This weekend’s South Wales derby was like no other. To misquote Max Boyce, like tens of thousands of other fans, Jack Hammett will be able to look back in years to come and say, “I wasn’t there.” Let’s hope it was a one-off.
The weeks building up to the derbies last season seem like a long time ago now.
Trying to organise tickets with friends, booking time off work way in advance and for some, planning the long journey past the final destination, hopping on the coach to turn back on yourself.
This year was an altogether different story.
Instead of tickets, fans borrowed their in-laws Sky Go, paid for a last-minute day pass, or streamed it online illegally.
Work emails would have been checked on phones whilst sat on the sofa in front of the telly and there were lie-ins for away fans instead of the early morning coach ride – before the sun has begun to rise – straight from your club’s stadium directly into the away end, where you’re greeted by your hosts, foaming at the mouth, thankful for the police force and stewards creating a barrier.
The hostility this season wasn’t found on the terraces, though, but on Twitter feeds, with fans limited by 280 characters sparring those in uniform.
The hostility was also lacking on the pitch, Cardiff City being more than accommodating hosts for their arch-rivals in the first half.
They allowed the Swansea midfield to make themselves at home in the centre of the pitch, giving their guests over 60% possession.
The first goal was the footballing equivalent of letting someone walk their muddy shoes over your clean floor as Connor Roberts and scorer Jamal Lowe won the first and second ball in the box after Jake Bidwell’s looping cross was totally unchallenged by anyone in a blue shirt.
In a world with fans inside the stadium the message would have been crystal clear to the home team. The performance was not good enough.
But with an empty stadium the signals could only come from the manager.
Cardiff fans watched on from home, hoping Neil Harris’s half-time team talk would embolden his players to take control in the second half.
Four in a row, four in a row, we’re Cardiff city, we’ve won four in a row… pic.twitter.com/0rmeFIfm1H
— Swansea City FC. (@SwansCity1912) December 12, 2020
Once play resumed there was definitely a bit more fire in the belly for the Bluebirds.
Perhaps the significance of the derby dawned on them and an early challenge from Joe Ralls on Jay Fulton looked a possible catalyst.
For 15 minutes it looked to be the case, with Cardiff slowly starting to get in the game.
Possession of the ball evened out, Kieffer Moore was unlucky with a back heel effort that went over the bar there were 21 aerial duels, with Cardiff dominating 14 of them.
The problem, though, was that Swansea are better, and, crucially, quicker than Cardiff with the ball at their feet.
When Ralls mis-controlled on the edge of his own area, Korey Smith pounced quickly, to knick the ball away.
They showed exactly what it meant to the city of Swansea today and put us in a really good position to make history by becoming the first club to do the double in the South Wales derby in the return fixture in March. I couldn’t be more proud to be a jack.
Good night jack army!🦢 pic.twitter.com/PYzYxp88aG
— Jordan (@JordanWebber96) December 12, 2020
Ralls’ studs went down Smith’ shin, and the Cardiff midfielder was on his way after picking up his second yellow card.
After that Swansea controlled every part of the match; better possession stats, more shots on goal, more take-ons and dribbles, tackles made, and even managed to fight back against Cardiff in the air – winning as many aerial duals as their rivals in the remainder of the game.
The sound in half the stadium might not have been too dissimilar had fans been present for the remaining 25 minutes.
There wasn’t much, if anything, for Cardiff City fans to be excited about.
In the Swansea end, though, the sound would have been deafening. To win against your most bitter rivals so comprehensively is more than enough to get you excited.
When Jamal Lowe picked the ball up on the halfway line, you could feel the anticipation of an away end not present.
Nice to see my Cardiff City mate outside the pub this afternoon. He did try to hide behind his missus 😁😂
— Matt Harrison (@MattLostBoyo) December 13, 2020
You could hear the absent jeering as he fooled Will Vaulks into slide-tackling thin air, you could hear the imaginary murmur build as he rode the desperate attempt to bring him down by Harry Wilson, and you despaired when the artificial crowd noise could never do full justice to the beautiful outside-of-the-foot finish from the edge of the area.
Living rooms across Swansea were filled with fans who longed to be there and living rooms across Cardiff were filled with fans who were glad to turn the match off and be spared from the gloating and jubilation of their enemy.
This wasn’t a derby for the ages. It will not live long in the memory of those who were not there.
Lowe’s goal, beautiful as it was, probably won’t be the goal shared online in a few seasons.
It lacked “limbs”.
Look at those limbs from the Bolton fans at Wigan, that’s how you celebrate a goal. Unsure of the time this was but i’m guessing late 80’s early 90’s? #BWFC pic.twitter.com/qogXlFPHdx
— The Away Fans Videos (@TheAwayFansVids) July 6, 2019
The goal will be re-watched on highlight reels and will be a pleasant reminder to Swansea City fans of the time they won the fanless derby, but it will hurt that they weren’t there to revel in the glory.
For Cardiff fans it’ll be best forgotten, something they hope to struggle to recall.
Did the game even happen for them? Was it actually a lucky escape to avoid the actual, real embarrassment of a derby defeat?
In fact, without fans was there really even a derby?
Let’s hope this will be anomaly. The weird and, hopefully, unique derby.
Gives us all the warm blast of mutual hostility, any day, compared to the bleak coldness of empty seats.