By David Williams
Joel Piroe insists the goals will soon start flowing for Swansea City, even though he currently seems the only player capable of turning on the tap.
The Swans’ 0-0 draw at Derby at the weekend was their fourth goalless draw in 11 Championship games this season.
In all, Russell Martin’s side have managed just nine goals, with five of those coming from Piroe, their £1m signing from PSV Eindhoven in the summer.
As the countdown starts to next week’s Welsh derby at home to Cardiff City, Piroe insists the goals will soon come, which he believes will enable the club to climb the table. They currently lay 19th, just one place above Cardiff.
“We are dominating almost every aspect of the games, but the finishing touch is the next step,” said the Dutch striker.
“When we do that then we will get the results we deserve. All of the elements are in place, but we just need to fix the ending. That will happen.”
“It was very frustrating not to have got the win because we absolutely dominated for 90 minutes. We felt a goal was coming but it just didn’t fall our way in front of goal.
“I felt I should have had a penalty. The player didn’t play the ball at all – he took my knee – but it wasn’t given, but we won’t allow ourselves to be affected by that.
“It’s up to us to hit the target and beat the goalkeeper, and that’s something we’re determined to sort out.”
Swansea’s goal total of nine is the fourth lowest in the Championship with only Derby, Barnsley and Hull having scored fewer.
On the other side of the coin, their 14 goals conceded is fewer than the record of half a dozen clubs who are above them in the table.
Head coach Martin admitted: “We just need to make more of our dominance and our control, and of the territory we had.
Martin Davies has left @SwansOfficial after five years to return to @CambridgeUtdFC as first-team goalkeeper coach.https://t.co/YFmoVbZ8VS
— Training Ground Guru (@ground_guru) October 4, 2021
“We have not come in having had 76 per cent possession and having just passed it around relentlessly at the back.
“We have been inside their territory, inside their area and the last 20 minutes was attack against defence.
“I am sure we will have it thrown at us that it is all possession and no threat, but we created good chances and someone just has to put the ball in the net.
“I am happy to see the players be able to put that sort of performance on the pitch after just eight weeks here, just as we did against Hull and Millwall and we now have the best clean sheet record in the league, which is the other side of having that control.”