Swans enjoy last laugh as Pratley strikes twice

Mar 31 2008 by Blair Wood, Western Mail

IT wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but the Swans’ win typified the character and determination that looks set to secure them Championship football.

As April Fools’ Day dawns tomorrow, anyone who doubted Swansea’s promotion credentials should know the joke is on them.

Six games to go, three wins away from guaranteeing they go up and just one victory away from equalling the club’s all-time record points haul; hardly seems like a club in crisis.

Yet I wouldn’t mind betting that’s exactly what people were saying when Hartlepool scored after just 28 seconds.

Journalists’ laptops were barely open when Gary Liddle tapped the ball home and many visiting fans were no doubt fearing the worst.

After all, the Swans had conceded eight goals in their previous five games, taking just six points from 18 available.

And Hartlepool had an impressive run of home form that had seen very few teams leave Victoria Park with much to shout about.

But you don’t sit seven points clear at the top of your league without having the ability to recover from early setbacks.

And, while their recent form might bring the pack a bit closer, there’s a good reason Swansea have beaten all bar three of the teams in League One.

Yes, there was definitely some good fortune in this win. But, at this stage of the season, how you win really is of very little importance.

Defeat would have brought third-placed Doncaster a step closer and meant Carlisle would have been within touching distance of knocking the Swans off the perch they have occupied for so long.

Victory, on the other hand, has simply left both those teams wondering whether they will ever be able to catch Roberto Martinez’s men.

The Spaniard was well aware of how crucial it was that Swansea won.

But, as has been the case all season, he chose to ignore any talk of points targets or other teams’ results, focusing instead on the job his squad still needs to complete.

“It’s a huge win for us, a huge win,” he enthused. “I’m looking at our points tally and we have 82 before the end of March.

“To go into April with more than 80 points is a fantastic achievement.

“I’m sure this is a win that, for people on the outside, will send a message. It will send the other teams around us a good message, but we need to carry on maintaining our standards.

“The attitude and the way we played out there is what we are looking for. We need to maintain our standards for the last six games and, if we do that, we will definitely get what we deserve.

“Conceding the goal so early made it extra difficult for us. But when you come to a place like this and get a result, it shows you all the attributes you need to be successful over a season as well as the talent to play good football.

“In these conditions, it’s all about how you adapt and showing that you want to win a football game.”

Like everyone else in the ground, Martinez had little trouble pinpointing the game’s crucial moment.

Referee Lee Probert’s controversial decision to award Swansea a penalty on the verge of half-time was both a hammer blow to Pools and exactly the boost Swansea needed.

While the home fans let Probert know exactly what they thought of his decision, Martinez was convinced it was a penalty.

And the Spaniard made it clear just how important it was, after making such a poor start, that the Swans went into half-time having established a lead.

“It was a great time to score, especially when you consider the wind out there,” he said.

“When you play against the wind with the scoreline in your favour, it makes things very different.

“I wasn’t worried when that first goal went in. It took us 10 minutes to settle in to the conditions, but, all credit to Hartlepool, they started brightly and took advantage of it.

“But overall, I think we were well in control. And, even when we had to defend set-piece after set-piece in the second half, we defended with good maturity.”

Swansea’s third goal, like their first, came from man-of-the-match Darren Pratley.

Having been subbed at half-time in the draw with Bristol Rovers, the midfielder had a point to prove and he made sure everyone saw exactly why he has been a first choice this season.

On top of his hard-working, ball-winning performance Swans fans have come to expect as standard from Pratley, his two goals served as strong reminders of how effective a finisher he can be at times.

While the first goal was important in its own right, it was the second that killed off Hartlepool.

It was a superb breakaway goal, started and finished by Pratley. But the player himself admitted that, as the move unfolded, the last thing he wanted from Darryl Duffy was a return pass.

“When I played the ball to Darryl, I thought he was going to take a touch, but he played me in first time,” he explained.

“At the time, I was bit frustrated because that meant I had to run on to it and I was knackered.

“Fortunately, I got my toe in there before the keeper. But I needed a breather afterwards because I was shattered.”

Whether he wanted the ball or not, though, Pratley’s goal settled matters. The hosts had dominated large portions of the match and, in all fairness, it seems harsh that they didn’t even get a point for their efforts.

Liddle’s goal was the first of many chances in the opening 20 minutes. Swansea’s defence struggled to deal with the Pools’ lively front three and at times they were lucky to be just one goal down.

But James Brown didn’t make the most of two glorious opportunities and, when Tom Butler’s free-kick came to Pratley in the 23rd minute, he made Hartlepool pay.

The Swans equaliser certainly opened the game up as both sides went in search of an all-important second goal.

But neither side could create much in the form of clear-cut chances, at least until Probert’s controversial penalty decision.

And, when Jason Scotland stepped up to smash the ball past a helpless Arran Lee-Barrett, he ensured the Swans went in for the break with a vital, albeit fortuitous, lead.

The home side didn’t wallow in self-pity, though, and they very nearly scored an equaliser after just two minutes of the second half.

Matty Robson outpaced Angel Rangel down the left and, when his cross found Michael Nelson in the Swans box, it took a brilliant save from Dorus de Vries to tip the ball over.

Only in the final 15 minutes, with a two-goal lead behind them, did the Swans look comfortable.

But, as they held on for a hard-fought victory, the rest of League One must now know it won’t be long before they say goodbye to Martinez’s men.