Carroll: Cup clash is crucial

Tom Carroll revealed the Swans are determined to move a step closer to a trip to Wembley and take their unbeaten streak into double figures.

The Swans face Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday at Hillsborough (12.30pm) with a place in the quarter-final of the FA Cup up for grabs.

Carlos Carvalhal returns to his former club for the first time, with the Portuguese having guided the Swans off the bottom of the Premier League and a point above the relegation zone courtesy of last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Burnley.

He has already overseen victories over Championship leaders Wolves and League Two high-fliers Notts County in the FA Cup this season.

And Carroll insists the squad are hungry to continue building momentum as they look to stretch their unbeaten streak to 10 games.

“It’s a lot nicer now looking at the league table than what it was a few weeks ago. It wasn’t looking pretty," he said.

“Doing well in the cup has helped too - it's been a crucial competition for us. It’s a big game because we want to continue our run in the cup and our unbeaten streak.

“We showed against Notts County how much we want to progress in this competition.

“A few of the lads were given opportunities to impress and they did that.

“It’s getting to the really interesting stage of the competition now – we are only a few games away from potentially playing at Wembley.

“We will be really up for this game, as I’m sure Sheffield Wednesday will be too.”