Swansea City finished 2023 on a high, as the cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win over Barry Town at Jenner Park.
A Stacey John-Davis strike and a Nia Davies own goal inside five minutes meant the Swans got off to an excellent start. They had to wait until the final ten minutes for their final two goals, which came through Katy Hosford and Robyn Pinder.
The win means Swansea move up to second in the Adran Premier, while Barry remain in seventh.
Barry made two changes from the side that last played a month ago against Aberystwyth Town. Caitlin Davies and Aimee Deacon made way for Angharad Beman and India Shanahan.
Swansea made three changes from the cup win against Cascade last weekend. Claire Skinner, Sammy Wynne, and Kelsey Thomas came out the lineup, with Chelsea Herbert, Rachel Cullen, and Robyn Pinder taking their places.
It only took a measly twelve seconds for the first chance to be fashioned out, and it came for the home side. Straight from kick off, the ball made its way to Taite Trivett, but the winger couldn’t keep the ball down. Would this set the tone for the game?
Well, we only had to wait until the fourth minute for the opener. A ball over the top from Steph Turner found Stacey John-Davis in acres of space. The consensus within the Barry team and in the stadium was that the striker was offside, but the assistant referee disagreed. With time on her side, John-Davis prodded home to put the Swans ahead.
Less than a minute later their advantage doubled. A John-Davis crossed found Nia Davies, who managed to head into her own net. The game was only five minutes old, but a cloud of inevitability was starting to form over Jenner Park.
Half chances were the theme throughout the rest of the 45 minutes. Rachel Cullen’s audacious volley dipped onto the top of the net, before Sophie Brisland-Hancocks’ effort from range went straight down Erin Brennan’s throat.
While chances were few and far between, Swansea were in control. John-Davis in particular was controlling the show from both flanks, and Barry looked powerless to stop her.
At the other end of the pitch, if Barry were to get anything from the game, it was going to come through Trivett. There was a fearlessness in her game, and she was proving a difficult commodity for Lucy Finch to deal with.
It was no surprise that right before the break a chance fell to Trivett. Her cross took a deflection towards goal, but Herbert in the Swansea net readjusted well to make sure the ball didn’t cross the line. As a result, Swansea retained their two-goal lead at the break.
There was a feeling that, if Swansea could score early into the second half that the game would be all but over, and they set out to try and find a third.
A flurry of corners at the beginning of the second period served up nothing, while John-Davis’ cheeky volley was turned round the post well by Brennan.
No matter what the Linnets tried to do, they couldn’t break out of their half. Swansea were more than content to pen Barry in and knock it around the field, trying to wait for that opening.
They would finally get their third ten minutes from time. Katy Hosford had worked tirelessly down the left flank all game, and she was finally rewarded, as she cut inside and guided the ball in at the near post.
The cherry was put on the cake with the final phase of play. A breakaway was led by Hosford down the wing, and she cut it back to Robyn Pinder, who had the simple task of sweeping the ball into the net to make it four.
All in all, Swansea will have enjoyed their trip to the seaside, and they head into 2023 with the title still in their sights.
Player of the Match: Stacey John-Davis
A lot of standouts in the Swansea team today, but I’ll give the nod to John-Davis. She’s absolutely electric and a must-watch player in this league. She’s not afraid to try things, and more often than not, has the ability to pull it off, and today was no different.
Barry Town United
Erin Brennan, Lauren Harris, Holly Jenkins, Nia Davies, Hana Bennett (Amelia Herbert 77’), Taite Trivett, India Shanahan, Emily Freeman, Sienna Stone (Lucy Coles 77’), Chloe Tiley © (Erin Harris 86’), Angharad Beman
Unused Subs: Molly Arnesen, Amelia Hodgkinson
Yellows: Hana Bennett (57’)
Swansea City
Chelsea Herbert, Lucy Finch, Steph Turner, Ellie Lake (Monet Legall 73’), Rachel Cullen (Kelsey Thomas 82’), Robyn Pinder, Katy Hosford ©, Stacey John-Davis, Sophie Brisland-Hancocks (Sammy Wynne 73’), Emily Thomas (Chloe Chivers 46’), Jess Williams
Unused Subs: Opal Rayner
Goals: Stacey John-Davis (4’), Nia Davies (5’ OG), Katy Hosford (80’), Robyn Pinder (90’)
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