The 75th-minute double substitution saw Hollins introduce giant forward Julian Alsop and within six minutes he had headed the visitors’ winner.

It was no more than the Welsh club deserved especially as Argyle had scored the unlikeliest of levellers in the 78th minute when Dwight Marshall turned in Jon Beswetherick’s corner at the far post.

That only spurred the Welsh side into one last concerted effort and Steve Jones sped away down the right flank in the 80th minute.

Although he was robbed by Beswetherick, Jones battled on and re-won the ball before crossing to Alsop whose header beat home ’keeper Jon Sheffield but crashed off the underside of the crossbar before being scrambled clear for a corner.

Alsop was still getting over his close call when Richard Appleby’s corner came in. The giant Swans forward timed his leap perfectly and this time his header went flying into the top of the net despite Beswetherick’s lame effort to head the ball clear.

Swansea made all the running from the start.

Centre-half Jason Smith powered a header towards goal in the fifth minute and two minutes later Martin Thomas was unlucky with a decent shot.

In the 17th minute Swansea finally made the break-through their play deserved when Steve Watkin headed home from 15 yards after stealing into the penalty area to meet Jones crossing from wide out on the right.

At this stage it was all Swansea and in the 19th minute Sheffield did well to field a Matthew Bound grass-cutter after it deflected off the wall from a free-kick just outside the box.

The Welsh side were unlucky not to go two up in the 29th minute when Jason Price let fly with a super shot from just outside the box but watched in agony as it beat Sheffield only to rebound at pace off the inside of the post and back into play.

Argyle’s first decent effort took more than half an hour to arrive and when it did it was high and wide from Marshall.

Aidan Newhouse should have done better in the 44th minute when the ball was squared to him after Sheffield palmed the ball away from Watkin’s feet but the Swans centre forward dallied for too long and Argyle were able to clear the danger.

A minute earlier Beswetherick brought down Price on the edge of the box. But no penalty was awarded and in fairness to the visitors their appeals were mute.