Brandon Cooper | Everyone put in a good shift

Brandon Cooper says Swansea City Under-23s were deserving of their hard-earned point against Aston Villa on Monday, and feels they were unlucky not to come away with all three.

The development side played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League 2 Division Two showdown at Bodymoor Heath, as Cooper’s equaliser cancelled out an earlier header by Tyreik Wright.

Both sides had chances to claim all three points later on, with Ali Al-Hamadi notably hitting the crossbar for the young Swans in the latter stages.

Nevertheless, Cooper and co made it four points from six following last week’s dramatic victory over Norwich City.

And the defender believes those two results will give the Swans a good foundation to build on heading into the New Year.

“It’s definitely a good point for us. We’re pleased that we got the draw in the end; everyone put in a good shift for us,” he said.

“Only conceding one goal gives you a chance of staying in any game and on another day, we probably could have turned it into a win with the chances that we had.

“We really dug in there. Even if we didn’t win the game, we certainly weren’t going to lose it.

“Scoring so close to half-time made a massive difference. It gave us a bit more positivity and calmness before we went back out for the second half.

“Getting four points from six games is a good return and takes us nicely into the Christmas break. If we can keep this run going, it will give us more confidence and momentum.”

Cooper’s equaliser - a 45th-minute header from Keiran Evans' cross - brought the centre-half his second goal of the season, having also netted the winner against Norwich on the opening day.

A regular threat at set-pieces, the 19-year-old was delighted to make a goalscoring impact for the Swans, and hopes to add more to his tally throughout the campaign.

“It was a great ball from Keiran and I managed to get a good head on it,” he added.

“I was pleased to get another goal. One of my aims is to try to score more.

“I always look to provide a threat at set-pieces and tend to get on the end of a lot of crosses. Now, I must starting turning them into goals.

“Of course, my main job is to keep the goals out at one end, but anything you get at the other is a bonus, and I’m happy to help the team in that way.”