USW came out on top with a 3-2 win in a rollercoaster victory at the Sport Park on Wednesday afternoon.
The game started slowly for USW as they conceded a goal mouth scramble in the seventh minute which ricocheted as four players kicked the ball at the same time.
As that goal was conceded USW woke up and started to play much better. Not even a minute after conceding USW were on the front foot but then striker Jonas Eze was taken out horrifically after beating the keeper to ball just outside the box which drew a lengthy stoppage.
The next ten minutes was filled with pressure from USW. This was followed by an exceptional piece of team play as keeper Tom Ogg took a goal kick short to his centre back and five passes later Vishnu Dhanapal played a beautifully weighted ball over the top for Jonas Eze to slot away to bring the game level in the 19th minute.
Not six minutes later had USW turned the score around and taken the lead after a wonder goal from Dhanapal. The ball came out from a corner to the edge of the box in which Dhanapal originally took a left footed shot which was blocked. The ball then bounced up and then struck it at waist height from 25 yards directly into the top left corner.
The game calmed down after this until stoppage time when USW got a free kick in a hopeful position. The free kick was lofted in and again came down in a scramble. The ball then dropped towards the back post in which wing-back Calvin Okeke managed to strike the ball with his weak foot and on the turn straight into the bottom corner to score what would eventually be the winner.
The second half ended up being a much more conservative half. USW set up from the start with five at the back so they could control the game as they had a more comfortable lead.
This carried on throughout the second half with very brief counter attempts from USW that never lead to anything. One slip up in the 86th minute gave away a free kick to Swansea which they capitalised again from a goal mouth scramble with only three people striking the ball at the same time on this occasion.
The pressure then built in the dying minutes with keeper Tom Ogg making a great double save to keep the lead and end the game to keep the 3-2 lead intact.
Sports Insider by Gerren Scapens 