Defensive effort pleases Joe Rodon

Joe Rodon has saluted Swansea City’s maturing defensive unit for dealing with everything that has been thrown at them this season.

Steve Cooper’s side have collected 11 clean sheets from 37 Championship games this season, and sit three points off the Championship play-offs with nine games remaining.

Rodon has featured 21 times this season in the league, while Mike van der Hoorn, fellow academy graduates Connor Roberts and Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, summer signing Jake Bidwell and loanees Freddie Woodman, Ben Wilmot and Marc Guehi have also been part of Cooper’s backline, while Declan John made a solitary Championship appearance before a loan switch to Sunderland.

Injuries to Rodon and van der Hoorn have meant the pair have missed significant periods of the campaign, which led to opportunities for Cabango, Wilmot and Guehi in the heart of the defence.

Between the sticks, Woodman has proved a shrewd acquisition with the 23-year-old also saving three penalties so far during his loan move from Newcastle United.

And Rodon was full of praise for his team-mates for stepping up to the plate in the second tier.

“This season we’ve had a few unfortunate injuries at the back to me and Mike, so the two Bens have come in along with Marc, and they’ve done very well,” said the Wales international.

“They are young lads who have had to dig deep, but they’ve not looked out of place at all. They are really good players.

“Freddie is in goal, too, and it helps when you’ve got a really good shotstopper behind you. Then we’ve got Jake, Connor and Kyle on the flanks, and they bring experience to the defence.

“We kept 11 clean sheets in the league this season so far, but we want to improve that stat when we get back and hopefully that will play a part in getting us into the top six.”