By Paul Jones
Russell Martin praised the ruthless attitude of Joel Piroe after the striker put Swansea City on the outer fringes of the Championship play-off race.
Dutchman Piroe scored his 18th goal of the season in all competitions as the Swans secured a 1-0 win against Millwall at The Den.
The result lifted head coach Martin’s side to 14th in the table – level on points with West Bromwich Albion and Preston and only eight points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy the final play-off spot.
With seven clubs still between themselves and Boro, and only seven games left to play, Swansea would probably need to win six of those matches to give themselves any hope of finishing in the top six.
But their victory backed up their impressive 4-0 thrashing of Cardiff City last Saturday and with back-to-back home games to follow against Derby County and Barnsley, they look well placed to continue the momentum of 10 points won from the last 12 available.
The crucial goal to dent Millwall’s own play-off hopes came Immediately after the break, when the ball fell to Swansea’s top scorer Piroe on the edge of the penalty area.
LISTEN after his side’s 1-0 win at @MillwallFC I spoke to @SwansOfficial manager Russell Martin https://t.co/V2yxcElKeM pic.twitter.com/UqVce8P6eB
— Ian Abrahams (Moose) (@BroadcastMoose) April 5, 2022
In an instant, he whipped the ball past the helpless Bartosz Bialkowski and into the bottom right corner.
“If you wanted it to fall to anyone, it is him, he is so clinical with both feet, and he is a great technician,” said Martin.
“But the most important thing he has is the right mentality when he gets around the goal. He shows composure, he is calm, and he just focuses on his technique, something that all top strikers possess.
“That win was equally brilliant to the win on Saturday, but in a different way. After the emotional energy expended on Saturday, to back it up with a performance like that against a team which is in such good form is not easy.
“I really enjoyed it. I’m so grateful for the courage and intensity the players showed. I’m just feeling thankful for all of them and happy for them and for the supporters who came again in their numbers on a Tuesday night, considering the long, long journey.
“There was some beautiful football at times, and I am really, really pleased.
5 wins in 8 for Swansea 🦢🦢🦢
Promotion contenders next season under Russell Martin? 🤔#Swans pic.twitter.com/2YJvtCO9iZ
— The #EFL Zone (@TheFLZone) April 5, 2022
“We have finally moved up a little bit in the table. We are in good form. We have kept three clean sheets in a row, we are unbeaten in four.
“We are very much a work in progress but the boys are really growing.”
Millwall manager Gary Rowett said: “I can’t be disappointed with the players, I can’t be frustrated with the players, I’m frustrated with the result.
“I think we have given everything we have got to get where we are, and we will continue to do it. We have got six games left, and we have got to try and win as many games as possible and just see what happens.
“I think it would be a lot more frustrating if we were sat in mid-table with nothing left to play for at this stage.
“I think we knew the top six was a massive challenge anyway. When you’re four points off it with a poor goal difference, you realise you need to win two more games than a lot of the teams.
“It is a challenge to do that because you are running out of games, so you need sides to have a wobble.”
The superb Michael Obafemi – who scored twice against Cardiff – could have wrapped things up for his side late on, but he saw his effort go just over the crossbar.
The Lions then had a great chance to snatch a draw at the death, but Benik Afobe fired the ball over the crossbar from a corner, to leave Millwall only four points above Swansea, having played a game more.