Match report

Gary Martins Match Pics

When did Swansea City last play in front of 28,000 Jacks? I can't remember such a gathering. We took around 11,000 to Preston, about 18,000 to Wembley and a similar number to an F.A Cup second replay against Crystal Palace played at Ninian Park many years ago.

For travelling support, surely only the 1964 FA Cup semi final at Villa Park would match today's turnout. And for what? A competition that few teams take seriously. A competition that draws low gates across the land. A competition for which there is now no prize money with the demise of the sponsor, LDV.

But this is a final. A final at a fantastic stadium, our stadium. A final in CARDIFF. With 28,000 resplendent in Black and White and determined to have a party this would surely be a day to remember.

For mine and so many other families football again had taken over all our thoughts. After waking early it was comforting to read the guestbook and realise I wasn't the only dull bugger who couldn't sleep.

We set off at 9.20 for the one hours drive to the place known by many as the capital. The journey soon passed with the fantastic sight of dozens of buses, scores of minibuses and hundreds upon hundreds of cars full of fans dressed in black and white.

We parked to the east of the city and walked down Queen Street where Carlisle fans outnumbered Swans 3 to 1, but that changed as we came into St Mary Street which was a sea of black and white. The atmosphere was something to behold.

Inside the ground was no different with Swans fans making the sort of noise that set the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

There was no surprise in the starting line up.

Side- Gueret, Tate, Monk, Lowe, Ricketts, Britton, O'Leary, Jones, Robinson, Akinfenwa, Trundle. Subs- Murphy, Austin, Forbes, Martinez, Knight.

After a quiet opening 2 minutes Carlisle centre half Kevin Gray played the ball back to keeper Kieren Westwood. The ball was bouncing, and intelligently Lee Trundle chased the keeper down. Westwood's left footed clearance was poor and hit Trundle in the face before luckily falling to the Carlisle full back. Instead of hoofing the ball away he dwelt on it and was dispossessed by Andy Robinson. He found Leon Britton wide right and Leon took one touch before floating the ball to Lee Trundle 18 yards out from the far post. Trunds took the ball on his chest and killed it instantly. The ball fell perfectly onto his left foot and a second later was nestling in the back of the net. It was a goal of beauty and Trunds chest control showed once more that there is probably not a player playing football with better control off their chests. If there is I haven't seen him yet.

The goal sparked fantastic celebrations, not least in the Gigg family. I took off vertically with the euphoria of the goal and also the realisation that Coral's generous offer of 11/2 for Trunds to score first had just pocketed me £165. Unfortunately whilst I had left my seat going straight up I didn't come down at quite the same angle and took a swathe of skin off my shin on the back of the seat in front of me on the way down. Still knocks are one of those things following football I suppose.

Carlisle responded well and forced a couple of corners and a few panics in the Swansea defence.

Swans had a chance to double the lead on 15 minutes when Sam Ricketts collected the ball after excellent work by Lee Trundle, Leon Britton and Andy Robinson. Sam left his marker for dead and his hard low cross from the bye line could easily have been turned in by Bayo Akinfenwa but instead of hitting it first time he looked for a touch first and was dispossessed.

The next Swans attack saw keeper Westwood pick up an injury and Carlisle were lucky that referee Tony Leake stopped play with Lee Trundle having the ball at his feet in a dangerous position. Westwood's injury was a result of Bayo being pushed by the centre half into Westwood and an unfortunate clash of heads. After 5 minutes of treatment Westwood resembled Basil Fawlty after the moose had fallen on his head, with his bandages looking like a skullcap.

Perversely the game restarted with a drop ball with the Swans instructed to give possession back to Carlisle.

Swans had another great chance when an inch perfect ball from Trundle fell perfectly into the path of Andy Robinson. With just the keeper to beat he scuffed his shot wide of the post.

After a period of Swans pressure it was Carlisle that found the net on 29 minutes when Carlisle dangerman Karl Hawley headed home after Willy Gueret could only parry Brendan McGills shot into his path. Swans were mightily relieved to see the linesman's flag for offside.

Bayo had another chance on 35 minutes when he put pressure on the centre half and outmuscled him before firing a shot that the keeper knew little about but somehow managed to deflect for a corner.

Carlisle got their equaliser on 40 minutes when a near post corner was flicked on and no Swans player reacted allowing Adam Murray a free header from which he made no mistake. Sam Ricketts, on the post and Andy Robinson, positioned on the penalty spot exchanged glares but Robinson certainly looked the more culpable.

A minute later and we could all so easily have been 2-1 down when Hawley turned brilliantly and fired a shot from 15 yards out that Willy Gueret did really well to keep out.

There was another chance for Bayo but his shot from the edge of the box went just wide.

Swans would have been disappointed to be level at the break and had had enough chances already to have killed the game off.

Swans went straight back onto the attack at the start of the second half and Andy Robinson forced an excellent save from Westwood and a minute later Bayo got the better of Gray and fired a terrific shot that looked destined for the bottom corner before Westwood's outstretched hand turned the ball behind for a corner.

Heads did seem to drop after these two efforts and Carlisle started to get the upper hand. Kenny Jackett responded by replacing Kristian O'Leary with Leon Knight. The substitution saw Robinson go central and Leon Knight wide left.

The game became scrappy and the quality shown by both teams in the first half had now disappeared.

With 9 minutes left and both teams starting to play as if they were beginning to accept extra time, a goal came out of the blue. Lee Trundle received a long ball just outside the box he flicked the ball into the path of Bayo Akinfenwa who cleverly held off Kevin Gray and chested the ball into the box. He ran onto the ball and struck a right foot shot that Westwood got a hand to but could then only watch as the ball spun across the line no doubt being sucked in by the massed Swans fans behind Westwood's goal.

The goal brought a wall of noise and mass hysteria from the 28,000 Swans fans.

Swans controlled things well for the final minutes and Roberto Martinez added greater solidity to the midfield in replacing Andy Robinson.

But Swans wouldn't be the Swans without one final scare. With a minute or so of injury time left, Glenn Murray struck an overhead shot that looked to be heading for the top corner and Willy pulled off a great save.

The final whistle brought terrific scenes both on and off the field that will be remembered for evermore by all those present.

The streets of Cardiff with then filled with thousands of Jacks all determined to party and on the streets of their bitterest rivals.

Being a Swans fan doesn't get much better than today.

Ratings-

Gueret 8 - Terrific last minute save.

Tate 8 - Absolute brick all afternoon.
Monk 8 - Solid as a rock.
Lowe 7 - Did a sterling job against the excellent Hawley.
Ricketts 8 - Another to have an excellent game.

Britton 8 - Brilliant.
Jones 7 - Added height and steel to the midfield.
O'Leary 7 - Not much went past him all afternoon.
Robinson 7 - For once left his scoring boots at home.

Akinfenwa 9 - Kevin Gray will probably need to lie down in a dark room for 3 days to get over the roasting he had from Bayo today.
Trundle 9 - One superb goal and another assist. Just another day in the life of a legend.

Subs-
Knight 7 - Looked lively in unaccustomed wide left role.
Martinez 8 - Only on a few minutes but added steel and ball possession when it was needed.







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Carlisle: Westwood, Livesey, Gray, Arnison (Grand 89), Aranalde, Murphy, Billy, Lumsdon, Adam Murray (Hackney 79), Holmes (Glenn Murray 70), Hawley.
Subs Not Used: Williams, McGill.

Booked: Adam Murray, Arnison.

Goals: Adam Murray 40.

Swansea: Gueret, Ricketts, Monk, Lowe, Tate, O'Leary (Knight 63), Britton, Robinson (Martinez 83), Tudur-Jones, Akinfenwa, Trundle.
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Austin, Forbes.

Goals: Trundle 3, Akinfenwa 81.

Att: 42,028
Ref: A Leake (Lancashire).

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