Grimes ready to make his mark

Matt Grimes hopes the arrival of Graham Potter will give him the chance to prove his worth at Swansea City.

Grimes is back at the Liberty Stadium after getting almost 50 senior games under his belt during a loan spell at Northampton Town last season.

The midfielder, who turns 23 this week, has spent most of his time away from the Liberty since joining the Swans from Exeter back in January 2015.

Grimes was on loan at Blackburn in the second half of 2015-16, then joined Garry Monk’s Leeds for the 2016-17 campaign.

Now he is eyeing an opportunity to impress in SA1.

“I learned so much at Northampton,” he said.

“I knew last season that I needed to get games under my belt after the season before at Leeds, where it didn’t quite work out.

“I went to Northampton and got as many games as I could and I feel stronger coming back here. I learned a lot and now I’m here to prove myself.”

Grimes made his mark in the Swans’ first pre-season friendly under Potter, drilling home a spectacular late goal to secure victory at Yeovil.

And the set-piece specialist says he is enjoying life under the Swans’ new manager.

“I just need to take every day and week as it comes,” he added.

“The manager has put his own stamp on training and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“I’m really enjoying Graham’s sessions and the way he’s getting his ideas across to the lads and setting us up.

“I really hope to get a chance this season. I’m feeling strong and fit and I’m ready to go.”

After Grimes’ strike secured a 2-1 victory over Yeovil, the Swans are likely to play at least one training game before flying out for a pre-season trip to Austria and Germany at the end of next week.

Potter’s men will face Genoa, Magdeburg, Eibar and Freiburg during their stay on the Continent before returning home for their Championship opener at Sheffield United.

For Grimes, the aim will be to build on his contribution at Huish Park.

“I did a little bit of shooting practice the day before the Yeovil game – the first of pre-season – just to get my legs going,” he explained.

“I struck the shot well and thankfully it went in the back of the net. We got the win too, so it’s good to start with a positive result and performance.

“It’s nice to get minutes in my legs and I’m looking forward to the training games as well.

“Every pre-season is always the same. You blow the cobwebs out and get yourself ticking over.”