Cullen thrilled to reach double figures
Liam Cullen admits he is delighted with goalscoring return for Swansea City Under-23s this season after reaching double figures for the campaign in last night’s defeat at Manchester City.
In his first year as the young Swans’ main striker, Cullen scored his 10th goal of the campaign as they fell to a 3-1 loss against an inspired City at the Academy Stadium.
Latching onto Kees De Boer’s deflected long clearance, the 20-year-old striker advanced into the hosts’ half before calmly chipping goalkeeper Tom Scott from 30 yards.
That moved him up to second on the goalscoring charts in Premier League 2 this season, with only Brighton’s Dan Connolly finding the net on more occasions.
The goals of Cullen have been a shining light during a generally difficult season for the under-23s, whose relegation from the top flight of development football was confirmed by defeat to Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago.
And while disappointed he was unable to lift the Swans away from danger, the Tenby-born striker has been delighted with the steps he has made this term.
“As a player in my position, the first things I think about are working hard for my team and trying to score goals,” he said.
“I’m pleased with my return this season and scoring my 10th goal was a great way to top things off.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the goalscoring charts over the past few weeks and looking to try and finish as high as I can. Coming second feels like a good return.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get us out of the relegation zone but, on a personal note, I’m quite pleased.
“The ball fell to me inside their half and I managed to get just outside their box. There were two defenders close to me, so I thought the best option was to try and chip the goalkeeper. Thankfully, I connected well and it went in.
“It’s definitely one of the best goals I’ve scored for the under-23s. Going to the Academy Stadium and playing against a team like Manchester City, it’s always a bonus to score. It’s what everyone wants to do when they play away at places like that.”
Cullen’s strike came four minutes after he found the net at the other end of the field.
The striker unwittingly diverted a deflected City corner beyond goalkeeper Josh Gould, but admits he couldn’t be too hard on himself for something he knew very little about.
“I’m going to count that towards my tally for the season!” he laughed.
“The corner took a deflection and I didn’t even see it hit my head. The next thing I knew, it was in the back of the net.
“I wasn’t too disheartened about it because there was nothing I could really do. I just had to get on with it and, thankfully, I made up for it by scoring at the right end.”
