Skipper Grimes Sends Swans to Wembley

A moment of quality from captain Matt Grimes illuminated a tense encounter at the Liberty Stadium and sent Swansea City through to the Championship Play Off Final.

Wayne Routledge came into the home starting line-up for this big game, the only change to Steve Cooper’s side from the first leg, which the Swans had won 1-0.

Freddie Woodman continued in goal after his fine display in Yorkshire, with Kyle Naughton, Ben Cabango, Marc Guehi and Jake Bidwell forming the defence.

Grimes was joined by Conor Hourihane and Jay Fulton in midfield. Routledge came into the front three with Jamal Lowe and first-leg matchwinner Andre Ayew.

The visitors made two adjustments as Carlton Morris and Victor Adeboyejo replaced Dominik Frieser and Daryl Dike.

The night had a special feel to it, with some 3,000 home fans allowed into the stadium as controls over Covid slowly begin to ease. What a noise they made too as the two sides entered the arena under blue South Wales skies.

The fans were ready to cheer anything but it was some 10 minutes before they witnessed something of any substance, a surging yet unproductive run from the powerful Jamal Lowe raising their hopes.

Welsh international Cabango was clearly in competitive mood, with Bidwell not shirking his task for the Swans either.
Ayew almost got the better of visiting keeper Brad Collins on 18 minutes but just wasn’t quite nimble enough to escape the on-rushing former Chelsea youngster.

Lowe continued to look the most likely threat for the Swans, though moments of quality and composure were rare with so much at stake.

For the visitors, you sensed that Adeboyejo could pose a threat but the Nigerian offered little by way of an end product, despite his willing running. Few other Barnsley names found their way into my notebook in an uneventful first half.

As half time beckoned though, we enjoyed the single moment of quality to date, as Grimes curled in a sweetly struck shot from distance. This give the Yorkshire outfit a real mountain to climb if they were to face Brentford at Wembley.

The second half continued the drab fayre of the earlier 45 minutes, the only incident of note seeing Routledge carried off to be replaced by Neath-born Connor Roberts – usually a lively performer.

The 3,000-strong “Jack Army” cranked up the atmosphere, despite the unconvincing display from their heroes. A super save from Woodman kept out the only real chance the visitors had created all night, as he pawed away a close-range header. It was now or never for Barnsley as the game became more open after around an hour.

In a swift break, the visitors grabbed the goal the game needed when Cauley Woodrow fired home in style on 71 minutes.

You wondered where this new-found sense of urgency had been during the preceding 70 minutes, as the visitors threw themselves onto the offensive. The home support, which had earlier shown such gusto, was now much more nervous. Barnsley corners came thick and fast.

We had found ourselves a football match at last, with Callum Styles now prominent for Barnsley. Swansea still held the advantage though, thanks to that earlier “Matt Finish” from Grimes.

Substitute Korey Smith had a golden chance to wrap things up for Swansea City on 87 minutes, yet stumbled inexplicably as he attempted to evade Collins. The fourth official signalled five minutes to go. Grown men could barely watch.

Bodies were tumbling left, right and centre now, as a whole season teetered on a precipice.

The home fans belted out their anthem “Hymns & Arias” with a force which would have probably seen them win that night’s Eurovision Song Contest. It did the trick though, dragging the home side over the line in the closing stages.

There was scenes of delight erupted all around this always vibrant arena. The Swans are heading to Wembley and are now just one win away from the Premier League.

They will have to overcome Brentford in the Play Off final however. Thomas Frank’s men had came from 2-0 down on aggregate to defeat Bournemouth in their semi-final tie and will want to make amends from last year’s Wembley heartbreak to West London rivals Fulham.

But never less it was a great night for Swansea and with fans returning to stadium, after being kept away for over a year, there was a real sense that Football in Wales had truly returned.

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