Swansea City

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea City have played better in a number of recent games than they did against Bristol City on Saturday.

But for the ninth time in 15 Championship fixtures since the beginning of December, Vitor Matos' team did enough to deliver victory.

There have been five defeats during that period, all of which have been away from home - at Stoke City, Coventry City, Millwall, Hull City and Derby County.

Swansea came away from four of those losses believing they may have deserved more than they got.

Millwall was the exception given that Lawrence Vigouroux produced a spectacular goalkeeping display just to keep his side in the contest and yet even at The Den, Swansea were only beaten by a 90th-minute Caleb Taylor winner.

This weekend's 1-0 win over Bristol City, meanwhile, was one which could be considered a little fortunate given that the Robins carried more attacking threat than their hosts for long spells.

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The woodwork rattled on a couple of occasions and Vigouroux – who must be amongst the most consistent goalkeepers in the Championship – made a couple of smart saves as Zan Vipotnik's 18th goal of the season proved decisive.

As a result, the gap to the play-off places narrowed briefly to three points, though it was back up to six by the end of the day thanks to Wrexham's victory over Ipswich Town.

And so to Preston North End on Tuesday, when Snoop Dogg and a capacity crowd will watch on as Swansea try to make it 25 points taken from nine home games.

With so many teams above in the congested play-off race, a top-six finish still looks like something of a long shot as things stand.

But whatever is to come over the next couple of months, the mood of the club has shifted under Matos.

Swansea were only outside the relegation places after slumping to a fifth straight league defeat – despite taking a two-goal lead - at West Brom in late November.

That painful day seems a long time ago now.

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Vitor Matos says Swansea City's "connection" with their supporters has been a key factor behind their spectacular run of home form.

Matos' men claimed a seventh win in their past eight league games at the Swansea.com Stadium, as Zan Vipotnik's first-half volley proved enough for victory over Bristol City.

The Swans have not lost at home since a 2-1 defeat to Derby County in November.

At that point Swansea had only two wins from nine home league matches this season, but they have since taken 22 points from a possible 24.

Swansea were made to work for their narrow success against the Robins – and Matos felt the home crowd had a hand in securing the win.

"I think the fans today were unbelievable," the Swansea head coach said.

"That connection is massive. The last 15 minutes, [the fans] played the game with us, they tackled the Bristol players with us, they created the counters with us.

"When you have that feeling, the players can feel it. They feel they can compete against anyone and when you create that feeling in the stadium, it is outstanding."

Vipotnik's 18th club goal of the season came via Swansea's one clear-cut chance against Bristol City, though Liam Cullen and Malick Yalcouye forced saves from goalkeeper Radek Vitek late on.

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Bristol City hit the woodwork twice, while Lawrence Vigouroux was also required to make a couple of sharp saves as he claimed a 10th league clean sheet this season and a seventh since Matos took charge.

"I think the desire, the hunger, the mentality, the idea of holding nothing back, that mindset was massive today," Matos added.

"We were able to compete, we were able to get the three points. I think that's quite important to have because these games are games who can decide positions as well in the table."

Swansea moved to within three points of the top six courtesy of the Bristol City win, though that was before the day's later games.

Matos insisted his only focus is Tuesday's home fixture against Preston as he once again brushed off talk of a play-off push.

"We play again at home, which is brilliant and that doesn't happen a lot for us," he said.

"We can recover, rest, focus on Preston because that will be a massive game for us as well."

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Swansea City will look to make it eight unbeaten at home when they welcome Bristol City this afternoon (12:30GMT).

The Swans' form at the Swansea.Com Stadium has been a major factor in moving clear from any relegation worries – and even tempting some into dreaming of the Championship play-offs.

Those hopes took a blow when they lost 2-0 at Derby County last weekend, with Swansea's away record looking like an Achilles heel.

Only bottom side Sheffield Wednesday (7) and struggling pair Oxford United (13) and West Brom (13) have collected fewer points on the road than the Swans' 14.

That's in contrast to the 28 points collected at home, the seventh highest in the division.

In addition, only once have Swansea failed to score in front of their own fans - the 1-0 October reverse against QPR.

Matos has not lost a league game in front of home fans since November, losing to Derby just 24 hours after he replaced Alan Sheehan.

Yet the Portuguese says there is little difference in how his side approach games home or away.

"It's just we have played against different opponents who bring different problems," Matos said. "Then it's about trying to sort those problems out and finding a way to win.

"Of course, it helps when you have the fans. It's clear when you have the connection it is important for us.

"But more important is how – in this game – Bristol City play and how we create problems for them.

"They [are a] really good team, organised, really fast counter, good in set pieces as well - and that's what we need to focus more than what we cannot control."

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Swansea City boss Vitor Matos has hailed the impact of midfielder Marko Stamenic – just as he faces up to being without the New Zealander.

Stamenic will miss Saturday's Championship game with Bristol City (12:30GMT) as he starts a two-game ban for collecting ten yellow cards this season.

The 24-year-old has featured in all but one of Swansea's games under Matos, with the head coach admitting his impact has been key.

But he says he is "a lucky one" for having options to replace him, with Jay Fulton tipped to step in.

"Marko is really important for us," said Matos. "He's been really good scoring goals as well, which is not as normal for a number six, but he has that inside of him.

"The technique level of him as a six is unbelievable. Long pass, short pass, stepping in, dribbling as well."

The All Whites international will also miss Tuesday's visit of Preston North End – a game that will see investor Snoop Dogg take in his first game at the Swansea.Com Stadium.

Despite this, Matos says he does have options, adding: "There's a lot of solutions. I love Jay, I think he has a lot of values that we all want as a club and he has a lot of things as a player that I like.

"How he attacks is unbelievable, how he understands the game is unbelievable, he's a clear leader as well and really respected from everyone so It's a big option.

"But Ethan Galbraith can go there so there's a lot of options."

Matos confirmed there are no other availability issues to take on a Bristol City side fresh from pegging back Wrexham in a 2-2 draw at Ashton Gate in midweek.

Adam Idah continues his recovery from a hamstring injury while Zeidane Inoussa remains sidelined with a stress fracture in his back.

Stamenic picked up his suspension after receiving his tenth caution in last weekend's defeat at Derby County. Two-game bans are applied for any players who collect ten yellow cards before the 37th Championship fixture.

Swansea have played 32 league games so far this season with Ben Cabango (8 yellow cards) the next player at risk.

Both these sides still hold hopes of reaching the Championship play-offs, although Bristol City's chances seem more realistic, as they stand only one point short of the top six going into the weekend.

Swansea City have moved themselves 10 points clear of the relegation zone under boss Vitor Matos and are unbeaten in their past seven games at home.

• Swansea have lost three of their past five league games against Bristol City (W1 D1), after only losing one of their previous eight beforehand (W4 D3).

• Bristol City can do the league double over Swansea for the second time in the past three seasons with a win here (won both in 2023-24 and 3-0 at home this season). This after not winning any of their four league meetings in 2022-23 and 2021-22 (D1 L3).

• Swansea have won six of their past seven home league games (D1), with no other Championship side collecting more home points than the Swans (19) since that run began in December (level with Ipswich Town).

• Bristol City have conceded multiple goals in each of their past three league games (9 goals conceded); they last conceded 2+ goals in four consecutive league games in October 2022.

• Swansea's Zan Vipotnik has scored 11 goals in 15 home league appearances this season, including five goals in his past three games at the Swansea.com Stadium.

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Swansea City's contest with promotion-hunting Coventry City has been given a tea time kick-off after being selected for television coverage.

The game on Saturday 21 March will now kick-off at 17:15 GMT.

Coventry are currently top of the Championship having enjoyed an impressive season under Frank Lampard.

The fixture will mark the potential return of former Swans captain Matt Grimes to the Swansea.com Stadium after he left for the Sky Blues last January.

Swansea lost 1-0 at Coventry on Boxing Day, the hosts' Ephron Mason-Clark scoring the only goal.

The game will come eight days after the Welsh derby meeting with Wrexham at Stok Cae Ras, which will also be televised.

That fixture - Swansea's first visit to Wrexham in 24 years - has been confirmed to take place on Friday 13 March at 20:00 GMT.

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Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

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Vitor Matos feels Malick Yalcouye has progressed at Swansea City since he became the club's head coach in November.

The 19-year-old - currently on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion - endured a tough start to life in south Wales.

He started just five league matches under Alan Sheehan and did not feature in eight Championship games between late October and early December.

Yalcouye was also sent off in the Swans' 1-0 defeat by Queens Park Rangers under Sheehan on 22 October.

But he has shown signs of improvement under Matos of late and netted his first goal for the club in a 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 8 February.

"I think since I arrived he did steps forward. He came on from the bench (against Sheffield Wednesday) and he really affected the game I think that's always really good, not only him but other players as well," Matos said of Yalcouye.

Yalcouye has featured 25 times across all competitions so far for Swansea this season.

And Matos hopes he can keep adding to the versatile midfielder's development as he continues to adjust to the rigours of senior football.

"I think he's in the right way for his career," said Matos.

"I think how he's been doing in such a young age is good.

"He has a lot of talent inside of him and a lot of potential - it is up to me to find the best ways to use it."

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Head coach Vitor Matos has backed Jay Fulton to fill the void left by Marko Stamenic's suspension in the Swansea City midfield.

Stamenic has been banned for two games after picking up a yellow card in the Championship defeat at Derby County - his tenth of the season.

"That happens," Matos said after the game.

"Marko is a really good player, really important for us of course but Jay is as important as him, like all the players in the squad and I think the most important thing is that we, as a team, always react and always find a solution and that's what we're going to do."

Fulton, 31, along with goalkeeper Andy Fisher, has recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Swans.

The Scottish midfielder is the longest serving player at the Championship club having signed from Falkirk in 2014, making more than 300 appearances.

"It's brilliant news. They [Fulton and Fisher] both represent a lot of what we want to build," added Matos.

"Jay has been at the club for so many years and I think he's doing unbelievable work. He's someone really important for the squad, he's someone important for the club. The level that he's playing is as well something that we all like to see.

"So I'm really happy for him, really happy for the club".

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Swansea City hope Adam Idah will be back in action before next month's international break with the striker making progress in his recovery from a serious hamstring injury.

Idah was ruled out for up to three months after pulling up in training just before Christmas.

The 24-year-old took a step closer to a comeback as he took part in light training on the grass at Swansea's Fairwood training base last week.

Head coach Vitor Matos says Idah's progress has been "really good" and expects to have the £6m Republic of Ireland frontman back available in around a month.

"It's always good when we have more options with different profiles," Matos said.

"So far we are really happy, like you all know, with Vipi (Zan Viptonik) and as well with different solutions where we can use either Liam [Cullen] and Mel [Widell].

"But we are really happy for Adam. He has to keep going in terms of recovery and let's hope everything goes well."

Swansea host Coventry City on Saturday, 21 March in their final fixture before the last international break of the 2025-26 season.

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Vitor Matos says he is unsure what the future holds for Florian Bianchini as the forward struggles to establish himself in English football.

Bianchini is on a season-long loan at Portsmouth having made a limited impact in his first year at Swansea City following a £1.95m move from Bastia in 2024.

The 24-year-old is yet to score in 11 appearances for Pompey, the most recent of which came in late November.

Bianchini's bid to impress during his time with Swansea's Championship rivals has not been helped by injury, with the Frenchman recently returning to his homeland for assessment on an ongoing knee problem.

Bianchini's issues resulted in him being omitted from the Portsmouth squad submitted to the EFL following the mid-season transfer window, meaning that as it stands, he is unable to play for John Mousinho's team.

That could yet change given that Pompey have room to add players to their group.

But for the moment, Swansea head coach Matos accepts Bianchini's prospects are uncertain.

When asked about the player's situation, Matos said: "I think it's something for the club to handle, in terms of relationships and in terms of the future with every party on that.

"Let's see how it goes. [Portsmouth] need to assess that [injury] first, we need to assess that first, and then see what is the best solution."

Whatever happens between now and the end of this campaign, Bianchini will be due back at Swansea in pre-season as he is under contract with the Welsh club until 2028.

He scored three goals in 38 appearances – only eight of which were league starts – in his one season as part of Swansea's squad.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Swansea City's commitment to controlling games by controlling the ball has waned at various points in recent years.

Different managers have brought different ideas, with some less interested than others in dominating possession.

Swansea first became known - in the modern era at least - as a team who would pass their way to points after Roberto Martinez was appointed as the Welsh club's manager in 2007.

Martinez's revolution began a spectacular spell in Swansea's history which led to seven years in the Premier League, a first major trophy and a European adventure under Michael Laudrup.

The club then lost their way, with their style becoming less attractive as they struggled to survive at the highest level.

Since relegation in 2018, Swansea have had seven permanent bosses.

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Some have been desperate to play the kind of possession-heavy football which brought some memorable days under Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Laudrup, while some have been less convinced about the merits of bossing the ball.

Vitor Matos' first priority when he took over in November was to improve Swansea out of possession, with the Portuguese keen to implement the sort of pressing game which brought his old boss Jurgen Klopp success at Liverpool.

But as Derby boss John Eustace pointed out, there are definite signs now of what Matos wants in possession – and they must look familiar to Swansea's fans.

Saturday's defeat at Pride Park brought back memories of some of the early days of the Martinez era, with Swansea outplaying their opponents for a long spell, failing to take advantage and eventually paying the price.

Martinez's team got there in the end.

Swansea supporters must hope the story turns out to be similar for Matos' current crop.

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The Adran Premier clash between Swansea City and Wrexham has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

The first match of Phase Two had been scheduled to kick-off at Llandarcy Academy of Sport at 14:00 GMT, but heavy rain in south Wales has made the surface unplayable.

Wrexham did the double over Swansea in Phase One of the Adran Premier. A new date will be announced in due course.

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John Eustace said his Derby County side were made to work for victory over Swansea City because the Welsh side are going back to their old way of playing.

Derby climbed into the Championship play-off places courtesy of Saturday's 2-0 win over the Swans.

Both goals came from Callum Elder corners in the second half, with Rhian Brewster netting against his former club before Patrick Agyemang made the points safe with a powerful header.

Swansea had dominated the first period and continued to control the flow of the contest for a spell even after Brewster's opener.

But for all their possession, Vitor Matos' team lacked menace in the final third, meaning Derby's set-piece threat proved decisive.

"It was a hard afternoon," said Rams boss Eustace.

"They are really back to playing the old Swansea way now, dominating possession [with] lots of real good footballers."

Swansea had 72.2% of possession at Pride Park, as well as more shots, more touches in the opposition box and a higher xG than their hosts.

"They can hurt you if you are not disciplined enough," Eustace added.

"But we showed good discipline. We didn't get too disappointed in giving too much of the ball away and I knew as the game opened up we'd have more opportunities on the transition and we'd be able to hurt them on set-pieces."

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Swansea City will be without Marko Stamenic for their upcoming home games against Bristol City and Preston North End through suspension.

Midfielder Stamenic picked up his 10th Championship booking this season for a foul on Patrick Agyemang during Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Derby County.

The New Zealand international, who has been in good form in recent weeks, must now sit out Swansea's home game with the Robins next weekend and the visit of Preston North End on Tuesday, 24 February.

Stamenic's suspension could see the experienced Jay Fulton, who signed a new contract this week, land successive starts at the base of Swansea's midfield.

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Vitor Matos insisted he was proud of his Swansea City players despite a 2-0 loss at Derby County.

Swansea lost for only the second time in six league games thanks to second-half strikes from Rhian Brewster and Patrick Agyemang.

Both goals came from Callum Elder corners, leaving Matos to rue his team's set-piece defending after they had dominated the first period.

But despite frustration over the nature of Swansea's defeat, Matos said: "I think at the moment the way my team and my players are performing, I am really proud of them.

"They are buying into ideas, they are putting in a lot of effort to improve. We are all improving.

"Today was about set-pieces. We suffered from that and that's what we need to keep focused on for the next games."

Swansea's 10th away league defeat of the season meant they missed the chance to cut the gap to the Championship play-off spots.

They are now six points off sixth place – which is held by Derby after their success – and 10 clear of the relegation zone in 16th.

Swansea return home for games against Bristol City next Saturday and Preston North End the following Tuesday.

The Swans' form on their own patch has been excellent during Matos' reign, but he added: "We don't rely on the past. What we rely on is the work we do between games and that's for the next week.

"If we look at some away performances, the performance is there but the points are not.

"At home we are getting the points, but we rely on training, not the past."

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Vitor Matos says he has been thrilled by striker Zan Vipotnik's ability to "find ways to score" after he netted a sublime free-kick against Sheffield Wednesday.

The Slovenia international rifled into the net from around 20-yards prior to adding a second goal as Swansea City thumped the Owls 4-0 last time out.

"Like I said after the game, he's special, he finds ways to score, that's another way, and he did that really well," Matos said.

"Really pleased for him, for us, it was a really nice one to see it as well from the bench, so that's something to add and I hope he can keep going."

The Portuguese head coach added: "He has that kind of talent in terms of finishing. He shoots with either left or right but really powerful and precise as well.

"So that's what he did there and sometimes that's the best solution for something so really pleased."

Vipotnik's brace against bottom side Wednesday took the forward's Swans goal tally to 17 for the season, with his 15 in the league making him the Championship's top scorer.

And Matos says the 23-year-old is reaping the rewards for his graft on the training ground.

"He trains a lot, finishing sessions outside of the box, he does that really well," added the Swansea boss.

"We can all see that in training on that game.

"He made that decision [to take the free-kick]. That's good as well when the players have this kind of ownership. It's good when they have that feeling."