By David Williams
The claims of Neil Warnock – that referees might be influenced when they take charge of Swansea City because of their links to head coach Steve Cooper’s father, Keith – have been rebuffed by Luton manager Nathan Jones.
Cooper and fellow Welshman Jones will go head-to-head on Saturday when the Swans go to Kenilworth Road for a lunchtime kick-off.
The Swans have had four penalties awarded to them in their last four matches, the last three all being hotly disputed by opposition managers.
Middlesbrough’s former Cardiff City manager Warnock not only questioned the decision to give Andre Ayew the chance to secure a 2-1 victory in the 97th minute of last week’s game, but also suggested officials could be influenced by their connections to Cooper senior, a former top referee.
Boro have since been charged by the FA with misconduct, but Jones has poured cold water on the idea that Cooper’s father could somehow be a factor swaying officials.
“I know Neil Warnock mentioned something about Keith Cooper, who’s a friend of mine,” said Jones.
“I’ve known Keith for years, who is obviously Steve’s dad, but it was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek comment.
“I don’t think anyone purposely thinks, ‘it’s Swansea so we’re going to give them a penalty,’ but they’ve just had a bit of a fair wind lately, and that sometimes can happen.
“They’re a forward-thinking side, so they can create chances, but we hope we’re not speaking about Swansea getting any kind of penalty, let alone a harsh one. We’d like to get one of any description.”
The Swans earned another penalty in their midweek 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, a call that did not convince Jones.
Jones added: “I don’t like speaking about other teams and players, but I was at the game at Blackburn on Tuesday night.
“My immediate reaction, which has been backed up, was that it probably wasn’t a penalty.
“Then I watched the Stoke game and thought it was a tough one, I haven’t actually seen the Middlesbrough one, but I’ve been told that that was extremely harsh as well.
“I’m sure things even themselves out over a season, but in the last four or five games they’ve had four penalties.
“Sometimes the wind blows your way, but we’ll be hoping that no poor decisions are made by our players and anyone else in the stadium.
“But you can’t plan not to give a penalty away. You’ve just got to defend well and hope that the right decision has been made on the day.”
Ayew has scored all four of those penalties awarded, although the glut of decisions has been in sharp contrast to what had gone before, with the club having previously gone 25 matches without being given a spot kick.
Cooper has backed Ayew’s coolness under pressure and said: “Andre has always been an important player for us, with the player he is and the difference he can make in games.
“He, like everyone else, is only focused on keeping it going. He is getting a few goals at the moment, and he is there for the big moments.
“We hope we can create a few more big moments for him creating and scoring goals.
“He brings a lot to the table for us, he is a big player, but it is important we stay focused on the job in hand, look at what comes next and treat that as the most important thing.
“Andre has experience, he is 31 and has played on big stages throughout his career, including international football. He likes to give back so he is forever sharing his thoughts and experiences with us.
“He is a real team player, he is very much part of the culture, he is always looking to guide and help the young players and he is a real positive influence.
“We are lucky to have experienced players who are really good people, guys like Ryan Bennett and Korey Smith have added to that, we also have someone like Wayne Routledge who sets a great example.”