Luke Williams | It was a tough test and we got what we needed from it

Head coach Luke Williams was pleased by the physical conditioning his Swansea City side showed after a number of players got their first full 90 minutes of pre-season under their belts in the friendly against FC Köln.

The Swans suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Thermenstadion Bad Waltersdorf, pulling a goal back through Ben Cabango after Tim Lamperle had netted an early double for the German side.

But, whereas the opposition changed almost their entire team at the interval, the majority of the Swansea starting line-up played the whole game in sweltering conditions.

And Williams was happy with the tough workout against a side who had been plying their trade in the Bundesliga last term, and particularly how his players came through after some tough days of training in the Austrian heat.

“That’s what it is about. It was a tough game in tough conditions and we got what we needed from it and we are one step closer to being ready for the league,” he said.

“They are a top side with lots of quality, they changed their entire outfield at half-time which meant we were facing fresh players again, which was what we wanted.

“We got the really good test we wanted from it. It’s difficult to assess the quality of the performance because the players have accumulated a lot of work leading into the game, so it’s unfair to expect them to play at their absolute best. 

“It’s about the attitude and the physical stuff we get out of it, I think some decision-making suffered because they are tired and we are dealing with the heat, but it’s about taking the maximum out of the game to be ready for the league.”

New signing Lawrence Vigouroux got his first outing in a Swansea shirt as he replaced Andy Fisher, with Williams confirming the keeper had suffered an injury.

“There was a problem for Andy, he picked up an injury, which means we needed Lawrence to go on,” added the Swans boss.

“He has already played a 90 in pre-season so he was ready for it, and he showed his bravery with the ball and made some good saves as well.

“He showed some of his qualities and it was good to get him out there.”