Swansea 3 Nottingham F 1 Swansea win 3-1 on aggregate:SWANSEA BOOKED their place in the Championship play-off final by outclassing Forest at the Liberty Stadium, turning on a performance of such quality that it must make them favourites for the Premier League place on offer at Wembley on May 30th.
Goals from Leon Britton and Scott Dobbie gave the Swans a 2-0 lead, which should really have been more by the time Robert Earnshaw pulled one back for Forest after 80 minutes. In added time Darren Pratley made it 3-1 from half-way.
Billy Davies recalled Guy Moussi, fit again, as a front sweeper, shielding his back four, to no avail. In the first half the sweeper was brushed aside.
Swansea started at breakneck pace, with their flying machines, Dyer and Sinclair, to the fore, but when Forest broke away in the fifth minute they were tantalisingly close to taking the lead, McGoldrick shivering the crossbar with a wrecking ball of a shot.
Swansea, however, continued to make the running, at the proverbial 100mph, with the ball flashing across the face of Lee Camp’s goal from both flanks, inviting the merest touch which was all that was needed for the opening goal.
The Swans, like Forest, struck the bar when a shot from Fabio Borini hit Wes Morgan and was deflected upwards, against the woodwork.
It would have made an enthralling final, and in the 28th minute Britton supplied a goal that would have graced Wembley, turning Tudgay out on the right before shooting across Camp and into the far corner from 20 yards.
Five minutes later Dobbie evaded Moussi and Chambers to make it 2-0 with a low shot from the 18-yard line.
Camp saved a shot from Borini before the half-time whistle brought an end to 45 minutes of Swansea domination.
At this stage, Swansea knew the prize was theirs to lose and starting to play the occasion, rather than opponents who were markedly second best, was their biggest threat. Those concerns were pointed up four minutes into the second half, when Tudgay, set up by Tyson, blazed over from inside the six-yard box. It was a good chance, badly wasted, but at least its creation served to breathe new belief into the men in red.
Earnshaw, on as substitute, made it a contest again after 80 minutes, receiving from Radoslaw Majewski and firing home his ninth goal of the season from the edge of the penalty area. He then shot against Dorus De Vries’ left-hand upright in added time.
Swansea had the last word. Camp deserted his goal for a last-gasp corner and was stranded when Pratley came away with the ball and launched it into the net from near the half-way line.
SWANSEA: De Vries, Rangel, Williams, Monk, Tate, Dyer, Dobbie (Pratley 59), Allen (Moore 84), Britton, Sinclair (Serran 88), Borini. Subs not used: Ma-Kalambay, Beattie, Orlandi, Gower. Booked: Pratley.
NOTTM FOREST: Camp, Gunter, Chambers, Morgan, Moloney, McGugan, Cohen, McGoldrick (Earnshaw 78), Moussi, Tyson (Majewski 62), Tudgay (Boyd 68). Subs not used: Smith, Anderson, McKenna, Lynch. Booked: Gunter.
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
