Report | Swansea City 0 Bristol Rovers 2
Swansea City’s pre-season preparations continued as Michael Duff’s squad got more valuable minutes under their belt against Bristol Rovers at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The home side had numerous chances in their only home friendly before the Championship season kicks off here against Birmingham City on August 5.
Jerry Yates, Jay Fulton, Liam Cullen and Ollie Cooper were all denied by good pieces of goalkeeping, while Yates also put another opportunity agonisingly wide of the post.
Aaron Collins and Luke Thomas had sights of goal for Gas, but it was Jevani Brown who would net the opening goal of the game with a far-post header with 15 minutes to play, before John Marquis nodded in a second in stoppage time.
A Swansea side showing five changes from Friday’s fixture at Oxford opened with good energy, Azeem Abdulai making a couple of strong surges down the left, with the latter of those ending with a pull-back that could not find another white shirt.
They nearly led in the sixth minute when Matt Grimes swung in an excellent cross which Yates met powerfully, only for James Belshaw to make a superb save to deny the striker.
At the other end Collins broke away down the left for the Gas and cut inside before forcing Andy Fisher into a save low to his left, and the Swansea keeper followed up by denying Thomas a few moments later.
Yates then had a shot blocked, while Cooper fired wide from the edge of the area, before Rovers passed up a fine chance when former Swansea favourite Scott Sinclair fired well over the bar from a Collins cutback.
Yates was then also unable to take a clear-cut opportunity, steering the ball wide after fine pressing work from Cullen and a lovely lofted pass from Jamie Paterson.
It remained goalless at the break, but Nathan Wood soon needed to be alert to block Marquis’ goalbound effort after a pass from Sam Finley had found the striker running into the Swansea area.
Fulton forced substitute keeper Matt Cox into a sprawling stop with his strike from distance, before Joel Piroe flashed wide from Paterson’s raking pass as the Swans gave a number of young players game time from the bench.
Abdulai curled the ball over the bar from an acute angle after a purposeful run from Cooper had taken play up to the Bristol Rovers penalty area.
The Swans then had a trio of opportunities in quick succession, Cox denying Cullen and Cooper either side of Joel Cotterill seeing his effort blocked by a defender as it headed for the bottom corner.
But it was the visitors who took the lead when a rapid attack down the right ended with Tristan Crama’s cross being headed in at the far post by Brown.
And Marquis found the net in time added on as he stooped to glance a header across goal and into the far corner of the net.
Swansea City: Andy Fisher, Josh Key (Filip Lissah 64), Matt Grimes (captain) (Jay Fulton 46), Jerry Yates (Joel Piroe 46), Jamie Paterson (Joe Thomas 77), Brandon Cooper, Liam Cullen (Josh Thomas 77), Nathan Wood (Joel Cotterill 64), Kyle Naughton (Harry Darling 46), Ollie Cooper (Olivier Ntcham 77), Azeem Abdulai (Ben Lloyd 86).
Unused Substitutes: Lewis Webb, Ben Hughes.
Bristol Rovers: James Belshaw (Matt Cox 46), Luca Hoole (Anthony Evans 46), James Wilson, James Connolly (Ryan Jones 46), Lewis Gordon (Tristan Crama 46), Sam Finley (captain) (Kofi Shaw 85), Grant Ward, Luke Thomas (Jerry Lawrence 78), Aaron Collins (Trialist 84), Scott Sinclair (John Marquis 46), Jevani Brown (Harvey Greenslade 85).