‘SPECIAL MOMENT’
SWANS BOSS CAN’T WAIT TO SEE FANS
STEVE Cooper admits he’s desperate to play in front of the Swansea City faithful again after his side defeated Barnsley 1-0 at Oakwell.
The Tykes had 4,500 fans in attendance on Monday night, but the Swans will get the opportunity to play in front of their own supporters in Saturday’s second leg at the Liberty Stadium.
Around 3,000 members of the Jack Army will look to roar their side on to Wembley after Andre Ayew’s stunner gave Swansea the advantage at the midway point of the Championship play-off semi-final contest.
And having played in front of supporters for the first time in 14 months, Cooper admitted Saturday’s home clash with Valerien Ismael’s men will be an emotional affair.
“Fair play to Barnsley, they did well tonight with the supporters, but the only thing in my mind is what the Liberty will be like on Saturday,” said the Swansea head coach.
“It’s really whetted the appetite to think that we’re going to be going home.
“Spare a thought for the guys who won’t be there as well, I’ve said that before, but the ones who will, it’s going to be a special moment.
“I know the big picture is about trying to get through the tie.
“But to think we can have our guys back in our home, I think it’ll be pretty emotional for everybody involved.
“We’ve just got to commit to it to give them something to shout about.”
Ayew’s 17th goal of the campaign six minutes before half-time proved to be the difference in the first leg in South Yorkshire.
And Cooper lavished praise on the matchwinner, while adding that he was also hugely impressed with his side’s defensive showing against the Tykes.
“We knew what the game would be, and, away from home, you have to respect it, stand up to it and match it. That’s what I thought we did,” he said.
“We got a real good moment of excellence with Andre’s goal and we manged to continue being a strong unit defensively.
“We could have shown a bit more quality on the ball at times, but, I get it, with fans being back in, it was a really good atmosphere here.
“Barnsley are a really tough team to play against and there’s that psychological state of trying to protect a lead a little bit, and, in the end, for the 90 minutes, we did that.
“But we’ve been here before this tie last year. It’s only a small lead if you manage it and protect it. That’s got to be the focus and mentality going into Saturday.
“Andre was the one who made the difference on the night. We know he can do that. Once he gets in those areas on his left foot he can be a real handful and he proved that tonight.”
DEAN Ashton lavished praise on Ben Cabango and Marc Guehi after the pair’s efforts in Swansea City’s 1-0 Championship play-off semi-final first leg win over Barnsley.
The Swans turned in a fine defensive display to ensure they head into Saturday’s second leg at the Liberty Stadium with a slender advantage after Andre Ayew’s stunning strike sealed victory for the visitors.
Cabango and Guehi, who are both just 20 years of age, turned in monumental displays to frustrate the likes of Daryl Dike and Cauley Woodrow in South Yorkshire.
And TV pundit Ashton says the two central defenders emphatically won the battle against Barnsley’s attack as Swansea kept a 21st Championship clean sheet of the season.
“I have to say, if either one of the two centre-backs Guehi or Cabango show any weakness at any point, I think Daryl Dike plays on it and pulls on to the weakest link,” Ashton said on EFL on Quest.
“They weren’t, they were both absolutely outstanding. They looked like they enjoyed it. In the end, they were getting the better of Dike.
“He was getting very frustrated in the second half. There wasn’t much quality up towards him, but I have to say, the two centre-backs, only 20 years old the pair of them, absolutely outstanding, not to get yellow carded, not to get too involved, but were super aggressive.”
Ayew struck the only goal of the game six minutes before half-time to ensure Swansea have the edge in the two-legged contest.
The Ghanaian ghosted past Michal Helik before curling beyond Brad Collins to notch his 17th Championship goal of the season.
Ashton admitted Ayew once again delivered the goods when it mattered most, although he bemoaned Barnsley’s defence for the way they allowed the attacker to score.
“He does this in his sleep. If you let him come on to his left foot, he’ll just do that all day, he’ll find that corner,” added Ashton.
“I thought it was terrible defending. Helik, you can’t let him turn in the box.
“He’s got that quality, he showed it again tonight in a massive game, and you’re looking at your big players to perform on the big nights.”
Freddie Woodman also produced an eye-catching display that more than played a part in ensuring Swansea lead at the midway stage of the tie.
The goalkeeper produced a vital save to keep out Callum Brittain’s shot in the second half while he was also alert to several moments of danger as Barnsley pushed for an equaliser.
When asked about Woodman’s heroics, Ashton commented: “He was really alert. Because of how direct Barnsley were being, he needed to be on his toes and be there to help out and read the game.
“He was brave enough to come out and commit himself. That was vital, it just took the sting out of a lot of Barnsley’s attacks. He was outstanding.”