Phil SumblerThere is little doubt that Connor Roberts is a Jack. From the very early days of his association with the club I would imagine that if you cut him open he would simple bleed black and white.
You can see what it means to him every time he pulls the shirt on and you know that the finger of blame about “not playing for the shirt” can never be pointed in the direction of one of our own. He has stood amongst us watching games and now he gets the chance to receive the adulation of the fans in amongst what is fast becoming a host of man of the match appearances for the Swans.
It is the dream of so many young players to play first team football but to play it for your club must mean so much more and Connor is enjoying every minute of life. Not only has he made it with his home club he has been capped by his country and has a real chance of making the Premier League next season. This is, undoubtedly, what you call living the dream for Connor Roberts.
His play so far this season both from a defensive and attacking perspective has been top notch. He has put his body in where it matters to save goals, he has created goals and his strike on Wednesday was the 4th of the season for the full back. Add to that the long throw that he has developed to give the Swans another option in attack and you really do have close to the finished article in him.
You would therefore forgive him for getting carried away and maybe starting to believe the stories and rumours that start to link him with a move away from the club should Steve Cooper not be able to lead us to promotion this season.
But not Connor, he seems as grounded in his values and beliefs now as he was when he first joined the club and his attitude is a refreshing one as he explained via the club’s official site when talking about his hard working attitude “I’m not entirely sure where it comes from, but it’s not just about when I am playing football or swimming, it extends to my everyday life really.
“I have to be doing something. It might be cleaning the house, it might be doing my woodwork, it might be taking the dogs for a walk, it’s just there.
“I think it’s within my family. Okay they are not in sport, but they always like to be busy, to be doing something, not just sitting around.
“That was born inside me, to keep working hard.
“My mother, my grandad, all the people I know throw everything into their day-to-day life.”
These are great traits to have and as Connor explained more via his interview you were getting a great insight into what goes on inside him to create what we see. He talked about relegation, his gratitude to former manager Carlos Carvahal for giving him a Premier League chance and his overall philosophy.
If you get the chance take the time to read the article in full, it is a very interesting read and one that I would recommend to anyone. Connor Roberts is – as the headline of this piece suggests – one of our own and we should treat him well for he and Swansea City is a partnership well suited to each other.
