Your Swansea City headlines for Monday, October 24.
Monk: Grimes reminds me of Leon
Former Swansea boss Garry Monk has paid skipper Matt Grimes one of the highest compliments you can get by comparing him to club legend Leon Britton.
Grimes was once again superb against Cardiff City on Sunday, controlling play and dictating the tempo of the match for the home side. A Sky Sports stat circulating during the South Wales derby showed he had completed more passes than the entire Bluebirds team combined.
Granted, the visitors were down to 10 men but Grimes stamp on the game was impressive and Monk believes he has matured into the role and likened him to club stalwart Britton.
"He's grown into that," Monk said on Sky after the game. "When he first came to the club he was learning from the likes of your Leon Brittons, he reminds me of Leon a lot in the sense of that controlling part of the game, being in that position that controls the rhythm of the team. He's grown into that position, he's matured as a player, especially in recent seasons, he's really come to the fore in terms of being able to dictate.
"It's very underestimated, when you're watching from the outside in, but when you're in there and see those types of players, I call them the glue, they glue the team together and they control the tempo of a game. They can dictate when to slow it down or speed it up, and he has that now, but it has taken him time to mature into that player. But it's fantastic to see the level he is playing at and he can go on as far as he wants with that type of mentality."
Martin on Norwich radar
National reports over the weekend linked head coach Russell Martin with Norwich City.
Canaries boss Dean Smith is said to be under pressure at Carrow Road, with the club sitting seventh in the Championship standings.
Martin is a former Canaries player, playing in Norfolk for nine years, with the Sun reporting the club could turn to the 36-year-old should they dispense of Smith's services.
Martin, though, appears happy and settled in south Wales, telling a recent fans' forum that he would like to sign a new contract with the club. "Would I? Yes," said Martin when discussing the possibility of signing a new deal. "But I haven't been offered one.
"I'm comfortable with the length of contract I have. We love it here, we're really happy, we love the job that we're doing, so it's all good and we're really comfortable with where it's all at."
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Cooper's Wales hope
Ollie Cooper further heightened the clamour for Rob Page to select him in his World Cup squad with a scintillating display in Swansea City's derby victory over Cardiff City.
The 22-year-old netted his third goal in four games to send Russell Martin's men on their way to a 2-0 triumph over the 10-man Bluebirds at the Swansea.com Stadium - with victory lifting the Swans up to fourth in the Championship table.
It was the latest in a string of impressive displays from the young Welshman who is yet to feature for his country at senior level, with Page set to name his 26-man party for the World Cup in Qatar in a fortnight.
“In terms of Wales all I can do is keep doing what I'm doing and try and perform as well as I can. It’s up to him [Page] to pick the squad," Cooper told the Swansea website.
“It would be a massive achievement for me and an honour to be selected. At this point of the season, it’s an honour to even be considered and have my name in the same sentence as the Wales squad. All I can do is show people what I can do and then it’s up to him."
Wales kick-start their World Cup campaign against the United States of America on November 21.
Phillips rues sloppy spell
Ceri Phillips admits a sloppy 20-minute proved costly as Swansea City Ladies drew 2-2 with Aberystwyth Town Women.
Chloe Tiley fired the Swans ahead inside the opening minute of the Genero Adran Premier contest, although Libby Isaac struck twice to put Aber ahead before the break. Sarah Adams netted a late equaliser for Phillips' side, although they had left themselves with too much work to do to claim all three points.
“It’s disappointing not to get the win, every game we go into we aim to get three points from it,” Phillips told the club website. "It was a similar story to a few weeks back where we lost our way for a brief period in the game which allowed them chances.
“I don’t recall Claire Skinner having any saves to make besides the penalty and a cracking finish from Aberystwyth, it was enough for them to get two goals when we started the game so well, we just took our foot off the gas.
“The second half was 10 times better, we kept turning the screw and having a go at them and they were very resolute in defence.
“We are targeting everything; in the cup we are targeting a win and in the two away games we are targeting six points so that’s how we want to right the wrongs of a 20-minute spell in this game.”
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