Martinez: Disappointed not to win
Swansea boss Roberto Martinez felt his side were unfortunate to be held in their derby clash with Cardiff on Sunday.
The Swans were ultimately forced to settle for a point in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium.
The hosts had taken the lead in the 12th minute through Darren Pratley but saw the Bluebirds hit back with goals from Joe Ledley and Ross McCormack.
Gorka Pintado then volleyed a 71st minute equaliser to earn a share of the spoils, with an action-packed contest also seeing Stephen McPhail and Leon Britton dismissed.
Martinez believes his side edged proceedings against their Welsh rivals, but was delighted to have put on a show for a passionate fan base.
"It was a superb derby game played in a fantastic atmosphere," said the Swansea coach.
"To concede goals so close to either side of half-time was disappointing but we went on to create a number of chances and should have finished off the game.
"The squad reacted superbly to going behind and we never lost our style of play.
"The performance deserved a victory and we had three up front trying our best to get the winning goal."
Cardiff boss Dave Jones was also of the opinion that his side deserved more than they got, placing part of the blame for his side's failure to hang onto their lead on the shoulders of the match officials.
"It was a fantastic advert for Welsh football," he said.
"It took us a while to get into the game and a lack of discipline has probably cost us all three points as the last thing you want to do against a passing side is to go down to 10 men.
"It was a fantastic game but the referee made some strange decisions and didn't seem to understand it was a derby match."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Monday 9th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Barnsley vs Sheff Utd |
| Friday 20th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Swansea vs Derby |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Barnsley vs Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Coventry vs Crystal Palace |
| 15:00 | Doncaster vs QPR |
| 15:00 | Leicester vs Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Nottm Forest |
| 15:00 | Reading vs Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Sheff Utd vs Peterborough |
| 15:00 | Watford vs Scunthorpe |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Bristol City |
| 17:20 | Ipswich vs Sheff Wed |
| Monday 23rd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Preston vs Newcastle |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Bristol City vs Sheff Utd |
| 15:00 | Crystal Palace vs Watford |
| 15:00 | Derby vs Reading |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Swansea |
| 15:00 | Nottm Forest vs Doncaster |
| 15:00 | Peterborough vs Middlesbrough |
| 15:00 | Plymouth vs Barnsley |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Reading 1 - 1 Ipswich | |
| Plymouth 2 - 1 Doncaster | |
| Watford 2 - 0 Preston | |
| Newcastle 3 - 1 Peterborough | |
| Blackpool 4 - 1 Scunthorpe | |
| Sheff Wed 1 - 2 QPR | |
| Nottm Forest 1 - 1 Bristol City | |
| Leicester 1 - 2 West Brom | |
| Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Swansea 3 - 2 Cardiff | |
| Friday 6th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Derby 2 - 1 Coventry | |
| Tuesday 3rd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| QPR 1 - 1 Crystal Palace | |
| Monday 2nd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Sheff Utd 0 - 1 Newcastle | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Cardiff 1 - 1 Nottm Forest | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| West Brom 5 - 0 Watford | |
| Ipswich 1 - 0 Derby | |
| Scunthorpe 0 - 2 Swansea | |
| Peterborough 1 - 2 Barnsley | |
| Preston 1 - 1 Crystal Palace | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Plymouth | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United | 16 | 33 |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 16 | 31 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 16 | 27 |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers | 16 | 27 |
| 5 | Blackpool | 16 | 27 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 16 | 27 |
| 7 | Bristol City | 16 | 26 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 16 | 25 |
| 9 | Swansea City | 16 | 25 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 16 | 24 |
| 11 | Preston North End | 16 | 24 |
| 12 | Watford | 16 | 24 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 16 | 22 |
| 14 | Sheffield Wednesday | 16 | 17 |
| 15 | Sheffield United | 15 | 17 |
| 16 | Coventry City | 16 | 17 |
| 17 | Derby County | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | Barnsley | 15 | 17 |
| 19 | Scunthorpe United | 16 | 17 |
| 20 | Doncaster Rovers | 16 | 15 |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 16 | 15 |
| 22 | Reading | 16 | 14 |
| 23 | Ipswich Town | 16 | 12 |
| 24 | Peterborough United | 16 | 11 |
Sunderland fan Lucinda Gittins was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Catch every game, every goal from the Championship this season... right here on skysports.com!
Peter Beagrie expects a contrast of styles when Cardiff and Swansea clash at the Liberty Stadium.
Sheff Utd make the short trip to Oakwell on Monday when they face Barnsley in a Yorkshire derby.
Jon Stead believes moving off the foot of the Championship at the weekend has given Ipswich a "little boost".
Darren Pratley has set his sights on winning a new deal at Swansea after inspiring them to victory over Cardiff.
Marcus Bent is adamant that Gordon Strachan is the right man to lead Middlesbrough to promotion.
Sheff Utd have yet to decide if Chris Morgan will be allowed to attend Monday's trip to Barnsley.