Fans will be "12th man" for Swansea City, says assistant manager Paul Williams

23rd November

Paul Williams is hoping the fans will play their part when Swansea City go in search of victory on his Liberty Stadium debut this weekend.
The Swans' new assistant manager will sit in the SA1 dugout for the first time when Crystal Palace visit on Saturday having joined Bob Bradley's staff last week.
Williams has watched plenty of games at the Liberty in the past, and is well aware of how influential the Swans support can be.
And the former England Under-20 boss has fingers crossed that the Jack Army will turn up the volume when Palace come to town.
The Swans slipped to the bottom of the Premier League table despite earning a creditable point at Everton last weekend, and will target a first win since the opening day of the season when they host the Eagles.



"Crystal Palace is a big game for us," Williams acknowledged. "What the players do will be vital, of course, but I also think the fans are going to be important for us.
"This is such a passionate area - there are fantastic fans here. Hopefully they are going to be our 12th man this weekend.
"To get out of the position we are in, I think it's really important that we all come together - the team, the fans and the club. We all have a common goal."
The Everton draw saw the Swans bank only a third point in 11 games since they began this campaign with victory at Burnley.
It has been a season of struggle so far, but Williams saw positive signs in his first game since leaving his role with the Football Association to join the club.



"The result at Everton was not ideal, but in terms of the way we went about it, I thought especially the first half was really pleasing," he added.
"We have got ourselves a base now and hopefully we can start building on that in the coming weeks.
"What is really important I think is that we learn from the second half at Everton.
"At times it is about the Swansea identity - keeping the ball and therefore keeping the ball away from the opposition.
"But there were positives and we hope to build on those when we play Crystal Palace."



Williams reckons the home support can help ensure what looks like a key game goes the Swans' way.
"I have been to the Liberty in the past to watch games and the atmosphere has been really good," he said.
"I know when teams have come here, it's something they mention.
"We hope we can get the fans on our side this weekend by giving them a performance throughout the game which is similar to what we produced in the first half at Everton."

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