Potter: Consistency key as crunch time approaches

Graham Potter says Swansea City and any other side looking to launch a late run for a Championship play-off berth need to start putting together a run of wins.

Victory over Bolton last time out saw the Swans trim the gap to the top six to seven points, but they now face a tough trio of away games against leaders Norwich, and promotion hopefuls West Brom and Nottingham Forest.

Swansea will start those games as underdogs in the eyes of many, and Potter acknowledged his side have yet to string together the sort of winning sequence that would put themselves firmly in the mix for a top-six finish.

But, with plenty of points still on the table, the Swans boss believes there is an opportunity up for grabs for any side that can hit its stride during the crunch final run-in.

"Anybody that can consistently win between now and the end of the season puts themselves in a very strong position, because there are plenty of points still to play for," he said.

"It's obvious that if you can win a lot of games on the spin you can move up the table quite quickly and in a big way.

"Everyone will be saying the same thing, that's the nature of the Championship.

"If you look at our games between now and the end of the season, there are a lot in a small space of time and it's whether you can get on a run and get some momentum.

"If you could pick a time to do it, the time is now."

Swansea have yet to put together a winning run of more than two games, but they have shown signs of improvement over the course of the campaign and look to be heading in the right direction under the former FK Ostersund boss.

And Potter believes his side are capable of putting a run together, by calling on the lessons learned over the course of a challenging campaign.

"You have to believe it is possible. We have not managed to do it so far and there will be reasons why that is," added Potter.

"You have to take in all the experiences so far and try and get some results, that breeds confidence and belief and, with a bit of luck, you won't be too far away.

"But we have not been good enough to consistently win. Our performances have improved and we are in a better place, but we have not managed that consistent level."