Russell Martin and his Swansea City players celebrate. Pic: Getty Images.

Swansea City’s Russell Martin Reveals He Told His Players: Keep Cool Heads Against Cardiff And You’ll Win Again

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By Graham Thomas

Russell Martin has revealed he warned his players not to lose their heads before the South Wales derby because he believed a bare-knuckle scrap would suit Cardiff City more than Swansea.

The Swans head coach insisted on cool heads prior to the club’s 2-0 victory on Sunday, which was another one-sided encounter from the moment Bluebirds striker Callum Robinson was sent off in the seventh minute.

Martin – like his opposite number Mark Hudson – was at a loss to explain Robinson’s decision to throw the ball into the face of Ben Cabango from point blank range, but said he had  issued his own messages before kick-off.

“I can’t talk about their player. I never did that, so I can’t say what it takes to do that,” said Martin.

“I guess players lose it because of what’s at stake – how passionately they feel about it.

“But there is a balance and a line and we spoke to our players how it suited them more than it did us to get involved in all that stuff. That’s the honest truth. To build it up, would have been detrimental to us and more helpful to them.”

The outcome was that Swansea moved up to fourth place in the table on the back of six wins in eight matches, while Cardiff’s third successive defeat drops them to 20th in the Championship.

 

This was Cardiff’s third successive defeat and after a promising opening three matches under caretaker coach Hudson – in which they picked up seven points – they have now slipped to 20th in the table, two places lower than when he took over from sacked Steve Morison.

Hudson said of Robinson, “I would just think it’s about controlled emotion, the build-up to it, and how important it was for us and the fans, and for the club.

“He’s had a few words with the players, of course. He’s an experienced person, an experienced player and I can say that since he’s come in he’s been brilliant for the football club.

“Absolutely, I feel for the fans. They were with us again today. They were right there as soon as we arrived at 10.30 when they were there with noise and desire for the game.

“I think we showed that for the first seven, but it was difficult after that with 10 men. We were willing all the way to the end.”

Long before the end, Swansea City supporters were singing: “There’s only one team in Wales” and statistically, at least, it is a claim difficult to dispute.

The second city beat the capital club for the third time in a row, during which Swansea have scored nine goals to Cardiff’s zero.

 

The aggregate goal tally for the last eight matches between the clubs – of which the Swans have won six, drawn one and lost only once – now stands at 15 to one to the men in white.

If there is another team in Wales, with current claims of rival achievements, then perhaps it is Wrexham rather than Cardiff.

It could well have been a very different story had Cardiff’s hugely experienced international striker  Robson not shown the kind of temperamental malfunction which would have been questioned in a rookie unused to the heat of an impassioned derby.

Quite what made the 27-year-old Republic of Ireland forward react as he did to a nudge in the back from Swansea’s Cabango is hard to fathom.

But from the moment Robinson chose to throw the ball into Cabango’s face earn a straight red card in the seventh minute, then Cardiff’s hopes of changing the script were hopelessly undermined.

Ollie Cooper and Michael Obafemi scored in either half for the Swans, who were in complete control after Robinson’s rash dismissal.

Martin admitted: “We were helped with the early red card. It was something we spoke to our players about – especially the young ones in the team – to not get involved in any of that.

“Thankfully for us, one of their players did. It’s a really easy mistake to make when the atmosphere is like this in such a big game.”

Cardiff City caretaker manager Mark Hudson. Pic: Getty Images.

Asked to suggest reasons why this derby fixture, for years so difficult to predict, has become so clear-cut in recent seasons, Martin pointed towards his own club’s stability compared to Cardiff.

“That’s the third manager we have played in three games,” said Martin. “That’s probably it.

“We’ve stuck through some tough moments and we have something to identify with and a real clarity in what we are doing.

“I can’t speak for Cardiff or what they are doing. But for us, we have stuck to a real plan and have clarity and belief in it. Even at times, when it got tough, we stuck to it. It’s probably that.”

“We spoke about it in a recent fans’ forum, we either buy or we build. We are trying to build. I’ve been really keen to stress to everyone when I first came in that it’s going to take time.

“I think from day one we set out with a clear plan and you could see the vision for the team. We are starting to really reap some rewards now with the patience everyone has shown.”

Hudson may have taken meticulous care in his planning and preparation for his first derby in charge, but Robinson’s meltdown threw the whole strategy out of the window.

Little wonder that Hudson just shook his head in despair as Robinson trudged off.

 

Swansea tried to stretch Cardiff’s reduced resources on both flanks, but it took until the 20th minute for the home side to create a clear opportunity.

Michael Obafemi was released through the middle, but although he neatly turned inside Curtis Nelson, the striker dragged his shot wide.

It was a miss the Swans were almost made to pay for moments later when Cardiff defender Tom Sang connected sweetly from Cabango’s clearance and forced Steven Benda into an excellent save.

Swansea were finding it hard to remain accurate even though their possession was overwhelming, but they felt justifiably aggrieved Cardiff defender Cedric Kipre appeared to punch the ball clear from Cabango’s cross – a misdemeanour not spotted by the officials.

It mattered less two minutes later, though, when Cooper gave them a deserved lead.

At the end of a patient attack, Luke Cundle appeared to have lost control in the box but when the ball fell to Cooper the midfielder showed alertness and calm to open the scoring with a curling shot.

 

It was the kind of quality and composure that underlines why many are tipping the 22-year-old for inclusion in the Wales squad for next month’s World Cup.

Cardiff’s only real threat came during a brief flurry at the start of the second-half, when Mark Harris headed over from Callum O’Dowda’s cross.

Normal service – and the result – was confirmed in the 67th minute when Matt Grimes threaded a beautiful pass for Obafemi to make amends from the same position as his earlier miss.

The Republic of Ireland striker might have had two further goals as 10-man Cardiff tired, while Cabango also had a singing effort tipped over the bar.

 

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