Steve Cooper | Conor Hourihane has given us a different dimension

Steve Cooper feels Conor Hourihane has added a different attacking dimension to Swansea City after netting in each of his first three league games for the club.

The on-loan Aston Villa midfielder has wasted little time making an impact in SA1, netting a fine free-kick against Brentford before lashing home a half-volley in the win at Rotherham.

But he topped those two strikes with a stunning effort in Friday’s 2-0 win over leaders Norwich, which made him the first Swansea player since Michu to score in his first three league games.

Receiving the ball from Jay Fulton some 30 yards out, Hourihane took a couple of touches to get the ball out of his feet and smashed an unstoppable low left-footed drive beyond Tim Krul and into the bottom corner.

The Republic of Ireland international has yet to taste defeat in Swansea colours, and Cooper has been pleased with the attitude he has shown since joining for the rest of the season, and his goalscoring impact.

“He is a player and a lad with a lot of humility,” said Cooper.

“He is a high-level player, but he has bought into how we work. We work in a specific way and he has made a conscious effort to understand that.

“We didn’t think he would come in and score three goals in his first three games, but we will certainly take it.

“You do fancy him in those situations, Jay Fulton did brilliantly to show the composure to make the pass.

“But the moment the ball came to Conor, I think everyone in the stadium thought there was a chance that it was going in.

“Fortunately he did, he is providing another goalscoring options for us.

“His numbers are really good for a midfield player, that includes set-pieces too, and it’s great he has come in and scored goals.

“But it’s no surprise because of his record in seasons gone by.”