On this day: Shaun bags a brace

Shaun MacDonald scored twice as Swansea City beat Brentford 2-0 in the Carling Cup on this day in 2008.

The Swans had made a slow start to life in the Championship three days earlier following their promotion the previous season, as they went down 2-0 against Charlton Athletic.

However, Roberto Martinez’s side responded well with a comfortable victory over League Two outfit Brentford at the Liberty.

They took the lead in the 31st minute when MacDonald arrived at the far post to convert Febian Brandy’s cross.

The midfielder grabbed his second 20 minutes from time, as he beat Ben Hamer with a neat left-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area.

That was enough to secure the Swans’ passage in the competition that also brought victories over Hull and Cardiff, before they lost to Watford in the fourth round.

Also on this day nine years later, the Swans earned a creditable 0-0 draw against Southampton on the opening day of the 2017-18 season.

Paul Clement’s side withstood a great deal of pressure from the hosts, while Lukasz Fabianski produced some magnificent saves as they left St Mary’s with a hard-earned share of the spoils.