These are your Swansea City headlines on Wednesday, April 19.
Martin wants to be annoyed
Russell Martin has said he wants to spend all summer annoyed.
Swansea have put a good run of form together over the past five games following a poor sequence post-World Cup that saw them drift alarmingly from play-off contention.
However, wins over Bristol City and Cardiff City proved to be the catalyst for change and the head coach admitted post-match against Huddersfield Town that he'd rather there be 10 games still to go, such is Swansea's form at the moment. They are seven points off the play-offs with four matches left - a scenario which is likely to leave them just short of a top-six push.
He admitted he wants to feel that frustration that summer - because it will mean they've finished the campaign on a strong footing.
"We are in a really good place at the moment, and we may find ourselves wishing there were 10 games to go instead of four," said the Swans boss.
"It sounds a strange thing to say, but I want to be as frustrated as possible when the season ends because it will mean we have got as close as possible (to the top six).
"It will highlight we have been so close and just been a couple of ingredients short of achieving what we wanted to achieve.
"So it will be frustrating, but we have four games left and we want to finish as strongly as possible for everyone; for the supporters for the way they have stuck with us, for the players and staff.
"The future is bright for this club and we want to finish strongly, get as close to the play-offs as possible and then spend the summer annoyed."
Woodman's emotional return
Freddie Woodman says he "fell in love" with Swansea during his time with the club.
The English keeper played 88 times for the Swans between 2019 and 2021 while on loan from Newcastle United.
He found a permanent home at Preston North End last summer and has not missed a minute of their impressive league campaign so far. He returns to south Wales for the first time tonight.
“I played there for two seasons and I know what the Liberty is like,” Woodman said.
“It's a tough place to go. We'll put a game plan together, we'll review this game and we'll look to go there and get a result.
"It'll be quite emotional going back because I kind of fell in love with Swansea so I'm quite looking forward to it. It's one that I look out for when the fixtures come out, it felt like it was a million miles away but now we're there.”
Piroe: I love it here
Speaking of love, now we move onto Joel Piroe.
The Swansea striker has been in impressive form of late. He has 17 goals for the season so far and is aiming for a second consecutive campaign where he notches up 20 strikes.
“Yeah, I am certainly hoping to reach the 20-goal mark again this season, it is always a nice number for a forward, I think," he told the club programme ahead of tonight's game.
“I am happy with how things are going at the moment, I feel like I have been a little bit unfortunate at times this season too as I feel like I have hit the post or the crossbar at least seven or eight times!
“So, there could easily have been a few more goals, but I am happy with my development.
“Someone said to me that it has been a long time since a Swansea player scored 20 goals two seasons in a row.
“It would mean a lot to me to do that when you look at some of the special players who have played for this club.
“As a player it is nice when you do things that have not been done, or maybe not been done for a while, it is like a small piece of history and they are nice things to have next to your name.
“I hope I can get there now and make that little bit of history.”
As for his time at Swansea so far, the Dutchman has clearly enjoyed his time in south Wales since his switch from the Netherlands two summers ago.
“These last seasons have been so big for me, because I feel I have really established myself playing in a first team," he added.
“I have been playing every game, playing the majority of the minutes and it means I have needed to be switched on in a way I did not have to be before.
“I have way more confidence than when I came here for the first time, everything was new; a new club, a new country. But I love it here, from the first day I came here and discovered Swansea as an area it has been great.
“The weather may not always be nice, but the people in the city, the people who work at the club, everyone is so helpful and makes life so easy.
“I hope I have proven myself here but there is still an awful lot of work for me to do.”
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