Carlisle United 1 v 2 Swansea City

SWANSEA battled back from a goal down to hammer out their first away win of the season and leave manager John Hollins beaming.

''It's a long, long journey home, but it'll be a sweet one,'' he said after Swansea struck twice before the break and hung on tenaciously to keep Carlisle at bay through a nervy second half.

Swansea could not have had a worse start. Striker Rob Scott, in his last game on loan from Fulham, fired Carlisle in front after four minutes, curling a 25-yard drive past goalkeeper Roger Freestone.

Hollins admitted: ''As soon as he hit the ball I knew it was going in. Roger had no chance of stopping it,''.

Swansea's equaliser seven minutes later had a touch of good fortune about it.

Steve Watkin, looking sharp up front, was tripped 35 yards out and Michael Howard drilled in a fierce low free-kick. Carlisle goalkeeper Tony Caig seemed to have it covered, but the wet ball squirmed through his hands.

Freestone acrobatically denied Carlisle top-scorer Ian Stevens, diving to hold a powerful header before Swansea went in front in the 24th minute from another free-kick.

Howard drove it hard across the Carlisle box from wide out and livewire Watkin met it with an unstoppable header -- down and across the Carlisle 'keeper.

The Cumbrians persisted in hoisting long balls for their front men which Swansa's grateful defence comfortably snuffed out, but there was a scare on the half-hour when midfieleder Richard Prokas met a Stevens header across the box but, with Freestone stranded, he blasted hopelessly over.

Hollins, quite understandably, admitted he did not want the first half to end with Swansea more than holding their own.

As expected, Carlisle stepped up the pace after the break. But Watkin cleverly carved out a chance for Julian Alsop on the hour -- holding up the ball under pressure before threading a pass through for the big man to bring a good save from Caig at his post. Scott thought he had rescued a point in the 58th minute. Substitute Scott Dobie pulled the ball back from the byline and he met it eight yards out to hit a powerful shot that had Freestone beaten, but the hardworking Howard popped up to clear off the line.

Caig twice denied Swansea a more comfortable win in the final 10 minutes.

He scrambled to push the ball away from Jason Price's boot end after the full-back had left two defenders trailing with a determined dribble into the box, then palmed a fizzing 25-yard drive by Martin Thomas round the post.

Carlisle: Caig, Kubicki (Thorpe 72), Searle, Barr (Dobie 61), Varty, Brightwell, 
Anthony, Prokas, Stevens, Scott, Finney. 
Unused: McAlindon. 
Booked: Thorpe. 
Goals: Scott 5. 

Swansea: Freestone, Jones, Howard, Cusack, Smith, Bound, Price, Thomas, 
Alsop, Watkin, Appleby. 
Unused: Bird, Newhouse, Roberts. 
Booked: Jones, Price. 
Goals: Howard 12, Watkin 25. 
Attendance: 2,816. Referee: T Leake (Darwen).