Declan glad to take his chance

Declan John was happy to have taken his chance to impress against Derby, admitting Swansea City’s recent run of form has left him needing to be patient.

The Wales international was introduced at half-time against the Rams, slotting into a left wing-back role and made a positive impact on proceedings.

Indeed, he could have opened his Swans account after a surging diagonal run ended with Rams keeper Kelle Roos just keeping out his shot with his trailing leg.

John was heavily involved in a number of threatening Swans attacks during the second period, with his pace causing real problems down the right side of the Derby defence.

And he enjoyed having the freedom to get forward.

“They played some good stuff in the first half and you could say it was an even game. In the second half, with me coming on, we had more width and the team showed a lot more pace going forward. We played a lot better,” he said.

“We were 1-0 down and trying to get that goal. The gaffer told me to try and get forward as much as I can.

“I actually ended up in the box at one point and, perhaps, should have done better with the shot. It was 45 minutes and I tried to leave everything out on the pitch.

“I used to play on the wing as a kid up until I was 17 or 18 years of age, so I’m used to playing there. I think that’s where my best game is.

“That’s always been part of my game and what I’ve done throughout my career. I like to get forward, put some crosses into the box and set some goals up for the strikers.”

It was John’s 12th appearance since arriving from Rangers last summer.

The 23-year-old would have liked to have seen more game time, but acknowledges Swansea’s strong form since the turn of the year has made it difficult to break into Graham Potter’s side.

“When you look at it, the depth of the squad is really good,” he said.

“I know we’ve got a lot of young players, but it’s about biding my time and waiting for my chance. The boys have been superb, to be honest, with some of the football they’ve played.

“If you look at our home form, we’ve gone 11 games unbeaten. Obviously, our away form hasn’t been as good, but we’ve played well and had some good results.

“When the team’s playing well, it’s hard to push your way in.”