with a dead leg, but was expected to be fit to play. The week before the final, the main sponsor of the competition LDV Vans pulled its sponsorship after being sold to a new owner. The company had entered administration the previous year, but the new owners had decided not to honour the prize fund agreement. This meant that the winners of the match would receive no prize money, rather than the £50,000 that had been on offer when the competition began. Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins estimated that, if they won the trophy, the loss of a sponsor and the contractual win bonuses for the players would result in a loss of around £75,000 for his club. The two clubs would however receive 45 per cent of the gate receipts for the final. The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which was hosting its last Football League Trophy final. The venue had hosted the finals of English football's main cup competitions and play-off finals since 2001, during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium. South Wales Police expressed concerns over possible violence ahead of the game as the match was played in Cardiff, the home city of Swansea's South Wales rivals Cardiff City. Swansea were allocated 33,000 tickets for the match, with a further 7,000 available on request if necessary. However, the club eventually sold 28,000 of their allocation for the match. Carlisle sold only 13,000 of their allocation. Match Summary The match kicked off at 1:30pm GMT in front of 42,028 spectators and was refereed by Tony Leake. Swansea pressed straight away and were rewarded with the opening goal after only three minutes. The ball was played to Carlisle goalkeeper Kieran Westwood who attempted to kick the ball upfield, but his clearance hit Trundle and rolled across the Carlisle defence. Robinson won the ball back from an opposition defender before Britton played a long ball into the area. Controlling the ball with his chest, Trundle proceeded to volley the ball across the face of goal and into the net with his left foot. The goal provided further encouragement for Swansea, who continued to pressure Carlisle for the opening 30 minutes. Robinson had an attempt off target after being played through by Trundle while Akinfenwa drew a save from Westwood. The Carlisle goalkeeper also required the application of a bandage on a head injury sustained in the