Source: Daily_Mail
Reading 2 Swansea 4: Scott Sinclair hat-rick wins Swans Premier League promotion
ShareLess than 48 hours after the team hailed as the best ever had charmed Wembley, the Championship play-off final delivered its unique cocktail of breathless mayhem.[LNB]Three up in 40 minutes, Swansea seemed to be coasting back to the top flight for the first time since their two-year adventure in the early 80s, only to wobble after half-time.[LNB]Reading pegged them back to 3-2, then rattled the woodwork before Scott Sinclair completed a hat-trick with his second penalty of the match to make the game safe in the 80th minute.[LNB] Pure delight: Swansea's players celebrate as they lift the trophy after winning the playoff final[LNB]With that cool strike from 12 yards, the 22-year-old former Chelsea winger became only the second player to score three times in a Wembley play-off, an honour he shares with Clive Mendonca.[LNB]The goal also killed the game, makingSwansea the first Welsh club to reach the Barclays Premier League and guaranteeing them a minimum income of more than ?90million.[LNB]It is a remarkable rise for the club,who were one defeat from crashing out of the Football League on the final day of 2002-03 season.[LNB]Super Swan: Hat-trick hero Scott Sinclair celebrates his second of the game at Wembey[LNB] HOW IT ALL ADDS UP TO ?90m (well, more like ?91m)The play-off final is worth a minimum of ?91m to the victors, with a Barclays Premier League base payment of ?39m in broadcast rights next term, plus a further ?48m over four years if they are relegated. Swansea will also benefit from increased crowds and commercial revenue, bringing in around ?4m more. [LNB]By coincidence, they escaped with a 4-2 win against Hull, a game also featuring a hat-trick and two penalties. Leon Britton and Alan Tate were survivors from that team to play on Monday.[LNB]The club have flirted more than once with financial meltdown in the three decades since John Toshack led thembriefly into the old Division One, but it will be worth setting the SatNav for junction 44 of the M4 next season.[LNB]This Swansea team are designed to entertain, though they were slow to find their rhythm at Wembley. Reading snapped into tackles, apparently targeting Sinclair with some early physical attention.[LNB]Spot on: Sinclair slides his first past Adam Federici in front of a sold out National Stadium[LNB]Matthew Mills and Zurab Khizanishviliboth dumped him on the turf and it was another hefty challenge from Georgian Khizanishvili, this time on Nathan Dyer, which presented Sinclair with the chance to put his team ahead.[LNB]Nervelessly, he stroked the penalty past Adam Federici. Within a minute, he was celebrating his second goalof the game, sliding towards the corner flag on his knees, where he wasburied by jubilant team-mates.[LNB]Dobbie's dazzler: Stephen Dobbie is euphoric after his strike seals Swansea Premier League football[LNB]MATCH FACTSREADING (4-4-2): Federici 6; Griffin 6 (Robson-Kanu 84min), Mills 6, Khizanishvili 5, Harte 5; Kebe 6, Karacan 7, Leigertwood 7, McAnuff 7; Hunt 7 (Church 76), Long 5. Subs not used: McCarthy, Tabb, Howard, Cummings, Pearce.[LNB]Booked: Griffin, Khizanishvili.[LNB]SWANSEA (4-3-3): De Vries 6; Rangel 6, Monk 7, Williams 7, Tate 7; Britton 7 (Gower 77), Dobbie 7 (Pratley 55, 5), Allen 7 (Moore 90); Dyer 6, Borini 6, Sinclair 8. Subs not used: Ma-Kalambay, Beattie, Serran, Moore, Richards.[LNB]Booked: Borini, Allen, Gower.[LNB]Man of the match: Scott Sinclair.[LNB]Referee: Phil Dowd 7. [LNB]If anything, the second was easier than the first. Stephen Dobbie forged down the right and supplied a low cross, which goalkeeper Federici ought to have gathered but only pushedaway from right back Andy Griffin, covering at the far post. Sinclair tapped the ball in and Swansea relaxed into the passing style which earned them such praise on their way to finishing third in the Championship.[LNB]Dobbie was on loan at Blackpool last season, helping them to victory at Wembley, and he scored the third witha brilliant finish after Dyer tore through Reading's defence and Khizanishvili's clearance fell to the Scot on the edge of the box.[LNB]The chance came in a flash but Dobbie swept the ball inside the post with exquisite technique.[LNB]When Shane Long missed his kick in front of goal before the interval, all seemed lost for Reading but they were stirred at half-time, perhaps by the flashpoint in the tunnel whichprompted referee Phil Dowd to send boss Brian McDermott's No 2, Nigel Gibbs, and substitute Jay Tabb to the stands for foul and abusive language.[LNB]Fall guy: Reading defender Zurab Khizanishvili fouls Nathan Dyer inside the box leaving referee Phil Dowd no choice but to award a penalty[LNB]Noel Hunt glanced a Jobi McAnuff corner in at the near post via a deflection off Joe Allen, then Mills leapt above Garry Monk to make it 3-2 with a power header from another corner.[LNB]Swansea may be pretty on the deck, but manager Brendan Rodgers will have to address the way his team defendan aerial attack. Stoke will be licking their lips but, in fairness, the Welsh side defended their reduced lead with their lives.[LNB] Mountain to climb: Reading's poor defending allowed Swansea to open up an unassailable lead[LNB] [LNB] Pure delight: Fans celebrate a memorable afternoon in London as their team secure Premier League football for the first time[LNB]On the hour, Jem Karacan unleashed a 25-yard shot which flashed across the surface but Ashley Williams, hurled his body in front of the shot and managed to deflect it on to a post. Hunt looked certain to turn in the rebound but Monk produced another incredible block and, in that moment, Reading's momentum stalled.[LNB]Swansea recovered their composure andbroke dangerously. Fabio Borini lured Griffin into a challenge which led to the second penalty. Sinclair scored again, same side as the firstspot-kick but a little higher. That was that.[LNB] Away day: Fans of the Welsh club can look forward to travelling to grounds such as Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates next seasn[LNB]Fitting tribute: Swansea players wore t-shirts in memory to former player Besian Idrizaj who died last year[LNB]The two managers embraced at the end.For Rodgers, there was a moment of reflection as he pointed to the sky,a gesture for his mother, Christina, who died two years ago, and a hug from Sir John Madejski, his former chairman, who fired him six months into his tenure as Reading manager in 2009.[LNB]His Swansea players pulled on T-shirts in tribute to Besian Idrizaj, a former team-mate who died a year ago at the age of 22.[LNB]McDermott started the process of hauling his exhausted and emotional players from the turf. Wembley has rarely brought him much luck. He failed to make the team in four cup finals as a player and his first opportunity as a manager ended in sadness.[LNB]There can be few feelings in footballto match the desolation of defeat in this fixture. After flirting with the promised land and a ?90m-plus jackpot, all that beckons is the prospect of starting all over again in August.[LNB] Reading 2 Swansea 4: How the drama unfolded at WembleyHow the destitute ducklings grew up to be... 'Swanselona'Happy to be a chief scout... but now quiet man Brian's the chiefReading can survive in the Premier League, says former skipper MurtyThis is my last chance to get back to the Premier League, insists Monk [LNB] Explore more:People: Adam Federici, Brian McDermott, Andy Griffin, Brendan Rodgers, Leon Britton, Jay Tabb, John Madejski, John Toshack Organisations: Football League
