Planet Swans ArchivesIf Wrexham had struggled against TNS last week to make the final again, Swansea were within a minute and a bit from going out of the competition until Robbo’s athletic effort equalised for us in stoppage time.
And when Trundle popped up at the start of the second extra period it killed Carmarthen off after what had been a brave effort to capitalise on poor Swansea defending – again!
The inclusion of Bayo in midfield had to be the jaw dropping moment of the team selection as the Swans fielded a strong side, showing their desire to retain the trophy they won last may in the farewell to the Vetch
Murphy
Tate Watt Monk Williams
Forbesy Britton Bayo MacDonald
Fallon Trundle
The Swans should have been a goal down inside two minutes as a great cross from the right was headed over by Dodds when very well placed. A sign of things to come? Not really but thats the way it goes sometimes !!
What followed from there was a pretty dismal hour of football. MacDonald had a couple of excellent efforts at goal whilst Trundle and Fallon were toiling to no avail to create another opening. The midfield for Swansea was showing definite signs that it had a striker in the middle of it whilst at the back, there was little to do as Carmarthen struggled to get into the final third with any cutting edge.
Everyone knew the game needed a goal and it came just past the hour when Leon Britton gave the Swans the lead. Latching onto a through ball from Alan Tate, Britton’s shot should have been saved by the keeper but snuck under him to give the Swans the lead. And with the lead, Jackett made an immediate change sending on Sam Ricketts for Bayo, moving Sam to right back and Tatey into midfield.
And it was Ricketts who was faced with a torrid two minutes ten minutes after entering the action. First he deflected a Carmarthen free kick into his own net following a foul by Forbes. And two minutes after that his hesitation in allowing the ball to bounce gave Cotterall a free header which was almost superbly saved by Murphy. Unfortunately for us, the ball still ended up in the back of the net. The blame has to lie with Sam for the second, the first he was unfortunate with. But that aside we should also have dealt with the free kick. Seventeen minutes left and the Swans were heading the same way as Cardiff City in the previous round.
Just a minute later Adrian Forbes missed a sitter from less than five yards out after being set up by Trundle and that was to prove to be his last meaningful input into the game as Jackett introduced Knight and Robinson for MacDonald and Forbes. Switching to a 4-3-3, the Swans made more decent chances in the last five minutes then they had made in the first 85. Trundle shot well over when Fallon was well placed, and the same man somehow failed from five yards to convert a Fallon knock down from a superb Tate cross. With 90 minutes passing, that seemed to be the last chance. However, when Andy Robinson is in play there is always hope and his overhead kick from Tate’s superb cross again levelled it with 91 minutes on the clock. Extra time.
As Carmarthen tired, Trundle came more into the game. Two shots reasonably well saved by the keeper in the first half of extra time were supported by the winning goal 30 minutes into the second period. Knight and Fallon combined well with Britton who somehow got the ball to Trundle who curled it home to give the Swans the lead – a lead they never looked like relinquishing.
It’s a Swansea/Wrexham final yet again with the Swans looking to retain the trophy that they won last May – courtesy again of an Andy Robinson goal. Well done to Carmarthen for pushing us so close but for once maybe luck was on our side a little.
Forest next, we need to up gears, and more than one of them
