Swansea City 3-0 Northampton Town: Piroe and Ginnelly secure Swans' Carabao Cup progress
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Joel Piroe has now scored 46 goals in just over two seasons at Swansea
Head coach Michael Duff claimed his maiden Swansea City victory as Joel Piroe's double and a fabulous Josh Ginnelly strike saw off Northampton Town in the Carabao Cup first round.
Piroe tapped home early on before scrambling in a second after the break.
Ginnelly's long-range debut goal sealed Swansea's win, their first since Duff took charge in the summer.
League One newcomers Northampton had their moments but were ultimately outclassed by their Championship hosts.
Duff made only five changes to the side which drew with Birmingham City on the opening day of the league season, with Piroe among the key figures in this Swansea squad to keep his place.
The Dutchman duly scored the 50th goal of his senior career with almost his first touch, when Ollie Cooper burst through on the left and centred for Piroe to tap into an empty net.
Swansea dominated for long periods, with the impressive Cooper teeing up Liam Cullen to shoot into the side netting, though the Cobblers had first-half opportunities to get back into the game.
Carl Rushworth's loose pass presented a chance to Kieron Bowie, who dragged his shot wide to let Swansea's new goalkeeper off the hook.
Bowie, one of seven changes to the Northampton side beaten by Stevenage last Saturday, drilled another effort past the post before Swansea moved through the gears after the break.
After Cooper was twice denied, Piroe combined neatly with Cullen before bundling in his second goal from point-blank range.
Azeem Abdulai was denied a Swansea third by teenage Northampton debutant Max Thompson before substitute Ginnelly, who signed from Hearts in July, nutmegged Peter Abimbola near the halfway line before driving forward and flashing a 30-yard drive high into the net.
Swansea head coach Michael Duff:
"I thought we did the horrible parts of the game well early - competed, won our duels, ran hard - and that gives you the platform to go and show our superiority.
"That's the bit I was pleased with. You have to do those horrible bits first.
"I thought we played some really good football. It could have been quite a few more than 3-0 but we won both halves and kept a clean sheet."
Northampton manager Jon Brady:
"It was a real tough lesson against a high-level Championship side who only made four changes. We were left a bit short. We had a couple of chances in the first half.
"They played with excellent passing and movement.
"We knew they would be really tough, especially with the changes we had to make. We had to give certain players minutes and build up our fitness. It is hard to get results when you are working through that.
"To only make four changes from their side made it a really tough challenge. We made seven changes from our team on Saturday. We knew we would go through some tough moments."