Brits bursting with pride

5th January 2014

Leon Britton was bursting with pride as he toasted a historic first ever win at Old Trafford as the Swans saw off Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Britton captained the Swans to a famous 2-1 victory against David Moyes's side - who were reduced to ten men late on following Fabio's dismissal - thanks to Wayne Routledge's opener and a 90th minute winner from Wilfried Bony.
Victory booked the Swans a fourth-round trip to either Birmingham City, Crawley Town or Bristol Rovers.
And Britton felt the Swans were good value for their victory.



"We are very proud with the result. Going to Old Trafford and playing Manchester United is a massive test, so to win 2-1 is a historic result," said the stand-in skipper.
"The changing room was very lively afterwards and it was a great place to be. It shows how much it means to the players.
"I thought we started off very well in the first half. It was a great move and finish for the first goal, but the frustrating thing is that we didn't hold on to our lead for long.
"But we said at half-time that if we kept playing our football then we would have an opportunity to win the game.
"The sending off helped, but even up until that point they hadn't created much and we were quite comfortable.
"Then we manage to get the winning goal in the last few minutes. It was a great feeling coming off that pitch knowing what we had achieved."



Britton also gave special praise to scorers Routledge and Bony, with the pair playing a part in each other's goals.
Bony was involved in the build-up play leading to Routledge's 12th minute opener while the latter's cross set up the Swans' club-record signing to head home in the final minute of normal time.
Britton added: "Wayne was outstanding throughout the whole game. He took his goal very well and set up the winner.
"When Fabio got sent off I noticed (Darren) Fletcher went to right-back, so I told Wayne to get at him if he gets the chance because he obviously hasn't played too much recently.
"He did it a couple of times, and the second time he put it on a plate for Wilfried to score the winner.
"We see Wilfried's quality in training every day, and in the last few games he has been brilliant.
"It's not just his goals, it's his hold-up play too. Hopefully he can carry that on for the rest of the season."
Victory at United was the first win in eight games for Michael Laudrup's side, who return to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.
And Britton feels this win will give the squad a considerable boost in confidence as they look to repeat their heroics in six days' time.
"Our form hasn't been great recently," he added. "We have had injuries, which isn't an excuse, but we showed against United that we can compete with the best teams in the country.
"It's a massive confidence boost when you go to Old Trafford and win.
"It was a great privilege for me to lead the team out and be captain of the first Swansea side to win at Old Trafford. It's something I'm very proud of."



Britton also paid tribute to the Jack Army for their fantastic following at Old Trafford, with over 1,500 making the journey.
Their passionate support could be heard from the corner of the ground, and Britton was keen to single out the role they played in the memorable victory.
"I have to praise the fans for their support," he said. "You have to remember that Christmas has just passed and the New Year too, so paying for transport and a ticket to get to this game wouldn't have been cheap.
"But they showed their commitment and support for this club once again, and their backing was superb. We thank them as a team for that support.
"We could hear them singing away in the corner of the stadium and it spurred us on.
"We are delighted that we gave them the result they were hoping for, and now we can all look forward to the next round of the FA Cup."