Football League World
·27 September 2024
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·27 September 2024
Swansea City beat Bristol City 7-1 in September 2005, they'd love a repeat of that result this weekend
Swansea welcome Bristol City to the Swansea.com Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they look to make it three wins in a row and break into the play-off places.
It's been a decent start to the season for Luke Williams' side, who sit six places and two points above the Robins, but they'll be taking nothing for granted after suffering two defeats against the side from Ashton Gate last season.
While Swansea vs Bristol City isn't a derby as such, there's a definite edge to the fixture with both sets of supporters keen to get one over on each other, and the Wales vs England element always means it can be a fiery encounter, thanks to Bristol's close proximity to the border.
After losing both fixtures against the Robins last season, Swansea will be keen for a statement win on Sunday, and perhaps they can take inspiration from 19 years ago when the sides met for a League One clash back in September 2005.
2005/06 felt like a new era for Swansea after winning promotion from League Two the previous season and as they moved into their new Liberty Stadium home.
An early season fixture against Bristol City looked to be the ideal way to make a statement following promotion, and they certainly did, beating the West Country side 7-1 in what was a hugely embarrassing defeat for Brian Tinnion's side, with the former Robins midfielder stepping down in the aftermath of the defeat.
It actually took Swansea until the 45th minute to open the scoring, with Kevin McLeod giving the Welsh side the lead on the stroke of half-time, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Goals from Adebayo Akinfenwa, Leon Britton, a brace from Lee Trundle, and a second from McLeod put Swansea 6-0 up with nine minutes remaining before Welsh international David Cotterill scored a consolation for the Robins.
McLeod rubbed salt in the wounds as he made it 7-1 and completed his hat-trick with three minutes left.
It was a clinical second-half display from Kenny Jackett's side that sent Bristol City back across the border with their tails between their legs and Swansea would love a repeat of that on Sunday as they look to make amends for last season's defeats.
After winning promotion the previous season, not many people would have tipped Swansea for a successful campaign, but they actually reached the League One play-off final and were just a penalty shootout from making it back-to-back promotions, so they should be looking to harness that underdog spirit yet again this season.
A big win against Bristol City would only help increase the feelgood factor that's currently around the club after two good wins, and it could set the tone for a successful season, just like it did in 2005.
Swansea currently sit in 7th after back-to-back wins against Coventry City and Norwich City, and a win on Sunday would more than likely see them break into the top six for the first time this season.
Of course, it's early days yet, but it would be a decent achievement to be starting October in the top six, and you feel that games like Bristol City at home are fixtures that Swansea need to be winning if they're to sustain a genuine play-off push.
If Swansea can make it three wins on the bounce on Sunday afternoon, there could just be a sense of excitement and a buzz at the Swansea.com Stadium that hasn't been seen for a couple of seasons, and as we all know, momentum and confidence are so important in sport.
By no means will it be a crisis if Swansea fail to win on Sunday, just as nobody will be getting carried away should they seal all three points, but this is a game the Jack Army are looking forward to, and not just because it's a fixture with an edge.
Losing both fixtures against Bristol City last season hurt Swansea, particularly as they played really poorly, and this is the chance for some revenge.
A 7-1 win like Swansea pulled off in September 2005 would go down very well indeed, and should serve as inspiration before welcoming the Robins to south Wales.