A thunderous strike from Zan Vipotnik, a late equaliser from Plymouth, and a penalty shootout that saw Andy Fisher stand tall and Melker Widell seal redemption; this was a cup tie that asked questions of The Swans and got answers in grit, not glamour. With a youthful XI and a crowd just shy of 7,300, The Swans progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup after a 1–1 draw and a 5–3 win on penalties.
⚔️ First Half: Vipotnik’s Thunderbolt, Parker’s Bite, and a Gut-Punch Before the Break
The Swans lined up with a blend of youth and bite. Sam Parker, still just 17, started wide right and looked like he’d been waiting for this moment since he first kicked a ball in the back lanes of Townhill. From the first whistle, he was on it—pressing Sorinola, chasing lost causes, and snapping into tackles like he had something to prove. And he did.
The opening exchanges were scrappy. Plymouth pressed high, trying to force errors from Stamenic and Fulton. The Swans struggled to find rhythm early on, with Vipotnik isolated and the midfield unable to link cleanly. But defensively, Kaelan Casey and Cameron Burgess stood firm. Wiredu tried to bully his way through, but found no joy.
Then came the spark. Minute 22. Stamenic, under pressure, dropped deep and picked a pass through the lines. Vipotnik took it in stride, turned, and unleashed a rocket from 25 yards. It smacked the underside of the bar and bounced in. No keeper in the world was stopping that. Vipotnik didn’t just celebrate, he roared toward the West Stand, where the real fans were. The ones who turned up. The ones who felt it. That goal didn’t just lift the roof, it gave the night its heartbeat.
From there, The Swans grew. Parker kept driving, winning corners and forcing Sorinola back. Tymon overlapped well, and Inoussa began to find space. On 39 minutes, Jisung Eom slipped a clever ball into Vipotnik, who spun and fired just wide. It felt like a second was coming.
But football doesn’t care about feelings. On 44 minutes, Plymouth won a soft free-kick out wide. Sorinola floated it to the back post. Wiredu rose above Widell, who lost his man, and nodded past Fisher. It was a sucker punch. The Swans had done the hard part. They’d earned the lead. But they went in level.
The half-time whistle blew with frustration in the air. The West Stand groaned. The players trudged off knowing they’d let Plymouth back in. It wasn’t a collapse, but it was a lapse. And in cup football, that’s enough to change everything.
🔁 Second Half: Scraps, Saves, and a Keeper Who Refused to Blink
The second half began with tension. Not the kind that builds slowly, the kind that sits in your chest from the first kick. The Swans knew they’d let Plymouth back in, and Plymouth smelled blood.
The visitors came out sharper. Watts and Pepple pressed high, forcing Tymon and Parker into rushed clearances. Fulton, already on a booking, had to tread carefully. Widell tried to make amends, snapping into tackles and recycling possession, but the midfield lacked a true playmaker. Galbraith’s absence was felt until he came on late.
Parker remained a bright spark. He beat Sorinola twice in the opening ten minutes, winning a corner and a free-kick. His delivery wasn’t perfect, but his intent was clear. He wanted it, and the fans saw that.
Vipotnik had two chances in quick succession. On 58 minutes, he latched onto a Tymon cross but headed over. On 63, he spun his man and fired low, but Ashby-Hammond got down well. Inoussa, meanwhile, drifted wide, trying to stretch the defence. But the service dried up.
Plymouth weren’t passive. Tolaj came on and immediately tested Fisher with a low drive. Issaka followed with a curling effort that Fisher tipped wide. The Swans keeper was dialled in. His double save in the 84th minute, first from Tolaj, then Issaka, was the moment. The West Stand rose. Fisher didn’t just keep The Swans in it, he kept the belief alive.
Galbraith came on and added some calm. He found pockets, slowed the tempo, and helped The Swans regain shape. But the final ball still lacked bite. Bobby Wales chased everything, and the game drifted toward penalties.
Eight minutes of added time saw frantic energy. Tymon drove forward. Vipotnik pressed. Casey cleared his lines. But there was no breakthrough. The whistle blew. The fans stood. It was time for penalties.
And in that moment, it felt like The Swans were ready. Not because they’d dominated, but because they’d endured. Fisher stood tall. Widell had a chance at redemption. And the fans, scattered but loud, believed.
🎯 Penalty Shootout: Fisher’s Moment, Widell’s Redemption
The shootout was a test of nerve. Here’s how it unfolded:
- Zan Vipotnik – Bottom right. Cool as you like. 1–0
- Lorent Tolaj – Centre of goal. 1–1
- Jay Fulton – Bottom right. 2–1
- Matthew Sorinola – Saved by Fisher. Bottom left
- Liam Cullen – Centre of goal. 3–1
- Caleb Watts – Top left. 3–2
- Kaelan Casey – Bottom right. 4–2
- Bali Mumba – Top left. 4–3
- Melker Widell – Bottom left. 5–3. Game over
Widell, who’d been beaten in the air for Plymouth’s equaliser, stepped up with ice in his veins. His penalty was struck with conviction. Redemption sealed. The Swans were through.
🏅 Swans Man of the Match: Andy Fisher
There’s no debate. Fisher was the difference. His second-half saves kept The Swans alive when Plymouth looked most dangerous. His penalty stop turned the shootout. And his presence, calm, commanding, unshaken, was felt in every moment that mattered. On a night where others flickered, Fisher burned steady. He didn’t just keep goal, he kept belief.
📝 Starting Line-Ups
Swansea City:
Andy Fisher; Sam Parker, Kaelan Casey, Cameron Burgess (captain), Josh Tymon; Marko Stamenic, Jay Fulton, Melker Widell; Zeidane Inoussa, Jisung Eom, Zan Vipotnik
Substitutes:
Paul Farman, Josh Key, Ben Cabango, Malick Yalcouyé, Goncalo Franco, Liam Cullen, Bobby Wales, Ethan Galbraith, Ollie Cooper
Plymouth Argyle:
Luca Ashby-Hammond; Matthew Sorinola, Julio Pleguezuelo, Brendan Galloway, Ashley Phillips; Caleb Watts, Brendan Wiredu, Adam Randell; Mustapha Bundu, Freddie Issaka, Lorent Tolaj
🗣️ Fan View: A Cup Night That Asked Questions and Answered Them
This was one of those nights where the scoreline only tells half the story. The Swans didn’t play champagne football. They didn’t dominate. They didn’t dazzle. But they showed something that’s been missing in patches: fight. And for the 7,279 who turned up, most of them packed into the West Stand, it mattered.
Vipotnik’s goal was a moment of pure class. A strike that deserved a bigger crowd, a bigger stage. But it was the reaction after that told the real story. The Swans didn’t kick on. They let Plymouth back in. And when Wiredu nodded home, you could feel the groan ripple through the stand. Not anger. Not disbelief. Just that familiar ache of “here we go again.”
But credit where it’s due. The Swans didn’t fold. They scrapped. They chased. They dug in. Parker played like a lad who’s been waiting his whole life for this shirt. Widell found redemption. And Fisher gave us a performance that will be remembered.
It wasn’t perfect. The midfield lacked spark. The final ball was often poor. But the character, that was there. And in a season where identity matters more than ever, where supporter voice and club soul are under the microscope, this was a reminder that The Swans still have it in them.
Not a classic. But a cup night that mattered. And for those who stood, sang, and suffered through it, it was worth it.
