Good Month...Bad Month

Last updated : 29 September 2005 By Richard Evans
What a September!!! Five games unbeaten on the pitch and little controversy off of it...definitely a month to remember!!!

Flying high at the top of League One, Swansea put the sword to three teams this month and gained credible draws against Nottingham Forest and Hartlepool in between. A 7-1 hammering of Bristol City started the month on a high, before an excellent victory at struggling MK Dons a few days later promoted the Swans to the top of the league. A difficult point at Victoria Park and a home draw with Forest in front of a sell-out crowd followed, leaving Kenny Jackett's men to round off a comfortable September with a valuable 1-0 win at Bournemouth. Not bad at all!! But have there been any negative aspects of September?? Swans Mad takes a look at all thats been great and terrible about September 2005....

KENNY JACKETT - GOOD MONTH

September has been a fantastic month for Kenny Jackett and the Swans supremo is rightly in the frame to win the Coca-Cola Manager of the Month award next week. Not only has he built a strong side to compete in a higher
division, but the strength in depth is there for all to see and at times the football has been simply breath-taking.

Jackett has most certainly grown as a manager since his appointment 18 months ago and hasn't been afraid to make unpopular decisions for the good of the team. Not one to revel in the limelight, Jackett allowed his assistant Kevin Nugent to face the press after the club's 7-1 mauling of Bristol City, in what should have been his moment of glory.

CHRISTIAN EDWARDS - BAD MONTH

After announcing his delight at returning to the club where he began his career and supported as a boy, September has been something of a disaster for the Bristol Rovers loanee. Initially thrown straight into the side against Doncaster Rovers in August, Edwards went on to
make two more appearances before being frozen out in September by the return of several key players.

Edwards didn't feature at all in September and was soon told to return home to Bristol slightly earlier than expected, something that he later described as "a kick in the teeth". The ex-Nottingham Forest defender returned to action with Rovers the following weekend, coming on as a substitute as his side were battered 4-0 by Chester. Not a good month for Mr Edwards!

LEON BRITTON - GOOD MONTH

Little Leon has been a sensation this month - most definitely back to his best. Many had predicted that Britton would find the going far easier in League One and that certainly seems to be the case. Man of the match performances
against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest followed arguably Leon's best in a white shirt so far this season, as he dominated the midfield against Bristol City.

Back on full confidence, Britton is now a prominent member of the first team and keeping fans' favourite Andy Robinson on the substitute's bench. Leon has been one of the main reasons that Swansea hold the record for the most goals scored in all four domestic divisions and many higher league clubs are rumoured to be keeping a close eye on him.

MARC GOODFELLOW - BAD MONTH

Poor old "Freezer"! Hailed by many as Swansea's best attacking option during pre-season, Goodfellow failed to produce early on and has been warming up the substitute's bench ever since. Frozen out of the team
by the form of Kevin McLeod and Paul Connor, Freezer has played just fifteen minutes of first-team football in September.

It appears that despite a fantastic pre-season, Goodfellow just hasn't impressed Kenny Jackett during Swansea's training sessions. A constant member of the bench in September, Goodfellow must be growing increasingly frustrated that he isn't even being thrown on as a late substitute in recent games and judging by recent form, Freezer looks set for an equally frustrating October.

LEE TRUNDLE - GOOD MONTH

Six goals in five games tell it's own story and everyone's favourite show-boater has had a fantastic September. Now top goalscorer in League One after overtaking team-mate Kevin McLeod, Trundle has firmly answered
many of his critics who believed that he would be unable to make it in a higher division.

September also saw Lee Trundle hit his 50th competitive goal for Swansea during the club's 3-1 victory at MK Dons. Another player who is beginning to attract serious attention from the top divisions, Trundle has unbelievably been scouted by Premiership outfit Newcastle recently, with several Northern newspapers claiming that the Scouser could be the subject of a Toon bid at Christmas. Owen, Shearer and....Trundle??!! Surely not!!

PAUL CONNOR - BAD MONTH

Ok, on the face of it, September hasn't been a terrible month for Paul Connor. However, just after proving his worth to Kenny Jackett with some excellent performances against the likes of Walsall and
MK Dons, Connor picked up a dodgy injury at Hartlepool that leaves him side-lined for at least a month.

But its not all bad news for the ex-Rochdale striker. After Jackett attempted to offload him in the summer, Connor is now very much back in the manager's plans and set to play a major part in Swansea's League One campaign. Nevertheless, his progress was well and truly ended by that nasty injury and Connor will probably reflect on September as a bad month.

AWAY DAYS - GOOD MONTH

Travelling in style to away games by plane to Hartlepool?! How things have changed!! Its been a great month on the road for Swansea, picking up seven from a possible nine points and dominating teams away from home.
Bournemouth and MK Dons were put to the sword with relative ease, whilst a somewhat depleted side managed a credible draw at Hartlepool - the longest away trip of the season.

Jackett's men have now won four out of six matches on the road, beaten only by Huddersfield when they were reduced to nine men in August. Should the Swans be able to keep up such a fantastic record, they will no doubt be in the promotion shake-up come May.

BRIAN TINNION - A VERY BAD MONTH

Yes we know, Brian Tinnion isn't really Swansea related, but in such a fantastic month where bad points are difficult to find, who could blame us for giving him a special mention?!! With his side tipped for automatic promotion this season after signing the likes of Marcus Stewart and
Michael Bridges, Tinnion had the worst September possible....and lost his job.

After being mauled 7-1 at the New Stadium, Brian Tinnion unsuprisingly stepped down from his managerial post and walked away from Ashton Gate with his tail between his legs. Therefore, a horrendous month for Mr Tinnion!