Planet Swans ArchivesPratley has sat out the last couple of games through injury but will return this afternoon in place of the suspended Ferrie Bodde.
The absence of the Dutchman – who scored a wonder goal in midweek – makes Roberto’s job easier as he does not have to worry about who to drop from what is fast becoming four quality performers to fit into three positions.
Jordi Gomez and Leon Britton have both been effective as have Pratley and Bodde and the Swans will need to make a decision in the near future as to which three will retain places with both Bodde and Gomez amongst the goals on a regular basis at the moment.
But it is a great problem to have and whilst Bodde may have been getting the plaudits this week, Pratley was quick to talk up his midfield team mates. He told the Western Mail “That’s what will win you games, the little things, the things that people either take for granted or that go unnoticed
“True, when you see someone ping a great pass or a goal like Ferrie’s go in it can give everyone a lift and it can breed confidence.
“They are the things everyone talks about because that’s football, but that doesn’t mean the hard work that goes with it isn’t just as important if not more.
“For every goal there’s someone like Leon Britton behind it having run around to win the ball back or someone else putting a tackle in so we can start a move off.
“It’s not a one man show here because the team needs to play and work as a unit.
“Wolves have obviously started well and Reading are up there with the favourites but I don’t think I’ve seen anything that special yet,” insisted Pratley. “In many ways I’ve found it quite similar to League One.
“You get more fans, the bigger stadiums, but it’s a bit over the top to suggest the football is a million miles better.
“That’s why we can be confident that we can perform at this level, but the main difference is that mistakes get punished a lot more heavily. Perhaps you can get away with it a bit more in League One, not here.
“Reading was disappointing but we had talked about how important it was getting some good points on the board before the break
“We’ve set that up by winning in Preston and when you look at the way Reading beat Wolves 3-0 on the same night then it puts our result against them in perspective. Perhaps people were thinking we would get pulled down the table after the Reading game but we knew we had made sloppy mistakes and we accept now that the Cardiff game took a lot out of us in terms of energy.
“But however well we do we know there will be ups and downs in this division and it’s already very tight in there.
“Apart from the top couple there’s only three or four points separating a lot of sides and we’re still in touch with the top six.
“It’s another tough test for us but that’s what we got into this league for. Yes, it might be seen as a shock if we pick up another win – but if we get the little things right then that’s what we’re capable of.”
