WE’LL FIGHT TO THE BITTER END
Clement’s Swans won’t give up
PAUL CLEMENT has challenged Swansea to fight to the bitter end to avoid relegation.
The third-from-bottom Swans have now gone six games without a win, losing five of them. Their latest defeat was down to an Etienne Capoue goal gifted to him by a defensive howler from Alfie Mawson. Many see it now as a straight fight between Swansea and Hull, who are two points ahead, to avoid the drop. But Clement warned that Middlesbrough can’t be written off yet either. And he has told the club’s players and fans to embrace the pressure and keep fighting all the way to the last kick of the season. Clement said: “If we play West Brom in the last game knowing we need a draw or win to stay up, we’d take that right now. “The worst thing about pressure is not to have any. We don’t want to be in a situation where there’s two games to go and mathematically it’s not possible to stay in the league. That’s what we don’t want – to play in a nothing game and know you’re in the Championship next year. That would be awful.” Boro are four points behind Swansea but have two games in hand – the first is tonight at home to Arsenal.
Clement added: “My view is that it’s between us and Hull to stay up.
“But Middlesbrough have an important game against Arsenal and have a game in hand on us, so they are not necessarily dead and buried.
Biggest
“But we have to think about ourselves. We have got a massive, massive game against Stoke at home on Saturday. And we simply must win it.
“I knew it was going to be really tough when I came here because the team were bottom of the table with only 12 points. It would be the biggest achievement of my career so far if we stayed up.
“I believe there’s only been once before in Premier League history where a team has been bottom at Christmas and stayed up. But WATFORD (4-3-3): Prodl Gomes 7; Janmaat 7, Mariappa 6, Holebas 7, 7, Capoue 8, Cleverley 7; Doucoure (Okaka 6 (Behrami 89); 78), Deeney 7, Niang 7 6). Subs: Amrabat 6 (Kabasele Pantilimon, Success, 64, UP NEXT: Hull Mason, Pereira. (a), Premier League, SWANSEA (4-3-3): Saturday. Naughton Fabianski 7; 6, Fernandez 5, Olsson 6; Fer Mawson 5, 6, Fulton 5 (Carroll Sigurdsson 6, Llorente 67, 6), Ki 6; (Baston 5 (Ayew 81), Narsingh 58, 6). Subs: Nordfeldt, 6 Routledge, Kingsley. Van der Hoorn, UP NEXT: Stoke Referee: (h), Premier League, Lee Mason 7. Saturday. Your turn: Which when striker scored the Watford beat winner season? Swansea 1-0 at home last we have to look to try and do the same.”
Swansea shot themselves in the foot on Saturday when Mawson gave the ball away for Capoue to score the solitary goal in the 42nd minute.
Watford’s win took them to 40 points on a day when skipper Troy Deeney was returned to the starting line-up after being axed for the previous game at Spurs.
Deeney said: “I’m not going to pretend that being on the bench was something I was expecting or happy with.
“I guess it was extra disappointing as the same thing happened at the same place last year – so I’ve not been able to lead the boys out at Spurs yet.
“But, as captain, it’s up to me to set that example, so it was up to me to use it as a positive force for good when I next got selected.”