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Swansea 2 Macclesfield 1
Report Nigel Gigg, Pictures Gary Martin
After suffering from sciatica for the last 6 weeks, I hobbled along to the Vetch Field this afternoon in the hope of seeing the Swans progress to the dizzy heights of round four of the FA Cup.
My recovery from sciatica seems slow, but nothing compared to the bruised leg of Leon Hylton from which he took months to recover. After just one start he was relegated back to the bench.
Another long term casualty, Karl Connolly, who scored after coming on against Yeovil, surprisingly didn't even feature on the bench. James Thomas kept his place up front, despite Kevin Nugent's return from suspension. Kristian O'Leary returned following Alan Tate's return to Manchester United.
Freestone
Duffy O'Leary Iriekpen Howard
Maylett Britton Johnrose Robinson
Thomas Trundle
Subs: Murphy – Hylton – Coates – Durkan – Nugent
Macclesfield bought rather more than the minibus full of fans they usually bring with them to help create an excellent atmosphere by kick off time.
Swansea attacked from the off, and within a minute Danny Adams pulled down Lee Trundle and was very lucky not to receive a yellow card. Lee Trundle hit the free kick high over the bar, much to the delight of the Macclesfield fans.
Although the Swans had the majority of possession early on, they seemed short of ideas and created very few opportunities.
Macclesfield very much relied on the break, and to good effect, causing our defence many problems. More than once we were saved by some last ditch clearances from Izzy and Howard.
Both Tipton and Carruthers caused us problems on the break, and their understanding seemed somewhat better than Trundle and Thomas at the other end.
The games first booking was against Leon Britton which was probably just about warranted but Macclesfield were probably lucky not to have had three players booked for some poor challenges.
Just two minutes later the second booking came when Brad Maylett appeared to be pulled back, and with Macclesfield retreating for the free-kick the referee, Mr Warren, surprised everyone by booking Maylett for diving.
Maylett reacted poorly to the booking and seemed more interested in moaning to the ref than doing his job on the wing. On the other side of the field, Andy Robinson was having a quiet game and having little influence on events.
Approaching half time and I'm sure that Brian Flynn was looking forward to getting his players in at 0-0 with the hope of geeing them up to turn around a game that Macclesfield definitely seemed to be getting the better of.
But just two minutes before the break a James Thomas header found Lee Trundle who hit a first time shot on the half volley into the corner of the net. Swans barely deserved their lead but goals win matches, and at the moment, in Lee Trundle we have a match winner supreme.
A puzzle at half-time was deciding whether the MC overseeing the penalties with Cyril was a stand in for Kevin Johns, or the man himself after a Yule-tide Atkins diet.
Prior to the second half I'm sure anybody who saw the Macclesfield game earlier in the season would have expected the Swans to go on to win 2-0 or 3-0 but this Macclesfield side under a new manager seem to be made of stronger stuff and continued to provide excellent opposition.
As Macclesfield pushed forward they left more gaps which inevitably were filled by Lee Trundle who was, as ever, our main threat. He was well supported by Leon Britton but James Thomas was becoming more and more isolated, and Brad Maylett continued to disappoint.
Swans were having the better of the second half but on sixty-three minutes, O'Leary and Iriekpen seemed to loose concentration, and Matthew Tipton drifted between them, and easily beat Roger with a right-footed shot.
Thankfully the goal spurred on the Swans to go up a gear, and for the remainder of the game they were much the better side.
Kevin Nugent had replaced James Thomas and was a better foil for Lee Trundle who by now was at his very best, teasing, showboating, holding the ball up, juggling and causing defenders all sorts of problems.
On sixty-seven minutes he appeared to be pulled down by the Macclesfield keeper but the referee chose to ignore Trundle's pleas for a penalty.
Within two minutes Swansea got the lead back. Trundle was pulled down just outside the box. He took the free-kick himself and floated a perfect shot over the wall, and beyond the diving keeper's outstretched hand.
Swans saw out the last twenty minutes without too many problems, and could have increased their lead on a few occasions with Trundle, Nugent and Britton going close.
Just as we were preparing for the end of the games celebrations, Macclesfield hit the top of the crossbar with a speculative shot from Colin Little that Roger seemed to lose sight of.
At the end, as is becoming customary, very few left the ground until they had paid homage to Lee Trundle who must now rank alongside Bob Latchford as one of the most prolific goalscorers to grace the Vetch Field. He has been a joy to watch this season, and is worth the entrance fee on his own.
Freestone – 6 – Almost gifted them an equaliser late on
Duffy – 7 – Battled well, and supported well down the right flank
Howard – 7 – Defended well throughout, only one wayward pass all afternoon
Iriekpen – 7 – Solid game, good distribution, although he seemed to fall asleep for the goal.
O'Leary – 7 – As above, a few great interceptions.
Maylett – 6 – Not involved enough, he is capable of much more
Robinson – 6 – A poor game by his high standards
Britton – 8 (EIGHT) – Absolute livewire all afternoon
Johnrose – 7 – Started poorly but got better and better as the game went on
Thomas – 5 – Doesn't seem to fit in alongside Trundle
Trundle – 9 – Different class. 100% entertainment.
Subs:
Nugent – 7- A better foil for Trundle
Coates – 7 – Only on for a few minutes, but he had some good touches.
Swansea 2 Macclesfield 1 (FA Cup 3rd round)
By Clive Alabaster, Pictures Gary Martin
Swansea progressed to the forth round of the FA Cup in a game that was more tense than intense. The game was characterised by a dominant Swansea City who had far too many dodgy moments in defence for comfort and some curious refereeing decisions. In truth, the Swans could and indeed should have won by more but failed to press home their advantage and so left the game hanging delicately, neigh teetering dangerously, right up to the final whistle.
Swansea lined up as follows:
Freestone
Duffy O'Leary Iriekpen Howard
Maylett Britton Johnrose Robinson
Trundle Thomas
Subs: Coates, Durkan, Nugent, Hylton & Murphy
Swansea started brightly and Trundle was at his irrepressible best. A couple of early free kicks just beyond the right hand corner of the penalty box was the reward for some good early pressure. The second of these enabled Trundle to find his range and brought a good save from Wilson in the Macclesfield goal. On the quarter hour mark, Macclesfield's Captain Carruthers spurned a couple of good chances;
Swansea's failure to pick him up as he ran from mid-field straight down the centre of the pitch was ominous. Nevertheless, Swansea competed well and pretty much dominated play. Two very odd yellow cards were shown to Swansea players; Britton for a high foot (a high foot, can you believe that from someone of Britton's stature) and Maylett for diving (he will surely win that appeal, the trip was genuine as the entire North bank and the BBC cameras will testify). Rather frustratingly, Swansea played too many aimless high balls, failed to turn their possession into scoring opportunities and looked dodgy in defence. Fortunately, Macclesfield's finishing was woeful. Finally, Swansea got the goal they deserved; a cross from the right was challenged by at least half a dozen heads and the ball fell neatly to Trundle, unmarked and only six yards out. The inevitable happened and the ground duly erupted, as much in relief as celebration. Just for good measure, Macauley, the Macclesfield central defender was yellow carded for arguing with the ref. That just about wrapped up the first half.
HT: 1 – 0
The second half continued in the same pattern as the first. Britton turned on the style, Robinson ran his heart out, Iriekpen was a tower in defence, Duffy exhibited more composure than many his senior and Trundle was a constant threat up front. In spite of all these positives the game was becoming rather frustrating. Maylett became quite predictable always looking to beat his man on the outside but seldom quite managing to do so. Repeatedly, attacks broke down either because the team ran out of ideas or due to an intercepted pass. Most of the successful attacking play was channelled through Trundle. Nugent replaced Thomas and seemed more at home in the team. His ability to act as a target man and link up with Trundle was just what the doctor ordered. After an hour's play Trundle played a sublime through ball for Britton to race through. 
His shot from an acute angle was parried away and Nugent couldn't quite bury the rebound. Almost immediately, Macclesfield mounted an attack which resulted in Tipton (who else?) chesting a through ball neatly into his stride and firing powerfully past Roger. Swansea responded immediately and mounted some serious pressure on the Macclesfield goal. Trundle and Robinson both went close. It's difficult to be critical of the man but Trundle would know that he really should have squared the ball to either of three team mates instead of blasting over from a narrow angle! Finally, in the 71st minute actually, the pressure paid off when Trundle lined up a free kick just outside the area, right of goal. His shot was perfectly placed over the wall and into the top right corner. Cue another eruption of Vesuvian proportions. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and his name is Trundle.
 A couple of substitutions (Coates for Robinson) and yellow cards (Duffy) followed and were entirely inconsequential. Swansea ran down the clock comfortably enough. A final minute scare occurred when a game of aerial ping-pong in the Swansea box ended up with the ball bouncing off the top of the bar. Three minutes of extra time seemed an over generous allowance but just allowed sufficient time for Macauley to be shown a second yellow card and hence a red one. Great scenes of jubilation at the end and bring on one of the big boys in round four.
 Trundle was announced man-of-the-match (fair enough) and the attendance was announced as 8112 (also fair enough). Clearly, Trundle is a cut above the rest and Britton played at his best today. Robinson is a machine powered by a Ferrari V12 and Duffy exhibited talent and composure that looks set to take him into the premiership. But then we know all that already. However, today, I would like to acknowledge the huge contribution made by Iriekpen. He wins headers and tackles; is big and strong one minute then agile and athletic the next. Today he got telling touches and averted danger and even bailed out Roger who was inclined to dither on more than one occasion.
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