Swansea defeat Barnsley at the Liberty and remain on course for the end of season play offs

And then there were just two games left.   Goals from Ashley Williams, Shefki Kuqi and Darren Pratley gave the Swans a victory that could have been much easier had it not been for two moments of madness - one from Kuqi and one from Dorus.

The Swans remain in 6th place, 2 points clear of 7th placed Blackpool on an afternoon when local rivals Cardiff City secured their own appearance at the end of season party, joining Nottingham Forest as the confirmed guests.

An away trip at Sheffield United and a home game with Doncaster in two weeks are the hurdles that the Swans will need to overcome if they are to hold onto a position that they have held since pre-Christmas and it promises to be a very nervy end to the season although it was probably far from that for most of the afternoon.

The Swans lined up as follows

Dorus

Serran     Monk     Williams     Bessone

Van Der Gun     Britton     Gower     Pratley     Cotterill

Kuqi

I've been watching football for 33 years but none of the hundreds of games I have seen in that time prepared me for what I witnessed five minutes into the game.   The Barnsley keeper totally missed the ball from a long ball forward leaving Kuqi beyond him and past every defender with the goal wide open in front of him.   The 15,000 Liberty crowd was celebrating the afternoon's opening goal when Kuqi's moment of madness meant that he somehow contrived to miss the target much to the disbelief of anybody watching.

When goals are at a premium as they have been all season you couldn't help but wonder whether that would come back and haunt us and you also wonder whether you will ever witness a worse miss again in football - somehow you think probably not.

Thankfully, it was not a costly miss in any more than it was one less goal on the afternoon as Ashley Williams scrambled home the opening goal not long after the twenty minute mark, pouncing on a save from Van Der Gun's header to bundle the ball into the back of the net.  Swansea were ahead.

And that lead was soon doubled.  A cross from the right from Serran (?) was headed home - although it appeared to be more off his shoulder - past the keeper to give the swans a 2-0 lead.   Surely at this point the three points were secured against a side with nothing to play for and for the half hour played had offered nothing.

But this is Swansea and we never do anything the easy way.  A Barnsley corner saw Dorus have his own moment of madness as he came for a ball that he was never going to win and one time Swansea target Darren Moore had the easiest task of the afternoon to head home and bring the vistors back into the game.   Nerves were rising again especially with the news filtering through that Blackpool and Leicester were ahead.

However, Swansea were showing little signs on the pitch of the nerves and continued to press Barnsley led from midfield by the excellent Britton, Pratley and Gower who were more than ably supported by Cotterill and Van Der Gun on the flanks.   You knew there was another goal in the game and it always looked like the home side who was more likely to get it than the away side.

But it was past the 70 minute mark before the just rewards arrive but when it did it was simplicity in itself although very well executed.   Orlandi - on for Gower - broke free from midfield and down the left hand side before squaring the ball into the box where he found Pratley who hit a perfect shot past the keeper to secure the three points for the Swans.

The Swans continued to press but with less urgency than before and saw out what was a very comfortable win in the end leaving them in the driving seat and with their destination in their own hands.   

And - as any optimist will tell you - five more wins and we are in the Premier League.....!

Photo: Action Images

Macclesfield Town Polls