goal, after some great build up play.

Jean Beausejour supplying the cross, Arouna Kone nodding the ball down at the back post for James McCarthy to hit the ball home. Yet Boyce was there to deflect it past Vorm and put Wigan back into contention for at least a point.

And we should have been level. Two minutes after Boyce scored Kone headed the ball home. Yet the flag was raised and the off-side called, replays show the striker was onside as Jean Beasejour found the African yet again, on an afternoon where the Ivorian sparkled in south Wales.

Wigan smelt blood and wanted to get the point. Franco Di Santo would be denied a goal by Vorm, even though his shot was weak it nearly troubled the keeper with the position of the keeper. And in the dying minutes, Ali Al Habsi would come up for the last minute corner and even get his head to it, however the ball went straight to the Swansea keeper.

In the end it seems a fair result Swansea edging the chances, but Latics have to feel hard done to having Kone's goal given as offside.