The Carling Cup has the capacity to be a great leveller.

Albion know that only too well after knocking out Manchester City on penalties in front of a full house at Withdean last season.

The Seagulls never looked like staging a repeat against slick Championship opposition in a half-empty arena in Wales last night.

Swansea were good value for a first round victory every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.

That is nothing to be ashamed of at this embryonic stage of development of Russell Slade’s new-look side.

Swansea may have lost both manager Roberto Martinez and top scorer Jason Scotland to Wigan but their new Portuguese supremo, Paulo Sousa, still has plenty of quality to call upon.

The main concern for Slade so far is an absence of potency. They have failed to score in the first two matches and could not fashion a shot on target last night.

It was no great surprise that Nicky Forster returned to the starting line-up for the first time since March after his introduction helped galvanise Albion in the second half of Saturday’s opening defeat by Walsall.

What was slightly unexpected was that the player Forster replaced, Matt Thornhill, was preferred to Mark Wright.

Thornhill is more of a central midfielder, Wright and out-and-out winger, and it was down the flanks that Swansea caused early difficulties.

Thornhill’s tendency to drift in-field gave Federico Bessone the opportunity to roam forward from left-back, while Jake Wright had his hands full on the other side of the pitch against the tricky Nathan Dyer.

Dyer served notice of the danger he posed as early as the 12th minute, when the former Southampton speed merchant escaped from both Wright and Dean Cox.

Adam Virgo could only divert his low cross with an outstretched boot to Mark Gower but the winger fired over on the turn from 15 yards.

The breakthrough for Swansea in the 17th minute came, much to Slade’s annoyance no doubt, not from open play but a set piece.

Wright had his name taken for a challenge on the advancing Stephen Dobbie and the resulting free-kick proved expensive. Andrea Orlandi’s free-kick was headed against the base of the left-hand post by Alan Tate, with Michel Kuipers stranded, and Swansea skipper Garry Monk reacted quickest to the rebound to loop a header into the net.

Rest assured, some unholy words will have been muttered on the Albion bench about the goal from Monk and again immediately afterwards when the unmarked Tommy Elphick spurned a chance to reply instantly by heading wide from a Cox free-kick.

First-half parity would have flattered Albion. Swansea, with their crisp passing style, were undeniably the better team and only an extraordinary miss in the 38th minute prevented them from doubling their advantage.

Dyer was involved again, bursting into the penalty area from Dobbie’s pass. As Kuipers dived at his feet the ball ran into the path of Gower but, with the goal at his mercy, the winger somehow got his feet in a tangle and could not convert.

Dyer gave Wright, making his away debut, a torrid time in the opening 45 minutes.

The former Crawley defender was given what amounted to a final warning from referee Graham Scott after several fouls.

Wright was sensibly withdrawn at half time, although Andrew Whing might not quite have seen it like that following his decisive own goal against Walsall.

He had the dubious privilege of being switched to left-back to cope with the diminutive and dynamic Dyer, Adam El-Abd coming on at right-back.

It was not the only change. Mark Wright was also brought on at the expense of Andrew Crofts, Thornhill reverting to the middle of the park alongside Alan Navarro.

There were one or two signs early in the second half that Albion were capable of mounting an improbable recovery, culminating in an audacious attempt by Cox from distance which was always rising over the bar.

It did not take long, however, for Swansea to re-assert themselves. Kuipers kept the Seagulls in touch on the hour with a smothering save to deny Dobbie after a clever reverse pass from Gower released him inside the box.

It was the briefest of reprieves as, moments later, Dobbie celebrated his full debut after his summer free transfer from Queen Of The South with the simplest of goals.

His header from Gower’s left-wing cross was blocked by Whing, stationed in front of Kuipers. Neither of them could recover, leaving Dobbie to find the gaping net from point blank range.

From then on it became more a case of damage limitation than any realistic expectation of retrieving the tie.

Liam Dickinson, a doubt before the game with an ankle injury, gave way to Glenn Murray after a fruitless night’s endeavour.

Swansea’s control of proceedings was such that Dickinson and Forster only ever had scraps to feed on.

Dobbie rounded off a satisfactory evening for him and his team in stoppage time. He cheekily lifted the ball over Kuipers before slotting home from a cross by substitute Guillem Bousa, who had beaten the offside trap.

ALBION (4-4-2): Kuipers; Whing, Virgo, Elphick, J Wright (El-Abd, 46); Thornhill, Navarro, Crofts (M Wright, 46), Cox; Dickinson (Murray, 65), Forster.

Subs not used: McLeod, Tunnicliffe, Dicker, G Smith.

Yellow cards: J Wright (16, foul), Virgo (77, foul) Swansea: (4-2-1-3): De Vries; Collins (Rangel, 61), Monk, Tate, Bessone; Lopez (Bauza, 56), Britton; Orlandi; Dyer, Dobbie, Gower (Morgan, 73).

Subs not used: Grimes, Pintado, Bond, Painter.

Scorers: Monk (17), Dobbie (60 & 90).

Yellow card: Tate (71, foul).