QPR 3 Swansea 0

Since taking charge at Swansea a few short months ago, Kenny Jackett has often expressed his admiration for the quality of the attacking players he used to coach at Queens Park Rangers.

You could appreciate what he meant last night as former pupils Jamie Cureton, Martin Rowlands and Kevin Gallen saw off a woeful Swansea side to ensure Jackett had a miserable return to his former club in this Carling Cup first-round clash.

Cureton started the rout on 39 minutes when he converted Gino Padula’s in-swinging free-kick with a clinical far-post volley.

Swansea were never in the game. They chased shadows all evening, the midfield was non-existent and the forward-line completely ineffective.

"Jackett, sort it out," chanted the visiting fans as a depressing evening wore on and there is no doubt he will have a few things to sort out after this display.

A cup upset never looked on the cards for Jackett as he brought his new team to Loftus Road less than five months after leaving his post as assistant manager there to take the top job at the Vetch.

Last night was a distraction from the league, but Jackett wanted to see signs there will be an improvement on a start to the League Two campaign which has seen Swansea pick up just four points from the opening four matches.

Never mind samba beat, there was little rhythm of any description in the first 30 minutes of this contest with both teams scuffing their passes on a slippery surface.

But Holloway would have been the happier of the two managers – marginally – since it was his side who looked most like livening up a monotonous opening period.

On 13 minutes Furlong threatened to put the home side 1-0 up with a blistering strike from the edge of the area that Gueret had to beat away.

Six minutes later and it was Cureton’s turn to fire Swansea a warning shot, sending a 25-yard effort just wide of the left-hand post after Kris O’Leary had conceded possession needlessly.

Swansea were not in the game. They could not get any passing going and simply holding to the ball was proving beyond them. Not until Trundle saw a wicked 20-yard free-kick deflected out for a corner on 34 minutes did the visitors threaten to trouble Chris Day in the QPR goal.

It came as no surprise, then, to see Rangers take the lead six minutes before the interval.

After the home side were awarded a free-kick out on the left, Padula swung a tantalising cross to the far post for the unmarked Gallen to volley emphatically past Gueret.

The game needed that goal and, after Padula went close on the stroke of half time with a left-foot volley that flew over the crossbar, Jackett was probably mightily relieved to hear the referee blow up for half time.

Six minutes after the restart Padula tried his luck from similar distance, unleashing a piercing low drive that drew another good save from Gueret.

Confident Rangers began to dominate and when O’Leary and Garry Monk became the third and fourth Swansea men to enter the referee’s notebook for a reckless tackle – Adrian Forbes and Andy Robinson had been booked earlier – it symbolised the growing frustration in the visitors’ ranks.

Forbes tried to pull something out of the hat for the visitors with a speculative 35-yard lob but it flew harmlessly over the bar.

When Rangers made it 2-0 with 14 minutes to go it was effectively game over.

Midfielder Lee Cook sent in a cross from the left and substitute Marcus Bean slid in with a shot that struck the post, but Rowlands was on hand to lash in the rebound.

The Swans boss must have despaired when Austin received his marching orders and, though Gallen fluffed the penalty, things did soon turn from bad to worse. And Jackett’s misery was complete when Gallen picked up a pass from McLeod wide on the right and beat Gueret with a delicious lob.

It might have been the cup. They might have been playing a team two divisions higher than them. But that doesn’t matter.

Swansea will still have to do a lot better than this.

SOURCE: THE WESTERN MAIL

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