Report | Swansea City Women 0 The New Saints Women 1

Swansea City Women could not give Stacey John and Steph Turner a winning home send-off, as The New Saints took the three points on the day the duo bade farewell to the Swansea.com Stadium.

The pair had announced their intentions to retire at the end of the season earlier in the week, and they received a thoroughly-deserved ovation from the crowd as the two teams formed a guard of honour to welcome them onto the pitch for their final home fixture as Swansea players, after a combined two decades in black and white.

Both had chances to score too, John hitting the post and going close with two further efforts, while Turner saw her close-range effort from a corner roll agonisingly wide.

Aimee Deacon also went close for the hosts, but in the end a Lexie Harrison goal gave the visitors their first win in phase two of the Genero Adran Premier.

It took the Swans a bit of time to settle in the early stages, with Lexi Jones sending an effort wide of the near post as the visitors had some joy down their right-hand side.

John then looked set to open the scoring when Taite Trivett got to the byline and rolled a cross into the six-yard box, but the forward's finish struck the inside of the post and was cleared.

The hosts were then grateful to keeper Amelia May Forkings, who made a fine low save after Harrison had beaten the offside trap to race clean through on goal.

At the other end Trivett had a shot blocked after cutting in from the left flank, before Forkings was called into action again as she parried an inviting cross from Chantelle Teare.

The next big chance went Swansea's way. Ellie Lake delivered from the right and, after two defenders had misjudged the flight of the ball, it fell for Sammy Wynne, but the midfielder could not make clean contact.

Chloe Chivers then uncharacteristically scuffed a shot from the edge of the box, after John had read a TNS pass in midfield and carried the ball forward.

John then floated a rising effort wide of the target, while Swansea had penalty appeals ignored when Aimee Deacon went down as she surged between two defenders in the area.

John's improvised volley flew just over the angle of bar and post as the Swans ended the first half on top, but with the game goalless. 

Swansea were quickly on the front foot again in the second half, Trivett's knockdown from a deep cross to the far post being cleared as it failed to find a white shirt.

It then took an outstanding goalline clearance from Matilda Edge to prevent John finding the net after her audacious chip had beaten keeper Orla Howard.

TNS then struck the woodwork a few moments later as a scuffed shot rolled against the post and was scrambled clear.

And the visitors spurned a golden chance a few seconds later as Lake's backpass was picked off by Teare before it could reach keeper Forkings, but the forward took an age to get a shot away, by which time she had been closed down and her eventual effort was blocked. 

But there was no let off for the Swans when Teare led a break down the right-hand side and her cross picked out Harrison, who had stolen ahead of her marker and managed to guide a low strike into the far corner of the net.

Chances kept coming for TNS, with Teare having a shot blocked following a clever reverse pass from midfielder Kelsey Richardson.

Swansea pressed for a late leveller but it was not to be. They will round their league campaign off with an away fixture at Wrexham, before facing Cardiff City in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final at Rodney Parade on April 19.

Swansea City Women: Amelia May Forkings, Maddy Murray, Steph Turner, Maisie Miller (Monet Legall 87), Sammy Wynne (Eilish Mitchell 67), Aimee Deacon (Lowri Jones 87), Chloe Chivers (Emily Richards 87), Stacey John, Ellie Lake, Taite Trivett (Caitlin Williams 74), Jess Williams (captain).

Unused Substitutes: Opal Rayner, Susanna Cunningham.

The New Saints Women: Orla Howard, Tiggy Webb, Kayleigh Baker, Grace Dunkerley (Zara Gibbs 63), Kelsey Richardson, Chantelle Teare (Maria Ewers 88), Lexie Harrison, Lexi Jones, Lia Lewis (captain), Matilda Edge, Ava Homer (Charlotte Crees 77).

Unused Substitutes: Megan Bowen, Caitlin Chapman, Grace Thomas, Olivier Buckland.

Referee: Charlotte Carpenter