There was a host of rumours floating around at the weekend for the reasons for Joel Piroe’s absence from the matchday squad against Blackburn but Russell Martin has confirmed that the summer signing will feature against Reading in the Carabao Cup tomorrow evening.

The rumours started to surface on Friday evening and gained momentum when the matchday squad was announced on Saturday afternoon prompting fans to speculate as to the reasons for his absence.

However, the new Swans head coach was not to be drawn on why he had made the decision simply that he did and stated that it was now down to take the chances he is given with the first of these to come at Reading.

“I had a good chat with Joel about it yesterday [Friday]. I have to pick a squad and a team that I feel is best suited to the game in hand,” Martin said after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Blackburn.

โ€œWe donโ€™t know each other so weโ€™re still getting to know each other.

โ€œHeโ€™ll be involved on Tuesday. Heโ€™ll have an opportunity to take his chance, as will a few others on Tuesday Iโ€™m sure, so itโ€™s up to him to take it.โ€

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.