Swansea city 1 Havant & W'ville 1: Buoyant Baptiste plans his knock-out blow

Tim Collings
Sunday 06 January 2008 20:00 EST
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Even if Sly Stallone had a hand in the script of this brawling, battling and ultimately quintessential FA Cup third round tie, it would have been rejected as too romantic and lacking a credible finish. But here at Swansea's Liberty Stadium, where Rocky Baptiste, a 35-year-old striker who is doing "The Knowledge" in readiness for a future as a London taxi driver, was the visitors' hero, the truth was stranger than any fiction.

On an afternoon when one player from each team was sent off and the League One leaders Swansea City hit the crossbar three times, it was the laid-back, gangling Baptiste who shot the Hawks into today's draw for the fourth round with an unlikely equaliser, four minutes from time. "Yeah, it was a nice goal," he said afterwards. "Now we can take them back to our place. If we win, and I think we can, I hope we get Liverpool in the next round."

Baptiste has been around a bit, scoring Farnborough's spectacular, but sole, goal in a 5-1 defeat by Arsenal at Highbury five years ago, and he is relishing a whiff of glory on the old Wembley trail. Havant are the sole non-league survivors in the competition.

After calling his wife Temeka to remind her to record Match of the Day, Baptiste corrected the local statisticians' records by stressing he has now scored 73 goals in little more than two seasons with the Hampshire club from the Blue Square South league and then revealed a glimpse of his dreams. "I was born up in Haringey and I could see Wembley Stadium from my bedroom," he said. "So this is something special for me. I don't know why, but I do seem to save some of my best goals for the FA Cup."

Baptiste said he felt confident that his team could win the replay, in front of a cramped 3,000 crowd, at their Westleigh Park ground on 16 January.

"Our home form is pretty good and they won't fancy it," said Baptiste. "We showed what we can do here. I would love to score the winner."

Goals: Robinson (74) 1-0; Baptiste (87) 1-1.

Swansea City (4-5-1) De Vries; Austin, Tate, Painter, Amankwaah; Britton, Pratley, Robinson, Butler (Orlandi 75), Allen (Duffy 57); Scotland (Bauza 75). Substitutes not used: O'Leary, Monk.

Havant & Waterlooville (4-4-2) Scriven; Gregory, Poate, Smith, Warner; Oatway (Wilkinson 54), Harkin (Taggart 83), Collins, Potter; Pacquette (Slabber 83), Baptiste. Substitutes not used: Taylor, McEnery.

Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).

Booked: Swansea Austin. Havant & Waterlooville Gregory, Wilkinson, Scriven.

Sent Off: Swansea Tate (80) Havant & Waterlooville Poate (79).

Man of the match: Baptiste

Attendance: 8,761.

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