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GOAL-CRAZY Swansea City stormed to the top of League One last night after claiming their fourth consecutive win. Lee Trundle and Andy Robinson’s second-half brace did the damage against a Milton Keynes Dons side still waiting for their first win of 2005-06.
Swansea’s treble inside a breezy National Hockey Stadium means Kenny Jackett’s men have now scored a staggering 18 goals in their last four fixtures.
The Swans are top of this division for the first time since October 1992 when goals from Mark Harris and John Cornforth in a 2-0 win over Reading propelled Frank Burrows’s team to the summit of the old Division Two.
There were no signs of complacency from Jackett’s charges who had slaughtered Bristol City 7-1 at the New Stadium only three days earlier.
Trundle gave the visitors a deserved lead on 16 minutes but the Dons equalised before the interval through defender Pablo Mills.
But Robinson emerged as the Swans hero inside the last 20 minutes, firing a devastating double in a five-minute spell.
The midfielder was only playing in this match because Leon Britton was sidelined with hamstring injury, as was four-goal striker Adebayo Akinfenwa. Akinfenwa’s absence allowed Paul Connor resumed his promotion-winning partnership with Trundle.
There was a third change enforced on Jackett. In defence Garry Monk made his first start since the opening day win over Tranmere after shaking off a dead leg and a calf injury.
The centre-back replaced Kevin Austin who was serving a one-match ban for his red card during Saturday’s match.
After scoring 15 goals in the previous three games the visitors arrived in Milton Keynes with a fearsome reputation and they looked menacing from the first whistle.
Trundle went close in the 10th minute with a 25-yard free kick that was just inches too high. Swansea went even closer two minutes later.
Sam Ricketts weaved his way into the penalty box and found Robinson whose strike somehow missed the target.
But the inevitable goal came on 16 minutes when Trundle grabbed his 50th strike for the club thanks to Mills’s mistake.
The Dons defender, on loan from Derby, was not on the same wavelength as his team-mates who looked to spring the offside trap when Roberto Martinez knocked the ball forward.
As a result Trundle found himself one-on-one with Matt Baker and the Scouse goal-getter neatly tucked the ball past the Dons’ goalkeeper.
Craig Morgan, the Dons’ Wales Under-21 international, denied Kevin McLeod smashing home a certain second 10 minutes later.
Trundle taunted the home side with some trickery before releasing Robinson on the right flank.
He centred for McLeod but Morgan cleared at the near post. Robinson was at the heart of Swansea’s next raid minutes later, this time crossing from the left wing.
Connor flicked the ball towards the far corner of Baker’s net but the shot-stopper thwarted the striker with a super save.
At this point Hartlepool manager Martin Scott, running the rule over the Swans from the stand since they are his side’s next opponents, had plenty to think about.
While the Swans poured forward Willy Gueret was a spectator at the other end but the Frenchman was needed on 34 minutes to tip away Clive Platt’s header.
From Dean Lewington’s resulting corner – and completely against the run of play – Danny Wilson’s side hauled themselves level, Mills atoning for his earlier error with a downward header that beat Gueret.
After being in complete control the Swans were stunned to have lost their advantage, shown a minute later when they allowed Nick McKoy to run into the danger area.
He set up the unmarked Izale McLeod who looked certain to score but his effort was stopped by Gueret.
Swansea’s McLeod tried to restore his side’s lead before the break when he ghosted into the penalty box to collect Alan Tate’s high ball but his effort was too high.
The Dons almost snatched the lead early in the second-half when Lewington exposed Swansea’s defence with a quickly-taken free kick but Gueret was again his side’s saviour, blocking Malvin Kamara’s drive from 10 yards out. Rocked by Mills’s goal, Swansea were not the same side that started the first half in such style.
The fluent football that had carved the Dons open in the first half-an-hour had suddenly abandoned them.
Wilson’s side, on the other hand, were causing problems and Kamara almost punished the Swans when Nicky Rizzo’s cross evaded Gueret’s clutches but he was unable to direct the ball home from close range.
But with 18 minutes left two of Jackett’s Merseyside contingent combined to make it 2-1.
Trundle slipped a nice through ball for Robinson and the midfielder rounded Baker before stabbing the ball into the empty net. Five minutes later Robinson sealed the win with his second of the night.
Trundle was again the provider, finding his colleague in space on the right side of the Dons’ penalty area.
Robinson took a touch before firing a shot that was too hot for Baker to handle.
REPORT: WESTERN MAIL
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