Swansea City continue pre-season preparations with Stevenage double-header
Swansea City got more valuable minutes in the tank as they played out two hour-long fixtures against Stevenage in sweltering conditions at the Pinatar Arena.
With the mercury reaching 35 degrees centigrade, this was a demanding work-out for the squad at the end of their week-long training camp in Spain.
They came out on top 3-2 across the two games, drawing the first 2-2 and winning by the solitary goal of the second contest.
There were encouraging signs of growing understanding between new combinations, but for Alan Sheehan and his coaching staff this was about putting more minutes into legs with three weeks to go before the Championship opener against Middlesbrough.
An own goal and a close-range finish from Bobby Wales had Sheehan’s side 2-0 up in the opening fixture, but they were pegged back late on by a Dan Sweeney header and a finish from a trialist.
In the second game Zan Vipotnik finished an incisive Swansea attack to give the Welsh club the lead and the overall victory across the two hours of football.
Game One
In the first fixture, the Swans took an early lead with a slick attack. Ollie Cooper and Zeidane Inoussa took play forward and the latter fed Josh Tymon into space.
The left-back delivered a low cross into the box, and Stevenage’s trialist goalkeeper could only divert it into his own net.
Stevenage had a chance to equalise in the 14th minute as a snapshot from Phoneix Patterson had Lawrence Vigouroux scrambling, but his effort bounced wide of the far post.
Swansea responded with a lovely move after winning possession high up the pitch, and the patient build-up ended with Melker Widell’s pass allowing Cooper to get away a shot that was blocked.
Seconds later the Stevenage keeper denied Wales, after a driving run and cross from Inoussa had found him in front of goal.
But the Swans did double their lead within 90 seconds of the restart as an outstanding first-time pass from Cameron Burgess sent Tymon into space, and his trademark pinpoint delivery was turned in by the arriving Wales at the near post.
Cameron Congreve then got in down the right, but his pull-back could not find another white shirt before the same player cut inside and got away a firm low shot that was well held by the keeper.
Stevenage had rarely threatened but they got a goal back late on as Sweeney’s looping header arched over Vigouroux and dropped under the crossbar and into the net.
And they then grabbed an equaliser as a trialist was adjudged to have beaten the offside trap and held his nerve to fire home into the far corner.
Final score: Swansea City 2 Stevenage 2
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux, Jay Fulton, Melker Widell, Josh Tymon, Cameron Burgess, Bobby Wales, Zeidane Inoussa, Ollie Cooper, Sam Parker, Cameron Congreve, Arthur Parker (Joel Cotterill 31).
Game Two
The Swans also made a fast start to the second contest, with Vipotnik running on to a fine through ball on the right and calmly steering a low finish beyond the advancing keeper.
It was nearly 2-0 a few minutes later as the Swans won the ball and Goncalo Franco surged forward before finding Liam Cullen on the edge of the area, but the Wales international saw his shot blocked.
Stevenage had a chance to level when a far-post cross dropped kindly in the box, but the final shot was scuffed and struck a defender before bouncing into the arms of Andy Fisher.
Florian Bianchini could not take a Cullen pass in stride after a swift flowing Swansea move, before Cullen could not connect cleanly as he arrived onto a pull-back in the box.
Fisher palmed a stinging lone-range drive from Ryan Doherty over the bar heading into the last quarter.
And Luther James-Wildin then spurned a big chance to equalise when he lashed wildly over the bar after the Swans had not been able to fully clear a corner.
Final score: Swansea City 1 Stevenage 0
Swansea City: Andy Fisher, Zan Vipotnik, Goncalo Franco, Florian Bianchini, Liam Cullen, Ricardo Santos, Joel Cotterill, Ethan Galbraith, Ronald, Sebastian Dabrowski, Blair McKenzie.