By Gareth James
Swansea City have set themselves a new target a week on from making history in the south Wales derby – winning three games in a week for the first time under Russell Martin.
The 4-0 win at Cardiff City Stadium last weekend allowed Martin’s men to claim the first league double in 110 years of trying by both teams in the derby, while Joel Piroe’s 18th goal of the season in the 1-0 win at Millwall earlier in the week made it 10 points out of the last 12 as they push for a top half finish.
That is bad news for Wayne Rooney’s Derby County, who are still fighting to try to complete their own version of the ‘Great Escape’ and avoid relegation.
They will arrive at the Swansea.Com Stadium on Saturday knowing that a win is vital with time and matches running out for them.
The home side, buoyed by their 4-0 win in the Welsh capital, are 10 points off the play-offs in 14th. They also have a game in hand on seven of the eight teams ahead of them.
It means there is still much to play for as the season begins to wind down, which is bad news for Rooney and his players. The Swans have also kept three successive clean sheets.
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“There were certain targets we set ourselves with 16 games to go. Three clean sheets on the spin was one of them and there were a number of others we chalked off the other night,” said coach Matt Gill.
“We take every game as being equally importantly and we’re looking forward to this last period of the season and seeing whether the team can continue with performance levels and the results that go along with it.
“The whole day last weekend was outstanding and I think the manager got the tone really right.
“He accepted that the players had made history, but realised the most important thing was to back it up with another really good performance.
“Good teams churn out results and we backed up a really emotional win on Saturday with a professional performance on the Tuesday.”
— Swans Trust (@swanstrust) April 9, 2022
Swans defender Joel Latibeaudiere believes he and the side are improving all the time under Martin and Gill as they lay the foundations for hopeful future success.
“When the manager first came in and told us about his style, we really bought into it and have stuck with it through thick and thin,” he said.
“To see how we’re playing now and how far we’ve progressed, it’s great to see.
“The weeks have gone by and you can see how much we’ve improved. When we’ve had two weeks off and we can get the work in, you can see the improvement straight away.
“I think I’ve come a long way as a player just with how intense training is and how the manager is off the pitch and in meetings.
“The rewards you get for playing the way we play are so high. You can say it’s high-risk but the best way to keep the ball out of the back of the net is by keeping the ball.
Talking Tactics | Swansea City v Derby County https://t.co/URMHTIvXdn #swans
— Swans Blog (@SwansBlog) April 9, 2022
“We all love it here and we all believe in it, and we’ll stick to it.
“For me personally, it’s about trying to get more game time and finish strongly as a team.”