Socceroo midfielder Massimo Luongo has suffered Wembley heartbreak as his Swindon Town side was crushed 4-0 in the League One playoff final against Preston North End on Monday morning (AEST).
There was little Luongo could do against a rampant Preston as a Jermaine Beckford hat-trick secured promotion to the English Championship in fine style.
While it was a disappointing Wembley experience for Australia’s Asian Cup hero it was pure joy for Preston’s two Aussies Bailey Wright and Neil Kilkenny.
The pair both played the full 90 minutes and important roles in a huge day for Preston in front of just under 50,000 fans.
The carnage for Swindon started inside three minutes when Beckford scored his first goal and just 10 minutes later it was two through Paul Huntington.
Beckford put the result beyond doubt before the break with a superb strike from outside the box and despite the best efforts of Luongo in the second half there was only going to be one winner.
It’s a disappointing end to a fabulous campaign for the midfielder, which included a breakout tournament at the Asian Cup and a string of outstanding displays for Swindon which has drawn attention from EPL clubs Aston Villa and West Brom.
But it was Wembley joy for Wright and Kilkenny who will be playing in the Championship next season.
