Luke Williams | Ollie Cooper moment sums up what we want to be about

As Luke Williams plots the path ahead for Swansea City, there is a moment from his first few months in charge that stands out as encapsulating what he hopes his team will become.

The head coach saw his side end the campaign with encouragement to take into the off-season as he prepares for a 2024-25 campaign that will be his first full term in charge of the Swans.

There were notable wins over the likes of Hull City and Sunderland over the second half of the season, but it was the energy and intensity of the performance in the south Wales derby victory over Cardiff City in March that stood out to Williams.

And he revealed how a specific incident in stoppage time of that game – when Ollie Cooper recovered defensively to take the ball off Ollie Tanner and win a free-kick - that proved the perfect example of what the former Notts County boss wants to create in SA1.

“We are striving as a team to produce a brand of football that makes everyone feel proud to support the team, and proud of what they see on the pitch,” he said.

“You know, as I look back, there was a moment in the Cardiff game that stood out. The one where Ollie Cooper tracked back and made a tackle.

“And two or three of the lads looked like they were going to kill him because they were so fired up by what he had done to help the team.

“They were grabbing hold of him, pulling him up off the floor, and hugging him. I almost feared for his life, but that’s the spirit we want.

“That was a moment that encapsulates what I want us to be about, what I want us to be on the pitch.

“To be full-blooded, committed, but play beautiful football and score lots of goals. If we do that, we will be starting to get somewhere.

“This group of players are hungry and motivated, and we will look to pick up where we left off in pre-season.

“We know we have a number of levels to go, but I work with ana amazing group of people with an incredible desire to work hard and be better.

“If we have that, we can do something special.”