Phil SumblerAfter watching his side secure a second successive win off the back of a last minute disputed penalty Steve Cooper was clearly a happy man after the game with his side just one point off the top two in the division and with the small matter of two games in hand.
And he dedicated the win to the absent Jack Army by saying that he had a team of players who was fighting for us all the way which is evidenced completely by the two late wins that we have had.
Whatever your view of the two penalty decisions given to the Swans this week both have come as a direct result of a defender finding his way into the opposition box in the very last minute of the game. That says this is a team that, no matter how they are playing, never give up and the four points we have secured late on this week could just be enough come the end of the season to make the difference we would want it to.
“This win was for the Jack Army, because they have seen a team there that is absolutely fighting like mad for them,” said Cooper.
“That’s the only thing I care about, the message to the supporters after the difficult year they have had. That one is for them.”
The game marked a full year since supporters were last allowed into the Liberty Stadium, a game that was a 0-0 draw with West Brom and the last game we played before football locked down due to the pandemic.
“If there was ever a message to give to the supporters to say ‘thank you for your support’ having been a year away from the stadium, it’s that this was for them,” added Cooper.
“It wasn’t a fluid game. I think you come up against certain managers and certain styles and you know it will look a certain way at times.
“There was probably too much of that truth be told, but it’s been a busy schedule, just a few days ago we were four hours away and didn’t get back until half three on Thursday morning.
“They had a day’s extra rest than us, they were able to make changes and have a massive squad and options to pick from.”
