Joel Piroe could have done with a break from first-team duties, in all honesty.
But his suspension, which is likely to be a three-game ban, could have come at a better time.
The Dutchman will now miss matches against Reading (home), Cardiff City (home) and Bristol City (away) following his foolish red card against Burnley on Saturday.
It will be his absence from the middle game in that M4 sandwich which will sting the most.
Granted, the former PSV man hasn’t looked his best in recent weeks - in truth he’s been off it since the season kicked off - but having him available for the South Wales derby would obviously have been more favourable than not.
His manager, Russell Martin, in the immediate aftermath of the game, was unsure whether an appeal would be forthcoming.
“I haven’t seen it back enough yet,” said Martin. “He’s telling us he hasn’t meant to do anything, he’s just trying to get out of the boy’s way. We have to trust Joel on that because he’s such an honest and brilliant lad.
“It hurt us tonight but hopefully it doesn’t hurt us moving forward. We’ll have to have a look at it to see if we can appeal it.
“It’ll depend on how it looks on the footage. I was really surprised the red card came out. The ref was very close, he’s a very good referee and he’s made that decision so we’ll have to look at it.”
Judging by replays, Martin and Swansea are unlikely to press their case for a reversal, meaning Piroe won’t be around for some key clashes just as they were beginning to hit their straps, the game against the Clarets aside.
One man’s disappointment is another’s opportunity, however, with three or four others now in the frame to step up in what is likely to be one of Swansea’s biggest weeks of the season.
Two often maligned figures in Michael Obafemi and Olivier Ntcham - senior figures in the squad despite their ages - will be expected to front up.
Both had disappointing games at Turf Moor - they were far from alone, mind, in a collective bad day at the office - but they have shown in recent weeks during a four-game winning run that they are valuable to the collective effort.
The natural switch should see Obafemi replace Piroe, with two slots in behind up for grabs.
Martin’s job will be to decide who fills them, with Ntcham, Oli Cooper and Luke Cundle all in contention, while Jamie Paterson is still absent through injury.
The energy and dynamism from Cooper and Cundle would be the most obvious choice against the Royals, which could act as some sort of dummy run ahead of derby day.
Derbies are not just won and lost on the pitch, they are also fought in the mind and having two rookies in Cooper and Cundle in such a white-hot atmosphere could go one of two ways - an inspired decision if you win and a tad naive if you lose. If only football was played with the benefit of hindsight, eh?
Ntcham has found most joy when entering the fray as an impact sub and that could play into Martin's thinking this week. Having Liam Cullen fit again will also be a boon for the head coach, providing him with another attacking option, if nothing else.
His team selection against the Royals, certainly at the top end of the pitch, will be fascinating to observe and will likely give us an indication of what could play out against their fervent rivals on Sunday.
READ MORE:
-
'It's my fault!' Russell Martin's stark admission after Swansea City crushed
-
The grim Swansea City player ratings as defence put to the sword at Burnley
-
Burnley 4-0 Swansea City: Ruthless Clarets punish shoddy defending as Joel Piroe sent off
-
EFL 3pm broadcast blackout is unfit for purpose but scrapping it endangers football as we know it
-
'I love the club' - Matty Sorinola's Swansea City hope and the special feeling he had at Watford
