Matt Grimes reached another professional landmark yesterday when he made his 300th appearance for the Swans and marked the occasion with a goal from the penalty spot as the Swans took a deserved draw at Norwich in what was an entertaining encounter.

It was back in January 2015 that the Swans paid £1.75m to Exeter to bring Grimes, then 19 to SA1 although few may have envisaged then that he would still be in Swansea almost ten years later with an impressive number of appearances under his belt.

Loan spells at Blackburn, Leeds and Northampton just add to the experience of Grimes who, at the age of 28 has almost 450 professional appearances behind him in total.

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Yesterday’s goal was his fourth league goal of the season and a fifth in total his most productive season in front of goal for the Swans with the midfielder only having netted in total fourteen times for the club.

Grimes has been pretty much an ever present under a host of Swansea managers since relegation to the Championship back in 2018 and, given the praise of Luke Williams after the game yesterday, it seems unlikely that his presence in the side next season will be anything but guaranteed.

“He is absolutely top,” said the Swans boss.

“We are so fortunate having the skipper, and again he showed his quality on the ball, and his commitment off it.

“Late in the game he made a forward run from deep to get inside the box and it was incredible.

“He gets kicked and just gets back up and carries on. It is impossible to speak more highly of Grimesy.

“I am very lucky and fortunate to get to work with him.”

Grimes did speak a little about his landmark after the game but was also keen to express the excellence of the performance that secured the 2-2 draw and took our unbeaten run to four games.

“I’m always happy to contribute with a goal, and it’s an honour every time I pull the shirt on,” he said.

“To get 300 appearances is beyond anything I thought I could achieve here, so I’m very happy and proud to reach that.

“Obviously, playing a top team away from home, they are going to have moments and I thought we were brilliant defensively.

“This run is almost like a dress rehearsal for next year, we want to play the way we do at home, away, no matter where we are, no matter the situation we’re in..

“We want to keep building, layering up our performances as we go along and I think everyone can see the strides we’re making and the progress. So we need to keep going, keep ticking them off and finish this season strong and take it into next season.”

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By Phil Sumbler

Been watching the Swans since the very late 1970s and running the Planet Swans website (in all its current and previous guises since the summer of 2001 As it stood JackArmy.net was right at the forefront of some of the activity against Tony Petty back in 2001, breaking many of the stories of the day as fans stood against the actions where the local media failed. Was involved with the Swans Supporters Trust from 2005, for the large part as Chairman before standing down in the summer of 2020.

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Roger Freestone

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Fair play to the lad, always makes himself available for selection, I used to be a massive detractor of Matty, certainly think Williams is getting the best out of him.

Maybe I'm showing my age, would like to see him more vocal on the pitch when it comes to wearing the skippers armband. We don't see or know what goes on behind close doors, it can't be a fluke that 5 successive managers have constantly selected him and kept him as captain.

Must admit this humble pie I'm currently eating, tastes ok.

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Niigata Jack

Roger Freestone

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Needs a quality partner in that midfield, Fulton as done well lately, but we need better, let Woods go and invest the money on a quality midfielder and an AM and try our best to keep Lowe, he's playing like he wants to be here so why not, there must be compromising on both sides regards wages though I agree.

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Roger Freestone

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We can't rely on Fulton week in week out, wouldn't be sad to see him. move on, I have a feeling he's on a decent wage with us as well.

The tempo of football doesn't suit Wood and how he want to play, far to often he slows the pace of the game down by putting his foot on top of the ball, looking left and right and then passing it back to the keeper.

If we can constantly get the version of Lowe from his first time with us, that would be a bargain on a free with a wage that doesn't break the bank.

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Roger Freestone

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Grimes would be fine if he’s managed properly and has complimentary midfield partners. He also has to be told it’s ok if his passing is more ambitious and fails, at the moment, he never fails with a pass, which simply means his passing is too safe. I’ve been up and down with him for years, but I think we’d miss him.

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