Phil Sumbler
It was a good night for Josh Key last night as he played his part in the 3-0 win over Stoke with a strong defensive display that was capped with his first goal at the Swansea.com Stadium when he scored the final strike of the evening.
After the poor performances that had been delivered by the Swans since the win over Cardiff it was a much needed performance not just from the players but it was one that the fans wanted to see or at least those who turned up on the evening with many choosing to stay away and vote with their feet.
An official crowd announced at less than 15,000 would have been significantly less than that due to missing season ticket holders. Those that were there though were treated to a significantly improved performance from the Swans and one that should banish any lingering fears that may have still been there before kick off around relegation.
With the three points taking the Swans over the fifty point barrier that is widely accepted as enough to avoid relegation then it should lead to the pressure being off for the final few games of the season but that does not mean that we should see drops in performances – something that was recognised by Key as he reflected back on the game.
“Hopefully we can move forward from this”, said the defender. “You cannot pick and choose what games you perform in, you have to have that bite in every game. It cannot be a one-off, hopefully this can kick something off for us.
“To top it off with a goal is the cherry on top of the cake, particularly to do it in front of the home crowd because we need them.
“It was a happy moment, and I hope there are many more.
“It was an amazing bit of trickery from Jamal, he gave me the ball, I had a nice touch to take it past the defender and then I smashed it into the roof of the net.
“It was a relief, really. It’s been a tough season for me with injuries, and I have found it hard to get that consistency because of that.
“I have not had many injuries, mentally I have had to work on myself. I am adapting to a new style of play but I am someone who loves a challenge.
“I am really happy and I feel I am back to full fitness and firing.”
The Swans next match is against Rotherham on Saturday – catch up with our matchday thread here
