Ollie Cooper | I am loving my football at the moment

Ollie Cooper is loving his football again and delighted to be making important contributions for Swansea City after opening his account for the season at Coventry.

The Wales international got the second of the Swans goals in their 2-1 victory over the Sky Blues at the CBS Arena, adding to Liam Cullen’s early opener.

The academy product received the ball from Harry Darling on the left and drove forward into Coventry territory, before cutting inside and dispatching a low shot into the bottom corner.

The midfielder also played his part defensively, with his pressing work without the ball, and admits he feels he has had a new lease of life at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

“I am loving my football at the moment, the gaffer is amazing and he really shows confidence and belief in me,” said Cooper. 

“He really helps me on the pitch and I think you can see a real difference between now and last season.

“With every game I am feeling more and more confident, and I am getting back to the way I was in the first season I broke through (into the first team). 

“But that’s not just down to me, the team help me so much, the guys give me the ball in positions where I can drive and do the things I am good at.

“It’s always great to score. Harry (Darling) has told me he is claiming the assist, so it shows he should just give me the ball more often, shouldn’t he?

“I wanted to drive forward and it started to open up for me, Jisung made a brilliant run for me to create the space for me to cut inside, and once I’d done that the only thing on my mind was to hit it. 

“To get off the mark with my first goal of the season is really pleasing, and I just need to try and score some more now.”

The Swans had to weather on and off field storms during the second half, with a torrential downpour and lightning leading referee James Linington to take the players from the field due to safety concerns.

But the visitors maintained their focus through the remainder of the contest, including eight minutes of stoppage time, to take all three points and secure a second-straight win.

“It is difficult when things like that happen because it’s so unexpected and there’s not much you can do to prepare for that,” added Cooper.

“You try to make sure you keep warm and you keep focused because you know coming back out after something like is going to be a different type of test.

“I think we managed to do that pretty well, and we didn’t let us stop us or hinder us in any way.”