Second-half goals from Charlie Patino and a late Jerry Yates strike proving to be enough to see off the stubborn League Two outfit.
With things looking up at the South Wales club having won their previous two home matches and new man Williams in charge, Swansea’s match-up against a side his former employee’s Notts County, a side convincingly beaten 5-0 just eight days ago would look a favourable fixture to begin the Londoner’s stint in the managerial hot seat.
As with many cup ties against lower league opposition, patience would be the key for the Swans who would look to progress into round four for the first time since 2021.
Looking to assess his squad Williams would pick a side showing a completely different eleven from the side that beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 seven days ago.
Youngster Sam Parker would be handed another chance to impress, whilst there would be first starts of the season for goalkeeper Andy Fisher and Joe Allen who would lead the side. A recall would be handed to top scorer Yates, with minutes also handed to injury returnees Azeem Abdulai and Kristian Pederson.
Whilst the Swans first foray into the competition started in the third round, League Two Morecambe’s journey saw the Shrimps dump out higher league placed sides in both the previous rounds.
League one duo Lincoln and Wycombe both surprisingly falling to Ged Brannan’s struggling side on their own patch despite the Shrimps poor form which has seen just two wins in 11 games in all competitions.
Looking to pull off a cup giant-killing and reach the fourth round for the first time, Morecambe boss Brannan, however, would have to do without top scorer Michael Mellon from their starting eleven. The Shrimps 15 goal top scorer’s niggling injury in their previous fixture at Harrogate a huge blow to a side that showed four changes with Charlie Brown charged with leading the line.
The game would surprisingly be the sides first-ever meeting, despite both clubs formed well over a century ago.
On a crisp but dry evening in South Wales, it would be the Swans who would have the better of the opening period, holding the lion’s share of possession. Keen to look to set the tempo, a large proportion of the play would be situated within the Morecambe half with Abdulai the closest to breaking the deadlock firing a 25-yard powerful effort into the side netting of the Shrimps goal. With the visitors happy to sit with two banks of four behind the ball the initial stages would see very little action in the final third as the visitors would look to frustrate.
The first real chance of note would come on the quarter-hour mark. Yannick Bolasie’s invention on the left-hand side seeing the Congo international gain a yard on his marker to craft a perfecting weight cross onto the head of Patino.
The on-loan Arsenal midfielder’s header would be powerful but would draw a splendid one-handed acrobatic save from visiting goalkeeper Adam Smith to turn the ball over the crossbar.
Bolasie himself would try his luck as the half drew on, a powerful right-footed effort from the edge of the penalty area nearly catching Smith out but would dip onto the top of the stanchion much to the goalkeeper’s relief.
That would be as good as it got, however, in a tepid first-half of play lacking a cutting edge with Morecambe the happier of the two sides at the break.
The Swans, however, would make the vital breakthrough as play resumed. Patino taking full advantage of poor marking in the Morecambe defense, to time his run to perfection to head home Parker’s searching cross for his fourth goal of the season.
Patino would be in the heart of the action once more this time turning provider as the Swans searched for a second. The England under-21 international picking up the ball on the left-hand side following a counter attack before firing a ball across the face of goal. The cross though would be a little too heavy for a sprinting Yates to latch on to at the back post.
Morecambe would show fight and determination and would search for an equaliser in the closing stages but would lack quality in the final third to trouble home goalkeeper Fisher.
Pederson had the chance to seal the result late on with time running out, firing over substitute Jamie Paterson’s pull back. It would be Yates though who would put the game to bed minutes later scoring his seventh goal of the season on the turn from the edge of the box, drilling low and hard into the bottom corner past Smith.
It would be by no means perfect for Williams in game number one in charge, but it would be a winning start to life in South Wales with the Swans progressing into Monday’s draw for the fourth round.
Swansea City X1
Andy Fisher, Kristian Pederson, Kyle Naughton, Azeem Abdulai (Bashir Humphries 57), Nathan Wood, Joe Allen (captain) (Matt Grimes 57), Charlie Patino, Ollie Cooper, Sam Parker (Liam Cullen 67), Yannick Bolasie (Jamie Paterson 67), Jerry Yates (Mykola Kukhareevych 87).
Morecambe X1
Adam Smith, Joel Senior, David Tutonda, Farrend Rawson (captain), Jacob Bedeau, Chris Stokes (Cammy Smith 77), Yann Songo’o (Michael Mellon 77), Jordan Slew (Adam Mayor 69), Jake Taylor, Charlie Brown (Tom Bloxham 69), Oscar Threlkeld (Gwion Edwards 53).
[Lead image: Swansea City FC]
