Jeremy Kivell
Just read your article about the Autoglass final. Like you, I can't believe it was 10 years ago. I was clearing out some old emails from the server at work the other day, and believe it or not, I found one that I'd sent the a few days after the final to a Swans fan called Alan Philips in Melbourne. This was when the internet worked using wet string and tin cans, and Gary hadn't yet started scfc.co.uk, so exiles were really starved of information. I think Alan had seen something I'd posted on the rec.sports.soccer newsgroup, and we'd started swapping occasional emails from there. Anyway, enough rambling. Here's the email I found. Hope it's useful to you (BTW, Cardiff won the Welsh Cup semi, then went and lost to Barry in the final)... > Could it be true ?? Another Swansea fan reading rss. I thought I was the only one. Yes Alan, it's true. I've been lurking on RSS for about 3 years, and the only posts mentioning Swansea that I've seen have been from Cardiff fans. Maybe there are a lot more of us out there who think they are the "only ones"?> Jeremy, I've been trying to find out the result of the Wembley match all week, could you please put me out of my misery. After following the Swans for years I go and emigrate and the buggers get to Wembley ! Assuming you went, any chance of a few lines in way of a match report ? Yep, I went, and quite an experience it was! The score after 90 minutes was 1-1. Extra time produced no more scoring, and the Swans won it 3-1 on penalties. Swansea had the better of the first half, and went one up after six minutes when Andy McFarlane followed up his own flick on from Roger Freestone's kick upfield to hit a shot from the corner of the area across the Huddersfield keeper into the far corner. Andy Mac seems to specialise in scoring good goals on big occasions (he got one in the play-offs against WBA at the Vetch last season). The rest of the first half produced few more chances, although Phil Starbuck (I think) should have buried a shooting chance for Huddersfield just before the break.
Huddersfield woke up in the second half, and equalised after an hour. It was a corner from their right which was met by a pretty good header from about 10 yards back across Freestone into the top corner. Swansea were under pressure for about 10 minutes after this, and were lucky on a couple of occasions before coming back into the game and creating a few more chances themselves. Jason Bowen was unlucky when the ball wouldn't come down for him to shoot while in the Huddersfield area; then in the last minute, Bowen got goal-side of the left-back and shot from the corner of the area against the near post - unbelievable! Both teams were fairly cautious during extra-time, as you might expect. The only moment that stood out for me was a free kick by John Cornforth from just outside the box that was curling and dipping beautifully into the top corner of the Huddersfield goal, but their keeper made a brilliant save. So to the penalties which, like both the other goals, took place at the opposite end of the ground from where I was sitting. Huddersfield went first and hit the post (poetic justice for Bowen's last minute miss). John Cornforth scored with his kick, then Huddersfield converted one. Pat Ampadu put Swansea ahead again, then Huddersfield managed to hit the bar with their next effort (divine retribution!). Steven Torpey (who had come on a sub in the 2nd half) scored, and then Freestone saved a rather pathetic attempt to clinch it. Man of the match was John Cornforth (I don't know who chose him, but I don't think I'd disagree). Mark Clode had a very good game at left back, and the only disappointments were the performances of Colin Pascoe (who still has dodgy ankles) and John Hodge. All in all a pretty good day out, especially satisfying when you consider that Swansea fans were outnumbered 27,000 to 17,000. We got a bit of stick from the Huddersfield lot before the game "...come on a skate board, you must have come on a skateboard...", so walking smugly back to the car after the game was particularly enjoyable.> It's hard enough getting league results from the lower divisions let alone any match reports. ...and I thought I was badly done by living in Berkshire where the reception of Radio Wales is terrible! In case you don't know, we're mathematically safe from relegation since last week's win at Bournemouth. Welsh Cup semi second leg tonight (Thursday). As you may know, we're 2-1 down against C ff from the home leg, so we've got a bit of work to do at Ninian Park. Cornforth, Bowen, Pascoe, Clode and McFarlane were rested for Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat by Port Vale, but they're all expected to play tonight. I'll mail (or post, depending on the outcome!) the result tomorrow.
David Darlington
All I can say is what a weekend. Started off on Saturday morning train to Paddington. We arrived in London at about 12.30 where we (about 15 of us)were booked into the Tredegar Hotel, a horrible seedy hotel in the square just around the corner from the station. Bags were dumped and an all dayer started. We went around the local pubs in the afternoon with a session in Soho lined up in the evening. The afternoon went well, and I will summerise in point form of the various incidents. 1. Two boys fell for the tourist trap and ended up being charged £300 for two halves of lager, having their lives threatened and having to do a runner from a club in soho, it still cost them about £200. They managed their escape by running off from the guy when he was taking them to the cash point for the extra £100!! 2. Three of the lads ended up having a fight in Leicester Square, with one of the boys ending up with someones nipple in his mouth, it had been detached from the body of the owner!! Only one black eye in the trio! 3. About seven of the boys ended up having a fight in Soho Square with either Leeds or Chelsea fans, only one broken nose, no black eyes. 4.A fewof boys went on a prostitute search, Two ended up ina brothel but only one did the business because as the other one was waiting to see the same prostitute, the prositute asked the first boy how long he was going to be as he was crap!!! He stormed out and told the second boy she wasn't worth the money, sounded like sour grapes. 5. One of the boys ended up ina club in Paddington, the only problem was that he was the only white guy in there and they took an instant dislike to him and chased him out, luckily unscathed. Apart form the smaller incidents of one of the boys being locked out of his room all night, another shitting the bed, and some minor arguments between the boys I think you will agree it was an eventfull night all round!! We were up at eight after about two hours sleep, we skipped breakfast and headed for a pub in Paddington, I cant remember what it was called but one of the boys said his cousin owned it and was opening up early for Swans fans. We were chuffed to find out he was telling the truth and the pub was indeed open, our only regret that it had been open for nearly half an hour before we got there and it was full of Swans fans.
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