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Autoglass Memories – Eyes Of The EP |
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John Burgum Reporting SWANSEA heeded the advice of their manager in a thrilling Autoglass Trophy final to make a winning Wembley debut and put a little respectability back into the tarnished image of Welsh football. But the first club from the Principality to leave the famous Twin Towers with a trophy since Cardiff won the FA Cup in 1927 did not achieve it without a high degree of drama. Two hours of strained emotions had failed to separate two evenly balances teams when it all came down to a contest no-one really wanted. Hardly noted for their penalty prowess after missing so many spot kicks in recent times, Swansea has cause to view it with a certain amount of suspicion. But Swansea’s 18,000 strong following need not have worried. Enter Frank Burrows with calming assurance "I simply told my players not to complicate things. Make up your mind, never change it." That’s exactly what Swansea did. Swansea captain John Cornforth, voted Autoglass man of the match, Kwame Ampadu and Steve Torpey all succeeded without too much fuss and bother. Burrows added: "When it comes down to penalties it’s in the lap of the gods. Your pray that the gods are with you for those two or three minutes and they certainly were. Huddersfield duo Graham Mitchell and Phil Starbuck struck the wood work and when second half hero Roger Freestone denied Tom Cowan to crown a superb personal contribution, Huddersfield dismay was quickly over shadowed by Swansea joy. Cornforth immediately ran over to his manager and the two hugged each other in celebration. But the one sided penalty shoot our bore little resemblance to the previous two hours of frantic see sawing activity. Swansea rarely looked in trouble after the recalled Andy McFarlane scored early on, but they were rocked back on their heels after the interval when Huddersfield’s physical strength threatened to disrupt Swansea’s passing game. Having withstood the pressure not without several scares, Swansea came back strongly in extra time when Steve Francis pulled off the save of the match t turn Cornforth’s free kick around the post. It had looked a lot more promising early on when Swansea mde the perfect Wembley start by scoring the fastest goal in the competition’s history after just eight minutes. Freestone pumped a long free kick deep into the Huddersfield defence after Colin Pascoe had been impeded and the long striding McFarlane did the rest -chesting the ball down with nonchalant ease as Huddersfield stood and watched before turning sharply and burying a low drive into the far corner of the goalkeeper’s net. With Cornforth directing astutely from midfield and Pascoe grafting tirelessly in support, Swansea continued to call most of the shots until the latter stages of the first half when Wembley’s soft underbelly started to dig into Swansea’s reserves. The arrival of lively Iain Dunn at the start of the second half merely reinforced Huddersfield’s grip of the proceedings. From then on, Swansea struggled for long periods to match Huddersfield’s greater strength and commitment. The aerial power of Andrew Booth underlined it and the problems Mark Harris and Michael Basham ensured served as ample testimony. Almost every time Swansea gained possession the Terriers were snapping at their heels forcing the error and allowing wingers Jason Bowen and the ineffective John Hodge little room to manoeuvre even on Wembley’s vast acres. Huddersfield pressure brought its due reward after just over an hour’s play – Phil Starbuck supplying the corner and Richard Logan the finish with a firm header. Although scoring opportunities were at a premium both sides had chances to avoid the necessity of extra time. Mark Clode forced Francis to palm one effort over the bar before going off injured to complete a remarkable nine days which included a spell in hospital after he’d been knocked unconscious at Burnley. Swansea’s best winning chance however, came as injury time beckoned. The hard working McFarlane cleared a long ball out of defence and Bowen raced clear pursued by Chris Billy before rattling the near post with a right foot drive. The athletic Freestone was even more active, denying Starbuck before making a point blank reaction save to turn a header from Simon Baldry over the bar. Swansea somehow managed to save something for the extra half hour and they finished far the stronger before that dramatic penalty shoot out earned them top billing with their rugby neighbours who lifted the coveted Heineken League title just 24 hours earlier at St Helens. Click Here For The Main Autoglass Celebration Index Pictures courtesy of Colin Jones and Jamie Robinson |
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