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| Swansea City 3 v 0 Caernarfon Town |
Western Mail report
Swansea tightened their grip on Pool B with strikes in each half in a FAW Premier Cup stroll at a near-deserted Vetch Field, last night.
The returning Nick Cusack guided Swansea ahead and Steve Watkin bagged two, but the fare was far from satisfactory for the home faithful.
Swans’ manager John Hollins rested six from the line-up that lost at Halifax last Saturday. Former Liverpool YTS player Jason Jones took over from Roger Freestone in goal and Mark Clode, Jason Smith, Stuart Roberts and Tony Bird were given opportunities to stake first-team claims – influential skipper Cusack returning from injury.
Town, who were crushed at Cwmbran in the League of Wales last weekend, had a lift with skipper Tony Ungi and ’keeper Mark Deegan passing fitness tests. Caernarfon, missing a clutch of regulars, displayed a dearth of attacking ambition and damage limitation appeared a sole objective in the opening exchanges.
Swans’ Watkin-Bird led attack had little change from the North Walians’ five-man rearguard early on. After 23 minutes Town almost grabbed a lead when the dangerous Ungi cut inside Jason Price and Jones had to push over a 20-yard drive.
Two minutes later Cusack calmed nerves as he put the Swans ahead. Town skipper Emrys Williams had tripped Watkin and from a central position Cusack bamboozled Deegan with a sharp 25-yard free-kick.
And the cantering Swans doubled the lead after an hour as Watkin swooped to score after Clode had rattled the rigging. Former Wrexham ace Watkin moved a step nearer a £10,000 top-scoring prize as he scored a second – Swans’ third – at the death.
SWANSEA CITY: Jones; Price, Clode, O'Leary, Smith, Cusack, Roberts, Jenkins, Bird, Watkin, Appleby Subs; not used Alsop, Casey, Davies. CAERNARFON TOWN: Deegan: Tynan, Pickering, Williams, Davies, Brookman, McAndrew, Rowlands, Daley, Ungi, Hunt. Subs. Cockram for Ungi, withdrawn (82mins). Not used: Evans, Hughes. REFEREE: D C Richards, Llaneili. ATTENDANCE: 653. SCORE SUMMARY: Watkin (59mins and 90mins), Cusack (24mins). BOOKINGS: Swansea, Jenkins (foul), Caernarfon, Pickering (foul).