Chairman's column: Burnley

Read Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins' programme notes for today's clash with Burnley.

Good afternoon and a warm welcome once again to everyone here at the Liberty Stadium for today’s Premier League game against Burnley.

With games coming thick and fast over the last few weeks, I’m sure the extra FA Cup ties have helped our squad to really bond together and develop a good understanding under Carlos Carvalhal, while also helping to keep everyone fully involved and match fit.

Last week’s valuable point at Leicester City was overshadowed quite a bit by the long-term injuries sustained by Leroy Fer and Wilfried Bony.

Leroy was looking strong and playing some of his best football of the season. He was showing what an important player he is for us, especially since Carlos came in as manager. He will be a big miss for us over the last 12 Premier League games of the season.

Not having Wilfried available is another big loss, on and off the pitch, as his strong personality around the group will be hard to replace.

On a personal note, I know Wilfried was looking forward to finishing the season in a strong and positive way.

I can only wish both players a speedy recovery over the coming months.

So, the transfer window closed on the last day of January and, after weeks of hard work, we were fortunate to secure the signings of Andre Ayew and Andy King.

Andre is someone we all know well and will be a big player again for us, I’m sure, especially over the coming months as we look to secure the wins we need to finish the season strongly.

Andy is another strong and experienced signing and we were all delighted to secure his signature until the end of the season.

Andy is a talented and versatile midfielder with a fantastic attitude and desire, which will be vital for us in the weeks ahead.

I’m sure Andre and Andy will settle in very quickly, which is the main challenge when new players are brought in during the January transfer window.

A warm welcome to all directors, staff, players and supporters who have travelled from the Burnley area for today’s game.

Under Sean Dyche, Burnley have become a strong and talented team over the last couple of seasons and are very difficult to play against.

They have had a great season so far and it will be a tough challenge for us today. We need to be right on top of our game to have any chance of getting a positive result.

Many thanks again for everyone’s support. I hope everyone connected to Swansea City continues to get right behind Carlos and his players, so we can finish the season off in style.

Huw.