Report | Swansea City U21s 0 Cardiff Met 0 (Swansea City U21s win 5-4 on penalties)
Goalkeeper Remy Mitchell was the hero as Swansea City Under-21s advanced to the Nathaniel MG Cup final with a penalty shootout victory over Cardiff Met at Landore.
The tie had ended goalless after 90 minutes, and the two sides scored four of their regulation five penalties.
But Mitchell got down low to his left, as he had done earlier in the shootout to deny Eliot Evans, and pushed away Thomas Vincent's effort to ensure the Swans prevailed 5-4 and advanced to the final later this month
The Swans had by far the better of the chances against their Cymru Premier opponents, with Kyrell Wilson, Cameron Congreve, Joe Thomas and Glory Nzingo unable to finish good opportunities, while Mitchell made a terrific second-half save to keep out a header from point-blank range before making the decisive penalty spot.
The home side had shown real composure and asserted themselves during the opening exchanges, moving the ball around sharply.
They had their first sight of goal in the eighth minute, Congreve sending a rising strike over the bar after good work from Harry Jones and Joe Thomas down the Swansea right.
Lincoln McFayden was then unable to get on the end of a return pass from Kyrell Wilson as he surged into the Met area.
Wilson then seized on a loose pass to try and round Alex Lang in the visiting goal, but he could not get a shot away before a covering defender made a key challenge and then cleared the ball to safety.
There was then a long delay as Met’s Harry Owen received lengthy treatment for a lower-leg injury after appearing to land awkwardly after a tackle, and he was stretchered off to sympathetic applause with Barnaby Soady his replacement.
The Swans nearly opened the scoring moments after play restarted, Congreve bamboozling his marker to get away a low strike which took a deflection onto the woodwork.
It was all Swansea, and an excellent run from Dan Watts and a lovely flick from Congreve allowed Thomas to get away a strike that Lang parried away.
But the visitors had a decent spell in the lead up to the interval, with forward Thomas Vincent having a close-range effort ruled out for offside.
It was goalless at the break but it took an excellent save from Remy Mitchell to keep the scores level, managing to palm a close-range header onto the bar and out when it looked as if the ball had beaten him.
Lang then made a fine save at the other end, pushing away a stinging drive from Congreve after the midfielder had come inside onto his left foot following lovely play by skipper Filip Lissah.
The centre-half then came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock as he classily made his way past three defenders to send a swerving drive just wide of the left-hand upright.
Mitchell gathered in a volley from Eliot Evans before Liam Smith fired wide from a Congreve pass, although the offside flag ensured the Scot’s effort would not have counted.
We were still awaiting a breakthrough as the contest entered the final 20 minutes but Nzingo was then unable to convert from close range after Smith had driven into the area and pulled the ball back.
Tom Price saw a driven effort glance against the bar in the final moments, and it proved the last big chance of the 90 minutes as the tie went to penalties as the Swans prevailed to set up a meeting with TNS or Guilsfield in Barry on January 20.
Mitchell made the two key saves, with Lissah, Wilson, Nzingo, Smith and McFayden all finding the net for the Swans.
Swansea City U21s: Remy Mitchell, Harry Jones, Lincoln McFayden, Mitchell Bates, Filip Lissah (captain), Richard Faakye (Glory Nzingo 58), Joe Thomas, Dan Watts (Maliq Cadogan 82), Kyrell Wilson, Liam Smith, Cameron Congreve (Thomas Woodward 82).
Unused Substitutes: Kit Margetson, Charlie Veevers, Yori Griffith, Jack Fanning.
Cardiff Met: Alex Lang, Kyle McCarthy (captain), Emlyn Lewis, Thomas Price, Eliot Evans, Dixon Kabongo, Harry Owen (Barnaby Soady 24), Christopher Craven, Evan Cadwallader, Thomas Vincent, Finley Skiverton (Haben Sampson 67).
Unused Substitutes: Ben Haines, Charles Bullock, Elliot Humphries, Alfie Jones.
Referee: Rob Jenkins