Goal celebration proved extra special for Jake Bidwell

It was a celebration Jake Bidwell had waited nine long months for, and it proved extra special for more than one reason.

Bidwell put the icing on the cake as Swansea City completed a convincing 3-0 win over Cardiff in the south Wales derby.

Following Jamie Paterson’s first-half opener and Joel Piroe’s cool finish, Bidwell sent the Jack Army in ecstasy when he headed home the former’s cross in the 74th minute.

The 28-year-old ran away to the east stand to celebrate, with the ball tucked under his shirt and his thumb in his mouth.

“My missus is about to give birth, the baby’s due this week any time now,” explained Bidwell, who last scored against Millwall on October 3, 2020.

“I’ve had that celebration in the bag for about nine months now, and I only just managed to pull it out! Good timing, I suppose.”

The performance and result proved a perfect outcome for the Swans, who made the most of their dominance in possession and territory.

Paterson was awarded man of the match after scoring once and setting up two goals, but in truth Russell Martin’s men all stood up to be counted.

And Bidwell felt this performance has been a long time coming.

“I think we’ve been threatening that performance for a little bit now,” said Bidwell.

“With the gaffer coming in so late, the first weeks of the season were like pre-season, to be honest, but I think you can see that we’re really getting to grips with his ideas.

“I’m buzzing with the performance. These days are all about the fans; you’re well aware of what it means to the fans, to the city.

“On Sunday, we were representing the city as well as the football club. It’s all about the result at the end of the day, but on Sunday we got the result and the performance to go with it.

“Hopefully this kickstarts something for us.”

The Swans host West Brom, relegated from the Premier League, on Wednesday night.

The Baggies sit second in the Championship table, having lost just once in their 12 games, though the Swans could elevate themselves into the top half if they seal consecutive wins.

And Bidwell knows the onus is on the Swans to back up their derby heroics against the Baggies on Wednesday night.

“We’ve got another big one on Wednesday against West Brom,” he added.

“This performance can’t be a one-off, we’ve got to really build on it and use it as a springboard to go on and improve.

“The performances have been getting better and better, so hopefully we can keep this going.”