JAN-31

Welsh Premier League leaders Llanelli have criticised some local football clubs for letting them down on a recent initiative.The Reds have sent out special discounted tickets to every Carmarthenshire League club in the area in an attempt to attract more support to Stebonheath Park.

With each club receiving 18 tickets allowing them to enter the ground at half-price, Llanelli were hoping their success on the field would be backed up by support off it.

But they have seen some clubs opting not to get behind them, and in one incident, handing over their tickets to Llanelli's rival fans.

LS

JAN-31

Deryn Brace hopes Carmarthen's recent mini-revival has seen the club turn the corner as they bid to earn European qualification for the fourth consecutive season. The Old Gold player-manager saw his side fall behind in the race for the third-placed Intertoto Cup spot following a tough Christmas period, but seven points from the last nine has kept Town in the race.

And Brace is delighted with the way his team have dug out victories recently.

"We had a tough time over Christmas, especially with back-to-back games against Llanelli," said Brace.

CJ

JAN-31

The Steelmen have an unenviable disciplinary record this season, with Lee Surman and Liam McCreesh alone picking up 21 bookings between them.

Speaking at a fan forum at the club last week, Tucker said: “Our discipline this season has been shocking and it’s simply not acceptable, but hopefully it will get better.

“Some bookings you can understand, but it’s the really needless ones that are annoying.

“You can understood when players get booked for hard tackles but players kicking balls away or mouthing off to the referee is not on.

“It’s hard enough to win games with 11 men let alone 10. For the game against Newi Cefn Druids there are two players who should be available but aren’t.”

ICW

JAN-31

“I’ve heard that we could be the most successful newly promoted side in the Welsh Premier, but I’m not sure how true that is.

“As I said at the start of the season, we targeted a top 10 finish and we look well on course for that, and survival is no longer an issue.

“To finish anywhere above that would probably be punching a little above our own weight.”

Dyer said his players had performed a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the season as they adapted to the demands of the top flight.

“In the latter half of the season we have really seen the boys progress, and we’ve come away with good results against Rhyl, Carmarthen, Llanelli and now Caernarfon. To come away with points has been very, very pleasing.

“It’s important that we don’t let ourselves down and try and maintain our form for the remainder of the season.”

ICW

JAN-31

The former Colwyn Bay midfielder was sacked after just four games in charge of Llangefni yesterday.

His right-hand man Phil Boersma, the former Liverpool player who has worked as an assistant to Graeme Souness as Reds coach and also at Southampton, will also leave the Anglesey club.

Cefni chief executive Owen said: “The board and the directors felt too many of the local lads were leaving us and we didn’t want that to happen.

“Too many players were being brought in from outside from the Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy catchment area.”

He added: “I’ve got a lot of time for Alex. He’s a great bloke and I’ve no doubt he’ll make an excellent manager for somebody one day.

“We can only wish him all the best for the future.”

Kevan, who took over after Adie Jones was sacked last month, said he was “perplexed” by the decision.

“I can’t work out just why,” said Kevan. “What I have done is exactly what I said I’d do when I was first appointed.

“It seems as though word had got around that I was about to fill the team with 11 Liverpool lads, which was not the case.

“A couple of lads left and it seemed to prompt a chain reaction, then internal politics seems to have taken over. I thought that I had joined an ambitious club – we still had 10 matches to beat relegation and it’s a bit too early to throw in the towel.”

Chris Evans, Richard Hughes and Sion Parry have left Llangefni in the past few days.

BBC

JAN-31

As the January transfer window slams shut at midnight fears had been raised the financially-troubled Bluebirds might need to cash in on the likes of Joe Ledley, Paul Parry and teenager Aaron Ramsey.

But a bullish Ridsdale has ruled out any departures even if “big money” offers are received today.

The City supremo told the Western Mail he’d had enquiries about three players during the last week, but rebuffed them all with the Cardiff board now wanting to see how far the current squad can take them this season.

Ridsdale refused to elaborate on which players had been targeted, but Ledley, who grabbed his seventh and eighth goals of the season in City’s impressive 3-1 defeat of QPR on Tuesday, is attracting interest.

Everton are still said to be circling and Paul Parry, also on the scoresheet against Rangers, has also aroused speculation.

Previously Ridsdale had conceded any Cardiff player might be sold if the right offer came in, but with Cardiff facing Wolves in the fifth round of the FA Cup soon and just one point off the play-off places, the chairman is now adamant no one will depart.

ICW

JAN-31

The 32-year-old, who recently had an unsuccessful loan spell with Norwich, has slipped down the pecking order at The Hawthorns this season.

Hartson joined the Baggies in June 2006 but, despite scoring twice on his debut, struggled with fitness and form.

The much-travelled 49-times capped former Wales international scored six goals in 24 appearances for Albion.

Hartson has not started a senior game for Albion since Feburary, but his last goal in a Baggies shirt actually came in a pre-season friendly at Histon in July.

BBC

JAN-31

Moran – one of the Welsh Premier’s most successful strikers – left the Lilywhites earlier this week after just over six years with the club, during which time he scored 99 goals from 148 league games.

The 28-year-old marked his debut for new club Fleetwood with a second-half goal as the Unibond Premier Division side lost 3-2 at home to Gateshead on Tuesday.

DP

JAN-31

"We won't go overboard but we have the belief that it's in our armoury to not only keep the gap but build it," the midfielder told BBC Sport Wales.

"We showed why we're top at Forest, we were in control and deserved the win.

"As leaders everyone is going to raise their games against us, but we'll be up to match it, we have the team spirit."

The Swans are now unbeaten in 12 matches, and in their last two games have taken four points away at promotion rivals Forest and Doncaster.

But they are troubled by an injury to Paul Anderson, who limped off after collapsing away from any action early in the clash at the City Ground on Tuesday.

"He felt his thigh, it's a soft tissue injury which obviously causes a lot of problems to a sprinter like Paul," manager Roberto Martinez told BBC Sport Wales.

"We will assess it this week. He's not a player who comes off a football pitch for no reason."

BBC

JAN-30

Hicks is hero in cup drama

JAN-30

Camilleri confident Pontypridd can avoid drop

JAN-30

An awful back pass from the visitors gave Paul Parry the chance to lay on the opener for Ledley with a fine feed.

Aaron Ramsey, making his full league debut, then found Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who delivered the pass for Ledley to stroke in his second.

More weak defending saw Hasselbaink set up Paul Parry for a well-taken third, before Hogan Ephraim's late consolation slipped under an injured Michael Oakes.

The Bluebirds are now just one point off the Championship play-offs, having extended their unbeaten run to nine games.

BBC

JAN-30

In the other semi Final at Belle Vue, Rhyl and Bangor went in at the break, goalless, but drew 1.1. Dave Cameron partnered Lee Hunt up-front, whilst former Bangor captain, Paul O'Neil was only named on the bench. Nev Powell made 1 change with skipper Marc Limbert returning after suspension, and Craig Hutchinson dropped to the bench.

OWP

JAN-30

Carl Baker's low cross was bundled in by Wayne Curtis in the first attack.

Danny Adams fouled Stuart Nicholson for Danny Sonner to equalise, but after the break Neil Roberts turned into his own net from Matty Blinkhorn's back-heel.

David Antell fouled Drewe Broughton for Mike Proctor to power in the equaliser, Richard Hope's late red card after a second yellow not affecting the result.

Wrexham are undefeated in three games, but have slipped to five points from the League Two safety zone.

BBC

JAN-30

The home side had the better of the first half, with Swans keeper Dorus De Vries making four fine saves.

But Swans midfielder Andy Robinson also had a number of good chances, Paul Smith denying him in the Forest goal.

Grant Holt and Matt Thornhill were kept at bay by De Vries in the second half, a draw the fair result at the death.

Swansea's unbeaten run now stretches to 12 games, while Forest have lost just once at the City Ground this season.

The Swans will be troubled by an early injury to Paul Anderson, who limped off after collapsing away from any action.

BBC

JAN-30

Lee Croft set up Evans, on loan from Manchester City, to score his fourth goal of the season from 18 yards.

Southampton missed a host of chances, with Grzegorz Rasiak and Rudi Skacel both being denied by the woodwork.

But Stern John wasted their best opportunity with 20 minutes left, when he missed a penalty after Norwich's Gary Doherty had handled.

BBC

JAN-30

Chester say they are considering the bid for the-28-year-old who joined for a second time from Tranmere Rovers last summer.

If a deal is completed, Ellison would become Wrexham manager Brian Little's 12th signing of the January transfer window.

Ellison, who has also played for Hull and Stockport, has scored eight times in 26 League two starts this season.

Chester owner Stephen Vaughan said: "We will consider the offer, but if the financial valuation doesn't meet ours and more importantly, if the manager doesn't want the player to move on, then the deal won't go through."

BBC

JAN-29

Moran has experienced mixed fortunes during his time at Belle Vue.
In 2003/04 his 47 goals inspired the club to the Welsh Premier League, Welsh Cup and League Cup treble, but at the end of the campaign it was revealed he had traces of the illegal substance nandrolone in his system following a random test during that season.
Moran was stripped of his Welsh Premier League Player of the Season title and served an eight-month ban, but remained at the club and continued to contribute a steady flow of goals.
His departure comes hot on the heels of prolific strike partner Lee Hunt's transfer request.

Lilywhites online

JAN-29

Being paired with Championship rivals was always on the cards with eight second-tier teams in the last 16, so you could forgive Wolves boss Mick McCarthy for his under whelming response to a trip to Ninian Park on the weekend of February 16-17.

“It’s not a sexy draw I’m afraid,” said the former Republic of Ireland boss whose Wolves side won 3-2 at Cardiff in the league back in October.

“But we’ve got a chance now. We’ve beaten Cardiff once at their place this season and I’d sooner be going there than to Liverpool.

“We have more chance of progressing than if we had been drawn to travel to Anfield.”

Drawing Wolves, of course, means Bluebirds boss Dave Jones comes up against one of his former employers, while current City No 1 Michael Oakes made nearly 200 league appearances for the Molineux men between 1999 and 2007.

“I think if you are going to play someone in your own division it’s important to get a home draw,” said Jones, whose side has seen off non-league Chasetown and League Two Hereford to reach the fifth round for the first time in 14 years.

“So from that respect I think it is as good as it could be.

“From a financial point of view when you get to this stage any game will be a sell-out.”

“But it will be a tough one because we know them and they know us inside out.”

A win for Cardiff would put them in the quarter-final for the first time since 1927 when they went on to lift the trophy after beating Arsenal 1-0 in the final.

ICW

JAN-29

The former Rochdale marksman joins from Northwich Victoria, and Saints manager Ken McKenna hopes he will relish the chance to impress.

“Kevin’s a really good player with a fantastic pedigree,” he said. “He scored loads of goals for Rochdale, and a lot of big clubs were interested in him, but he has lost his way a bit since.

“But it’s a chance for him to come to us to get his desire back and show what a good player he is.”

The arrival of the 24-year-old, who has netted 29 Football League goals, comes with strike duo Michael Wilde and Ronnie Morgan both long-term injury victims.

For tonight’s encounter, the Saints are hopeful that Martyn Naylor, Jamie Wood and Tommy Holmes could feature but Chris King and Stephen Beck are still doubtful.

DP

JAN-29

The Dragons boss has brought in 11 new faces in the January transfer window in a bid to stave off relegation and he hopes they can go on a run of form.

"I think we've found a new lease of life," said Little.

"But results will dictate how people feel and the last two results have made people feel a lot better."

Morecambe, who came up to the Football League via the Conference play-offs last summer, find themselves three points outside the League Two play-offs.

And Little wants his side to be able to play some of the same attractive football as their hosts.

"They play good football, we will always want to play good football," he said.

"I watched Morecambe myself this season and I was very impressed with them as a footballing side.

"They have formed themselves to be a major force in this division."

BBC

JAN-29

It's now 550 minutes since manager Guillermo Ganet's team managed to find the back of the net, a fact which doesn't bode well for the most difficult task of all on Saturday - a home game against leaders Goytre United.

Only on one occasion, when new recruit Benjamin Bristow saw his point-blank header tipped over by former Crow goalkeeper Gary Wager, did Cwmbran look likely to score and they would have lost this particular encounter had the home side not struck the crossbar shortly afterwards.

The result means Cwmbran, table-toppers themselves on October 7, have slipped down to eighth position, and if the three clubs below them - Afan Lido Caerleon and Bridgend Town - win only one of their many games in hand, then they'll drop even further to 11th of 18.

SWA

JAN-29

With the return leg at Stebonheath Park in two weeks, the Black and Greens will be anxious to ensure they keep their hopes alive by gaining some reward this evening.

However, it promises to be tough semi-final with Llanelli on a rich vein of goalscoring form having won their last six Welsh Premier matches to move top of the table.

By contrast, Aber’s form has been mixed, having lost five of their last seven with last weekend’s narrow 1-0 loss at Bangor City seeing them slip to ninth spot.

But they can take heart from their successes against the Llanelli full-timers, who they defeated in past seasons in the league and league cup.

Midfielder Gavin Cadwallader could come into the frame after getting another game under his belt for the reserves following a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Aberystwyth’s reserves will also be in action when they visit Newtown in the Central Wales Floodlit Cup tonight.

DP

JAN-29

But, as Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale continues to juggle with a monstrous debt at Ninian Park, Bluebirds boss Dave Jones insists that having one of the richest men in the world involved in your club does not guarantee success.

Queens Park Rangers are City’s visitors tonight with the west London club in the middle of a multi-million pound revolution.

Rangers were bought by a consortium which includes Formula One moguls Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and the family of the fifth richest man in the world, Lakshmi Mittal.

Indian steel magnet Mittal is reportedly worth £50bn and the family’s interests will be looked after by his son-in-law Amit Bhatia, who helped buy 20 per cent of the club last month.

Spending money on the likes of Fitz Hall (Wigan) and former City target Rowan Vine (Birmingham) has helped lift QPR from the bottom of the Championship with five wins in their last 12 games.

Total spending from the start of the season is nearly at £4m and fans will be hoping to see further investment in the side as they look to get back into the Premiership.

But Jones insists there is no certainty they will be able to propel themselves out of the Championship immediately, with so many quality teams looking to climb out of the division.

ICW

JAN-29

The Spaniard hopes his team will extend their lead to 14 points but he is refusing to take anything for granted.

"When you play the likes of Leeds and Forest, form means nothing," he said.

"It's whoever adapts better in the 90 minutes that will get the good result and we need to make sure that we're ready for it."

Swansea are 11 points clear at the top of League One after a rousing 4-0 win at promotion hopefuls Doncaster on Friday.

Forest left the Liberty Stadium in August with a point after holding the Swans to a 0-0 draw despite being under pressure for most of the game.

But Martinez is expecting the former European champions to come out on the attack.

"They are a fantastic group of players," he said.

"They've got individualities that can win a football game with a little bit of magic and we have to be very, very careful.

"The form situation goes out of the window when you're playing such a big occasion, but we are really looking forward to it."

BBC

JAN-28

Manager Peter Nicholas was delighted with the efforts of his players, who had fluffed their lines on Wednesday night, allowing a 3-1 lead over Neath to be swallowed up late in the match and fluff three points.

"I'm very pleased with the performance and the result on a very difficult pitch," he said.

"This was an important game for us to win and it's nice to be top of the league, although there's a long way to go as we still have 11 games to play.

"This time last year we were well adrift of The New Saints but at least we are giving Ken (McKenna) a fright this time."

Nicholas added: "We are scoring lots of goals at present but we could have had even more today as we missed some other good chances that we created."

Llanelli now turn their thoughts to tomorrow night's Loosemores League Cup semi-final first leg tie at Aberystwyth.

EP

JAN-28

NLD

JAN-28

Wales boss John Toshack will have to do without Collins when he names his squad today for the friendly international with Norway on February 6.

Collins, 24, damaged knee ligaments in a West Ham reserve game on Wednesday.

But Bellamy and Danny Gabbidon each came through the match unscathed and should be picked in Toshack’s squad for the game against the Norwegians at Wrexham.

Bellamy was playing his first match in three months after an abdominal injury and is in contention for a return to West Ham’s squad for Wednesday's Premiership clash with his old club Liverpool.

Gabbidon was continuing his recovery after picking up another groin injury in December.

West Ham assistant manager Mervyn Day said, “Players always target the earliest game possible, so we have got to look at it properly and see whether Craig is actually fit enough to play any part against Liverpool.

“Certainly he is training well, but Craig has only literally played 87 minutes in a reserve match since the injury first struck ... so realistically it is going to be a big ask for him to be involved.

ICW

JAN-28

Boss Little has signed 11 new players in January, seven of which played in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Bradford.

"The new signings have done so well to fit into the team so quickly, it can often take time for them to fit in," said Saturday goal-scorer Roberts.

"You can see the difference in out performances. We're a lot more organised - that's the biggest factor."

BBC

JAN-28

It is the first time Cardiff have reached this stage of the competition since they lost out to Luton 2-1 back in February 1994.

“Financially it would be nice to have a Premiership club, but I have not really got a preference,” said Jones.

“I am not too bothered really. I have always believed if you are going to do anything in this competition then you are going to have to beat whoever is put in front of you. I am just happy to be through to the next round.”

ICW

JAN-28

The Swans stretched their lead at the top of League One on Friday night after a superb victory over fellow promotion candidates Doncaster.

But having passed that promotion test, Roberto Martinez’s men face another examination of their title credentials with a trip to bookies’ favourites Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Yet midfielder Britton says the confidence in the Swansea camp has seen the side stop caring who still stands in their way of their Championship aims.

The 25-year-old said: “A lot of people had talked about Doncaster being a big test for us and now we have got to go straight into another big game against rivals for promotion.

“But we’re not thinking about other teams or who we have to face.

“We are all just concentrating on ourselves, doing things the right way and playing the way we can because we know that’s what has got us to where we are at the moment.

ICW

JAN-28

Remarkably, the name Rhys Griffiths did not appear on the scoresheet as he sat this one out with a niggling groin injury.

Desperate Caersws defending throughout enabled the Reds to breeze to victory, Craig Williams and newcomer Stephen Evans both bagging a brace, the other coming from Mark Jones.

“It’s nice to be top, but there’s still 11 games to go yet,” said Llanelli manager Peter Nicholas. “The lads performed well on a very difficult surface. This time last year we were well adrift of TNS points-wise, but we hope to give Kenny (McKenna) a fright this time.”

ICW

JAN-28

After last weekend’s shock victory over MK Dons Little suggested his team’s 1-1 draw with an in-form Bradford outfit is further evidence the Dragons can survive.

“Three weeks ago that’s the sort of game we might have lost. A comparison might be the Brentford game where we scored first, but, after conceding a goal in the second half, were then 3-1 down within 10 minutes.

ICW

JAN-28

Deadly striker Richard Ryan netted the first goal and Steve Conaty added the second just before the interval.

This success stretched Goytre’s lead to three points over Ton Pentre who were surprisingly held to a goalless draw by Caerleon.

Meanwhile Afan Lido edged to a 2-1 victory over Pontardawe, the seasiders’ scorers being Shaun Best and Ian Jones, while Vinny Wattleworth scored for the Llynfi Valley side.

Maesteg Park and Cwmbran ended goalless at Tudor Park and Bridgend Town added to the woes of bottom club Garw with a 3-0 victory.

Newport YMCA beat Taffs Well 3-1 with a brace by Lewis Summers and one by John Pardue. Jamie Roberts netted for Taffs Well.

Bryntirion Athletic saw off struggling Pontypridd Town, while striker Chris Summers Rikki Evans scored for ENTO Aberamanin a 2-1 win over Croesyceiliog.

A Richard Taylor brace was enough to give Cambrian and Clydach maximum points against Caldicot Town.

Revitalised Division Two table-toppers Barry travelled to Old Road and beat Briton Ferry 5-2.

A David Lewis penalty wasn’t sufficient to give Llangeinor victory against Ely Rangers.

Llangeinor’s neighbours Bettws pipped Ammanford 3-2, while it was goals galore at Garden Village, where the home side beat Cardiff Corries 5-3.

In the Third Division high-flying Newcastle Emlyn beat Cwmamman Utd 3-2. But this fine victory wasn’t enough though for Emlyn to go top of the table as Pentwyn Dynamo continued their winning ways with a 1-0 win at home to struggling Morriston.

Merthyr Saints hit Abertillery for six.

Ryan Buckman and Jason Hatch made it maximum points for sixth placed Penrhiwceiber away at Goytre.

The Porthcawl-Llantwit Fardre game was abandoned after 10 minutes due to a serious leg injury.

WOS

JAN-27

PORT TALBOT picked up where they left off last week with the scalp of The New Saints, with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over NEWI Cefn Druids at Plaskynaston.

The only goal of the game was after just 11 minutes from a well-rehearsed corner routine, and Lee John’s flag-kick was powerfully headed past Chris Mullock by Martin Rose.

The visitors deserved their interval lead but in the second half it was Cefn who were much the better side. However, despite their territorial advantage, they failed to turn chances into goals.

They almost squared the match late on, but a fierce free-kick by Mike Thompson was denied by the upright.

On the counter-attack, Rose missed two good chances for Port Talbot to put the result to rest, but he was denied by Mullock.

WOS

JAN-27

CARMARTHEN’S late winner was a bitter pill for Gareth Owen’s Airbus to swallow.

The North Wales side had done enough to get all three points, as they made canny use of Owen’s distribution skills, not to mention his inch-perfect free kicks.

Perhaps the home side scored too early and eased off after Jamal Easter used his pace to great effect in racing on to a Paul Fowler pass to finish clinically.

After that, it was Neil Thomas in the Carmarthen goal who was by far the busier.

He saved well from Paul Hallows and Owen, but could only stand and watch when Danny Desmoreaux hit the bar.

It was all Airbus deserved when they equalised from the penalty spot, but the home side came on strong in the last 10 minutes, and Fowler scored in the 90th minute.

Late in the game, Hallows, of Airbus, and Sacha Walters, of Carmarthen, both received red cards.

WOS

JAN-27

Chairman Peter Ridsdale has told the Bluebirds boss he will not see anything of the £2.5m the club has raised in the last month.

And that means Jones can forget about any last-minute spending before the January transfer window slams shut on Thursday.

The Cardiff manager could have been forgiven for thinking the money generated from the sale of Chris Gunter (£2m) and Steve MacLean (£500,000) could be used to try to attract new faces for a promotion push.

But Ridsdale insisted: “Dave will not see a penny of that because of the ongoing cost of the court case and because of the uncertainty created just before Christmas.

“My job is to ensure the club is viable and above board, and at this stage I needed to raise money to underpin the club’s finance.

“So as we stand now, there will be no transfer fees out.”

Ridsdale admits that could change should an irresistible offer come in for one of their stars to boost the budget – although there are no signs City are set to sell any of their big names..

And he added: “I won’t say we won’t bring anybody in because there’s always opportunities and bargains to be had, and we’re used to wheeling and dealing.

“But will we be paying money out in transfer fees? No.”

Still, Ridsdale is adamant that should not be a problem for his manager after the recent revival in fortunes.

And in a veiled swipe at Cardiff’s big-spending Championship rivals, the chairman insists Jones’ squad is big enough and good enough to keep up their current form.

WOS

JAN-27

As a result of Caernarfon’s largesse, the sighs of relief from the home fans were audible, as Neath really did not play well. This was despite taking the lead after only three minutes, when Chris Pridham nodded home a scrappy goal.

Caernarfon’s reply was much classier. Paul Addo picked up the ball on the edge of the box to hit a top corner screamer.

They scored another good one to take the lead in the second half, when Peter Doran raced up from full back and fired home.

Neath finally got going with 20 minutes left and in injury time Andrew Hill headed home from a corner. Neath fans could not believe their luck when, almost from the restart, the ball fell to Pridham, and his deflected shot found the net.

WOS

JAN-27

COUNTY’S surge towards the top of Blue Square South gathered momentum yesterday with a hard-fought victory at basement boys Sutton.

Peter Beadle kept faith with the same side who demolished mid-table Cambridge on Wednesday, but on a very poor playing surface this clash in the London suburbs was always likely to prove more difficult.

Chances were few at either end but the game was settled by a moment of madness from Sutton’s new signing Karim Lel-Salahi in the 42nd minute.

The central defender, signed on loan from Eastleigh earlier in the week, needlessly handled a ball played into the box and Jason Bowen showed his usual expertise from 12 yards to send ’keeper Phil Wilson the wrong way.

The second half was disrupted by frequent use of the whistle from referee Karl Berry, much of which was unnecessary but it was County who looked much the better footballing side.

Beadle said “We showed character, grit and determination.

“This was as good a result as we will get all season.”

WOS

JAN-26

Ferrie Bodde drilled a super free-kick into the bottom corner on 28 minutes to open the scoring.

The midfielder's pin-point pass then found Jason Scotland, whose cross gave Bauza a simple tap-in on 52 minutes.

Stephen Roberts was sent off six minutes later when he hauled down Bauza before Scotland scored a late penalty and Febian Brandy stuck at the death.

Substitute Brandy, on loan from Manchester United, finished off a flowing move which epitomised Swansea's stylish performance.

BBC

JAN-26

"Having played Liverpool ourselves, we're fully aware of the excitement that comes with drawing them," said TNS official Mike Harris.

"It's a once in a lifetime experience for clubs like ours to play in front of the Kop."

TNS drew Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League, with world attention focusing on the Welsh champions.

"The recognition that we have received from playing Liverpool has given us a great reputation all over the world," Harris added.

"We have supporters in far flung corners of the globe and people everywhere now know of TNS and our European history."

The Saints currently top the Welsh Premier, and are looking to qualify for the Champions League yet again.

"We'll be rooting for Havant & Waterlooville at Liverpool and have sent a personal message of good luck to all the players and management from one minnow to another," Harris said.

BBC

JAN-26