Phil SumblerConor Hourihane arrived at Swansea back in January on the back of a huge amount of promise and the belief for many at the time that he would be the catalyst that would spring the Swans into a top two space and automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Four months later, we have had goals and assists but more than an equal amount of criticism over his work rate and what he has given to the side over that time but the one thing he does remain is someone who knows how to win promotion via the play offs.
He has been in three play offs before, reached three play off finals and has already won two of those finals with Barnsley and Aston Villa. He is the one person in the Swans squad who certainly knows what it takes to come through the end of season lottery and maybe, just maybe, the belief that we had when he joined that he would take us up will come through over the course of the next two weeks?
It is something that the player wants, it will be something his manager and his team mates want and – as fans prepare to return to the Liberty for the second leg of the semi-final – it is something that we all want as well. But can Conor deliver on behalf of us all?
“Wherever I have played I care about the club I represent,” Hourihane said when asked.
“Obviously, I want to do well from a selfish point of view, but I also want to make sure I help that club achieve what it wants to achieve and be successful.
“I know what the goal is here, I know how great promotion is, and I know what is at the end of the road and I want to get this club get over that line.
“I love it when things are this way. It was the same for me at Barnsley and it has been the same almost throughout my time at Villa.
“It is exciting. Your career is short, so you always want to be involved in a team that is striving for something.
“I know what’s it like getting promoted to the Premier League, and I know what it’s like coming down that final stretch and I loved it.
“You’re a footballer, this is what you want, to be fighting to achieve things at the business end of the season.”
Maybe there is a dose of irony that the Swans are facing Barnsley, they were the first side that Hourihane won a play off final with and he looks back fondly on his time at Oakwell which of course is helped by that promotion.
“Yeah it was a special time for me. Funny enough Danny Wilson signed me, obviously a former central midfielder,” says Hourihane.
“It was a chance in a higher league, they were the only club in for me at the time and I had a fantastic time there.
“That is a club I hold very fond to my heart now, they put me on the map really.
“We had great success there, we won at Wembley twice. I have been back there a few times since and they are a fantastic club and I was in the right place at the right time.
“I still speak to Paul Heckingbottom as he was my boss there, and a few of the other lads. I had a great time there.”
There is little doubt that Hourihane is a talent and I still believe that we have not seen the best of the player. Maybe it has been the volume of games or maybe it has been the way that we have played but there is more in Hourihane and hopefully we will see that in the coming weeks and who knows, maybe come the morning of 30 May, Hourihane will have another play off winning medal to show the grand children one day.
