Phil Sumbler
Luke Williams will select his side later on today to take on the division’s form team as Leeds United come to town but he will be looking to build on the weekend win that gave him his first maximum return as Swansea City boss.
Liam Cullen’s first half goal from Josh Tymon’s corner was enough to secure the three points at Hull but the team took many plaudits for the way that they played the game and that will see them head into tonight’s game high on confidence despite the form of the opposition.
Leeds have picked up a maximum return from all their six league games in 2024 and go into the midweek fixtures just a point behind second placed Southampton as both clubs – along with Leicester – look to push on and secure an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation last season.
The Swans are likely to be tested to the limit this evening against a side who could feature four former Swansea players but Williams is keen that the team believe that they can build on the standards that they set on Saturday.
In his programme notes for this evening’s fixture Williams said “We spoke in the build-up about the belief we had in our work as a group, and the importance of taking that out onto the pitch and continuing to improve our performances.
“The players did that, and a win and clean sheet away from home is perfect. I was really pleased with how we did all elements of the game well.
“We created a number of chances and got into a number of really promising positions with the ball, but we also defended really strongly, as we knew we would need to do against a very good side.
“At the end we had to deal with a number of balls into our box, and they even had their six-and-a-half foot goalkeeper up in our area right at the end! We needed to stand firm and we did that.
“Our goal came from a well-worked set-piece, and credit goes to Alan Sheehan and Martyn Margetson for that.
“I stand in awe watching the level of detail and work they go through with the players. It’s then on the players to deliver on those instructions on a matchday, and the lads did that immaculately and it proved the difference in the game.
“We know we face another tough assignment against a Leeds team who are up towards the top of the table and in excellent form.
“We have some really tough games coming up against top opposition, so we have to try and learn as much as we possibly can from the weekend and understand why we have been successful.
“We now have to make that the standard we don’t drop from. I had felt a strong, positive energy in the changing room ahead of the game. We played with the belief I mentioned earlier, and now we have a chance to build on that belief.
“We have played well in periods of games at home recently. We want to make sure those periods last for longer and make the most of the chances we create, and maintain our concentration and focus throughout the 90 minutes.
“If we do that, and with you roaring us on, we will give ourselves the best chance of producing a performance can get us a positive result.”
