Duff run is finally over for Cooper

MICHAEL DUFF hailed ‘hatchet’ man Ollie Cooper after he came off the bench to fire Swansea to a fourth straight win.

The midfielder last scored a league goal in January and has struggled to nail a regular starting place.

But Cooper unleashed a fierce 25-yard drive which sparked a turnaround after Jerry Yates cancelled out Luke Cundle’s opener.

Swans manager Duff beamed: “I am so pleased for Ollie as he has had it tough and been in and out of the side.

“He has been effective coming off the bench and has got a real edge to his game. The lads are calling him the hatchet man as he has had a red card and a couple of bookings recently.

“But that was a moment of quality and it just shows the fight and spirit we have got to turn this game around.”

Cundle blasted Argyle in front in the 18th minute against his former club.

The Swans levelled on 56 minutes when Liam Cullen’s header set up Yates for a close-range finish.

Cooper let fly from 25 yards in the 68th minute just a minute after coming off the bench before Josh Key sealed the comeback win in the 90th minute.

Plymouth have suffered back-to-back home defeats and are now five games without a win against Swansea in the league.

Argyle manager Steven Schumacher said: “I can’t fault the lads’ effort.

“It was a game that could have gone either way and the margins are small.

“The performance was okay but we have lost and it is doing my head in as it feels like I am repeating myself at the moment.”

PLYMOUTH: Hazard 5; Pleguezuelo 6 (Bundu (76) 5), Scarr 6, Gillesphey 5; Edwards 7, Mumba 7 (Miller (66) 6), Houghton 5, Butcher 5 (Kesler-hayden (76) 5); Whittaker 6, Cundle 7 (Azaz (66) 6); Hardie 6 (Waine (83) 5) SWANSEA: Rushworth 7; Key 7, Darling 7, Humphreys 7, Tymon 6; Grimes 8, Patino 6 (Fulton (67) 6); Cullen 7 (Cooper (67) 7), Lowe 7 (Kukharevych (90) 5), Yates 7 (Walsh (87) 6); Paterson 7 (Ashby (90) 5) STAR MAN: Matt Grimes – Dynamo who set up Cooper for Swans’ second goal. REF: Lewis Smith 8