Ten years at the Liberty: Booking a ticket to Wembley

To celebrate Swansea City's tenth season at the Liberty Stadium, we will be looking back on the stand-out moments over the last decade.
Here, we reflect on the night the Swans booked their Championship Play-Off final spot at Wembley.

Swansea City 3 Nottingham Forest 1
Championship play-off semi-final second leg
May 16, 2011



The Liberty Stadium played host to a remarkable game of football on May 16. At the end of it, Swansea City jubilantly confirmed their place at Wembley for the Championship play-off final.
Following a dramatic yet goalless draw at Nottingham Forest in the semi-final first-leg, the stage was set for an intriguing encounter in front of a tension-filled crowd in SA1. And it didn't disappoint.
Both teams were to be applauded after an evening of unrelenting action that left the outcome in doubt until the final minute of injury time.
The Swans began the game without Neil Taylor, who was sent off in the first minute of the first leg, while Forest manager Billy Davies made four changes from the first leg, with former Swan Nathan Tyson and Marcus Tudgay coming in to try and match pace with pace against the home side.



But the Swans started at a frenetic pace, with their flying wingers, Nathan Dyer and Scott Sinclair causing problems for the visiting defence.
However, a break from a Swans corner saw Forest go tantalisingly close to opening the scoring when David McGoldrick shook the crossbar with a thunderous shot - a warning sign to the home side that the visitors would not be intimidated by the electric atmosphere.
Back came the Swans, though, with Dyer and Borini both having shots block, before Angel Rangel stabbed wide with Forest goalkeeper Lee Camp the only man left to beat.
The Forest goal was leading a charmed life when Borini, like McGoldrick earlier, hit the bar from an effort that deflected off centre-back Wes Morgan, leaving Camp a relieved spectator.
It would have made an enthralling final, and in the 28th minute Leon Britton supplied a goal fit to grace Wembley, when he turned Tudgay before unleashing a fierce effort from 20 yards past Camp and into the far corner.
Five minutes later, Dobbie doubled Swansea's advantage with a sublime individual effort. Evading Guy Moussi and Luke Chambers, Dobbie struck a low shot from 18 yards to send the Swansea faithful into raptures.
At the midway point, it was Swansea's game to lose, having dominated the first period, making their opponents markedly second best.
But Forest fired a warning shot just four minutes into the second half when Tudgay, set up by Tyson, blazed over from inside the six-yard box - a good chance badly wasted.



The to-be-anticipated Forest response continued when McGuigan hammered a free-kick on to the crossbar, and the Swans needed to rediscover their composure and their passing game that had served them so well during the first half.
With the introduction of substitute Darren Pratley, the home side managed to re-establish some control of the game, but wasted an opportunity to take advantage when Pratley headed wide from a well-worked corner routine.
The hosts should have then put the tie beyond doubt midway through the second half when Borini broke away, but delayed over shooting, enabling Chambers to make an important tackle.
With only ten minutes left of play, Robert Earnshaw, on as a substitute, made it a contest again when he fired home from the edge of the box from Radoslaw Majewski's pass.
The Forest onslaught was in full motion as Earnshaw nearly scored a dramatic equaliser when he struck the foot of the post in added time.
Swansea had the last word. Camp deserted his goal for a last gasp Forest corner and was caught stranded when the Swans cleared the ball to Pratley on the right, who galloped up field before firing the ball into an empty net from the halfway line.



Player profile
Fabio Borini (2011)
Italian forward Fabio Borini began in his playing career with Bologna, where made a name for him himself during his time with the club's youth side.
Borini joined Premier League champions Chelsea in the summer of 2007, where he continued his football education under Chelsea youth team coach Brendan Rodgers.
He was top scorer for the Blues' reserves with ten goals in 11 games, before being called up to the Chelsea first-team squad in September 2009.
He made his top-flight debut as a second-half substitute against Tottenham Hotspur in September 2009, but having tasted first-team action, the young Italian wanted more, and with his chances of making Chelsea's first 11 slim, he took up the offer of a loan spell at Swansea City.
He arrived at the Liberty Stadium in March 2011, where he made an instant impact, team up with his former Chelsea youth team boss Rodgers.
He enjoyed a stunning debut against Nottingham Forest, scoring two goals and terrorising the Forest defence all afternoon.
Borini continued to impress during his stint with the Swans, scoring several important goals to help the Swans secure promotion to the Premier League following their play-off final victory over Reading.
It emerged in the days following the play-off final that Borini had signed a pre-contract agreement with Italian Serie A side Parma, in his home region of Emilia-Romagna, before he had even joined Swansea on loan.
For the following two seasons, the striker featured for Parma, as well as Roma on loan, while earning a call-up to the Italy squad for the European Championships in 2012.
He was reunited with former Swans boss Rodgers once again when the Northern Irish manager took him to Liverpool for a reported fee of £10.5 million.
And so the next two seasons saw the player play for Parma and Roma on loan, while being selected for the full Italian squad for the European Championships in 2012, before once more Brendan R
His time back in English football has been mixed bag for Borini, with his playing time at Liverpool leaving him frustrated, while a loan spell with Sunderland saw him return to form.
Despite both clubs agreeing a £14 million fee for Borini to move to the North East on a permanent basis, the now 24-year-old decided to stay in Liverpool and fight for a regular start in the first 11.
But with his playing time restricted once again, Borini finally took the plunge and signed for Sunderland on deadline day this summer.