Josh Key | Getting my first home goal was the cherry on the cake
Josh Key described his first Swansea.com Stadium goal as the “cherry on the cake” after his thunderous strike sealed Swansea City’s 3-0 win over Stoke City.
The 24-year-old showed typical energy to burst forward in the closing stages to meet Jamal Lowe’s pass, beat a defender and lash an unstoppable shot high into the net.
The full-back is enjoying a run of games after returning from injury, and the former Exeter City man admits it has been a frustrating campaign after his bright start to life in SA1 was stopped in its tracks by hamstring and groin problems.
And he was delighted to cap off a fine win under the lights, and get off the mark on home turf.
“The ball broke and no-one else was running up the pitch, I felt I had the energy to get there, I backed myself and my fitness,” he said.
“It was an amazing bit of trickery from Jamal, he gave me the ball, I had a nice touch to take it past the defender and then I smashed it into the roof of the net.
“It was a relief, really. It’s been a tough season for me with injuries, and I have found it hard to get that consistency because of that.
“I have not had many injuries, mentally I have had to work on myself. I am adapting to a new style of play but I am someone who loves a challenge.
“I am really happy and I feel I am back to full fitness and firing.
“To top it off with a goal is the cherry on top of the cake, particularly to do it in front of the home crowd because we need them.
“It was a happy moment, and I hope there are many more. “
Key was also pleased with the clean sheet, Swansea’s first since the south Wales derby win over Cardiff City, and the response following defeat at Middlesbrough.
“We are really pleased with the clean sheet, in recent weeks it has been tough, we pride ourselves on our hard work on defending and set-pieces and that’s where teams have been punishing us,” added Key.
“But the mentality of the team was bang on, we have been lacking that recently.
“You can dominate games with the ball, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t take your chances or concede poor goals.
“Hopefully we can move forward from this. You cannot pick and choose what games you perform in, you have to have that bite in every game. It cannot be a one-off, hopefully this can kick something off for us.”