Swans wait on injured duo
ANDRE Ayew and Conor Hourihane will continue to be assessed ahead of Swansea City’s Championship clash with Birmingham City.
Ayew suffered a knock late on while playing for Ghana during the international break, while Hourihane was withdrawn in the early stages of Swansea’s defeat to Cardiff City with a hamstring issue.
Steve Cooper has confirmed the pair have not trained ahead of tomorrow’s trip to the Midlands, although they will be given the chance to prove their fitness for the clash with Lee Bowyer’s side.
“Andre’s back and everyone knows he had a bit of a knock,” said the head coach.
“Conor Hourihane came off against Cardiff, so the two players have got a chance of playing, but they’re not training at the moment.
“We’ll see how it goes by the time Friday comes.
“When Conor walked off in the last game, I think we all thought he pulled his hamstring which could be a minimum of two or three weeks.
“But it was nerve damage as opposed to a strain which is really positive. That’s why he’s not far off being back with us. That was positive. Andre’s not too far off either.”
Marc Guehi will link up with the Swans in Birmingham tomorrow night given his exploits with England’s Under-21s during the international break.
And in a significant boost for the Swans, striker Liam Cullen is closing in on a return to action following more than two months on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
“Liam Cullen is making good progress. He’s well ahead of schedule. We’re hoping he can be back training with us in the next week or so which is a nice time to return,” added Cooper.
“Marc will join up with the team in Birmingham. He will join straight up with us.
“Ryan Manning is travelling back as we speak. A little bit of managing and with the game being on Friday rather than Saturday, it needs looking after a little bit but we’re in good shape.”
The clash with Birmingham represents the first of nine games in Swansea’s runin. Cooper’s men occupy third spot and trail secondplaced Watford by six points - although they boast a game in hand over the Hornets. And the Swansea boss says his side remain well positioned to challenge for automatic promotion over the course of the coming weeks. “We did try and use the international break wisely,” explained Cooper. “We haven’t been the best returners to league action from international breaks in the past. It’s something we made a step forward with the last one in November, so we’re aiming to do the same against Birmingham on Friday. “We’re going into a vital end of the season where, it’s still three points a game, but it’ll feel like there’s more on it than there has been in previous phases of the season. We’re fully aware of that. “We’ve got to embrace the nine games, embrace the challenge and get excited about it. We’re in a really positive position. “It’s all about grabbing the opportunity with both hands and making the most of it and trying not to have any regrets.” Kick-off against Birmingham is at 8pm on Friday.