LATE SWANS PENALTY COSTS ROVERS SWANSEA CITY Trundle 88 (pen) 1-0 BRISTOL ROVERS ATTENDANCE: 8,778 A twice-taken controversial second half penalty was the only difference between Swansea City and Rovers at The Vetch this afternoon. The game looked to have 0-0 written all over it as the final whistle beckoned, with neither side able to open up their opponents for virtually the entire 90 minutes. Kevin Miller and Willy Gueret were as redundant as each other in their opposing goalmouths, although referee Andy Hall's decision to award a soft spot-kick with just two minutes of the match remaining was ultimately what decided the contest. The first half got off to a slow start with both teams winning early corners without testing the goalkeepers, but it wasn't until midway through the opening period when the first chance of note fell the way of Adrian Forbes. The Swansea front man diverted a chipped cross towards goal with a very weak header, but an alert Liam Burns had little trouble in clearing off his own line. Roberto Martinez brought a decent save from Miller with a shot from distance that the Rovers goalkeeper got down well to hold onto, and then just a couple of minutes before half-time, Junior Agogo was knocked off the ball as he charged towards the Swansea penalty area. Rovers started the second half brightly, with Paul Trollope in particular looking to lift his side to victory with a trio of efforts. He first tried his luck from 25 yards only for the goalkeeper to parry the ball behind for a corner, before smashing a powerful drive narrowly wide of the target moments later. The last of his three efforts was also from distance, but unfortunately for the former Northampton Town man it was aimed straight at Gueret who held on comfortably. As the match entered its closing stages it appeared almost a certainty that both teams would have to settle for a point, before the match referee took centre stage with the awarding of a penalty to the home side. Robbie Ryan was adjudged to have felled Lee Trundle in the box, and it was the same player who stepped up moments later to try to beat Miller. The controversy surrounding the penalty was exaggerated further after the referee ruled out an initial save from Miller - the Rovers goalkeeper dived well to his left to make the stop, before the official ordered a retake, which this time Trundle despatched. A shell-shocked Rovers failed to test the home back line in the final few moments of the match, and Swansea were able to hold on to their gifted three points without much ado. Kevin Miller Craig Hinton Liam Burns Christian Edwards Robbie Ryan Paul Trollope James Hunt Aaron Lescott Stuart Campbell Junior Agogo Lee Thorpe Craig Disley Richard Walker Jamie Forrester Dave Savage Ali Gibb

A late penalty from Lee Trundle gave Swansea all the points