Cooper reaches his ton... but now it’s time to get set for next challenge
Securing play-offs means season is bubbling up to one heck of a crescendo
STEVE Cooper reached 100 competitive games in charge of Swansea City in style as his side reached the Championship play-offs at Reading.
The Swans came from behind to lead 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium as goals from Jamal Lowe and Andre Ayew wiped out Yakou Meite’s first half opener.
Tomas Esteves struck in injury time to earn the Royals a point in Berkshire, although a draw was enough for Swansea to guarantee themselves a place in the top six.
It means they will face one of Barnsley, Bournemouth or Reading in the semi-finals next month, although it remains to be seen who they will come up against as just one point separates the four sides who will have their seasons extended.
Cooper became the first Swansea boss to reach the 100-game landmark since Roberto Martinez who led the club to promotion from League One in 2007/08 before joining Wigan Athletic a year later.
He boasts a 45 per cent win rate having won 45 of those outings - with 27 being drawn and 28 lost.
It represents a remarkably healthy record for a boss who has seen the likes of Joe Rodon and Oli McBurnie sold for big sums during his tenure while precious little has been invested in the squad.
The club have had to be heavily reliant on loans, with players including Freddie Woodman and Marc Guehi among those to shine in south Wales while the Jack Army were robbed of the chance to see the full potential of Morgan Gibbs-White and Jordan Morris to name a few.
Performances haven’t always been easy on the eye. Far from it, at times. Gritty doubles against the likes of Barnsley and Luton Town have added a significant amount of points to the overall total while turgid displays as seen against Birmingham City, Preston and others ultimately cost the Swans a top two spot.
However, last season’s relegated trio of Norwich City, Watford and Bournemouth have significantly greater squad depth and are far better resourced.
Others including Cardiff City, Reading, Stoke City and Middlesbrough have stacks of multi-million pound talents within their ranks. Swansea are hardly a rag tag bunch, as Andre Ayew’s wages prove. However, aside from the Ghana international who remains on a Premier League contract, the Swans boast a modest wage bill in comparison to those in and around them in the table.
The job is far from done. But securing a place in the play-offs in back-to-back seasons is no mean feat. A glance at some of the names from seventh in the table and below will testify to that.
As for what lies ahead, with a playoff spot already in the bag, the pressure has been taken off the Swans’ final two games.
Cooper’s men host Derby County at the Liberty Stadium in their final home game of the regular season on Saturday before travelling to Vicarage Road to face Watford a week later. And Cooper has said he could bring fringe players into contention for the next two outings in a bid to keep his squad as fresh as possible ahead of the play-off semi-finals in May.
“I don’t think there’s any written rule in terms of preparation for the play-offs,” he said.
“Derby, it’s a big game for them next Saturday and you have to respect the competition.
“But at the same time, we might have to think about how we approach the two games in terms of getting ready for the play-offs.
“It won’t be like 10 or 11 changes, it might be something like you do in the League Cup. But there might be a chance to use the squad a bit more.”