Britton: Portsmouth Was Just Another Game

The Swansea City midfielder knows how much cup runs can take your eye off the more important matters and with the Swans pushing hard for a place in the Championship play offs he says that they will not allow it to happen to them this season.

Britton was part of Brian Flynn’s side that reached the 5th round five years ago before losing to Tranmere and knows that by the time they lost that game their place in the league had slipped to a level that they could not recover.

But he insists that things are different at the club now – to such an extent that last week they had training on Sunday – less than 24 hours after creating the football headlines of the weekend.

Britton told Wales on Sunday “I remember it well (the last run to this stage) – we had started off in the league like a house on fire and then we had that great run in the cup.

“At the time we were right down in League Two and we beat Preston at the Vetch, who were flying high in the Championship, so it was a great result and a really big day for us as a club and as players.

“But before we knew it we’d taken our eye off the ball, our league form went, we got knocked out of the Cup and the whole campaign slipped away – and then Brian Flynn left the club.

“It was hard to take but there were a lot of young lads in the side at the time and because of where we were as a club the fifth round was a huge thing – but this is different.

“We all know the cup game is on the horizon but we’ve got league games first and we’re genuine when we say the focus is 100% on those – we know it has to be otherwise we’ll start slipping down the table.

“There’s a different mentality about the place now than back then and, whereas the Preston and the Tranmere games were huge things, after the final whistle at Portsmouth it honestly felt like any other game.

“The gaffer didn’t say anything at the end apart from he was pleased we had been ourselves, but it was nothing special and pretty much the same thing as the week before.

“Even the bus trip was quiet, all very normal and we were back into training the next day just like normal. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great feeling to get the result but we know now it’s a case of getting straight back to work because we know after last season the best celebrations come in May anyway.”