Josh Key | To score a goal like that was very special

Josh Key feels he should have opened his Swansea City goalscoring account for the 2024-25 season far earlier in the campaign, but he was certainly not complaining about the stunning fashion in which he ended his wait to find the net against Plymouth Argyle.

With the Swans 2-0 up 10 minutes before half-time and in complete control of their meeting with the Pilgrims at the Swansea.com Stadium, the defender received the ball from midfielder Joe Allen and Goncalo Franco in space some 35 yards from goal.

Having taken a touch to get the ball out of his feet, the full-back proceeded to launch a high strike towards goal which dipped and faded to confound Argyle keeper Conor Hazard and soar into the back of the net.

It put the cap on an excellent team performance, and marked Key’s third goal for the club since his arrival from Exeter in the summer of 2023.

And it also meant two of his three Swansea goals have come against Exeter’s south-west rivals, with Key having netted the late clincher in a 3-1 success at Home Park last term.

“That was very good. Being an Exeter boy it feels nice to get a goal against our rivals, so I really enjoyed that one,” he said with a smile.

“The team were brilliant and it sort of allowed us to show our best and the attacking football we can play.

“It was enjoyable for me and enjoyable for the fans.

“The goal has been a long time coming, I probably should have scored a couple more this year as I have got myself into the positions to do so. It was nice to get one like that.

“The ball that Franco gave me, and the space it put in front of me, it just made me think the best option for me was to shoot.

“Even if the keeper saves it, there’s a chance he parries it and someone else can profit. But I hit it well and with enough conviction that it went in over the keeper.

“It was definitely a shot, people have been asking me! But I think for a lot of players when you shoot you can never fully know exactly where it’s going, unless you are Messi or Ronaldo, and I was delighted it went in.”

The win over Plymouth means Swansea have taken back-to-back wins and clean sheets, and they will look to carry that momentum into Saturday’s trip to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland, who have already secured a play-off place.

“It’s going to be a very hard game, but I think we have shown what we can do against teams recently, whether they are fighting at the top of bottom of the table,” said Key.

“Sunderland are a really good team, and they have a lot to fight for. It’s a long journey for us, so we have to recover well and be ready to really go for it.”