Oli Cooper delighted to lay injury woes to rest

Swansea City Under-23s' attacking midfielder Oli Cooper is delighted to put his injury woes behind him after playing his first full match in over four months during the development side’s pre-season friendly against Wolves.

Cooper missed the back end of last season with an ankle ligament injury sustained in the under-23s’ Premier League Cup quarter-final victory over Nottingham Forest in March.

However, the 19-year-old has since made a successful recovery and, after appearing in the development side’s recent friendlies against Carmarthen Town and Torquay United, he played the full 90 minutes as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Wolves at Landore.

Cooper, who looked lively throughout the contest with some threatening bursts of pace and a couple of decent shots well-saved, was thrilled to be back in the thick of the action.

“I can’t put into words. It feels like ages since I’ve played 90 minutes,” he smiled. 

“It’s great to be back out there knowing that all the work I did in the off-season, all the rehab has been worth it.

“There’s nothing better than being out on the pitch and getting my first 90 minutes of pre-season was brilliant.”

Cooper, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Swans in February, admits the past few months have provided a testing period for him and is thankful for the support he received along the way.

Now back to full fitness, he is looking to force his way into contention when the under-23s kick off their Premier League 2 Division 2 season away at Norwich on August 9.

“Towards the end of my rehab, I was flagging," he added. 

“I wanted to be out there playing and that kept me motivated.

“I also had good people around me who provided fantastic support. The physios were great, looked after me and got me back to this position.

“I’m now ready to be back out there and, hopefully, I’ll be in the starting 11 when the season starts.”