Kees de Boer delighted to reap rewards for hard work

Kees de Boer was delighted to see his hard work behind the scenes pay off following his match-winning free-kick in Swansea City Under-23s’ dramatic victory over Norwich.

The Dutch midfielder was the hero at Landore as he bent a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner to give the young Swans all three points in stoppage time.

For De Boer, who signed from Ajax in the summer of 2017, it was only his second Swansea goal – and first in over a year, having lost found the net in a 2-1 win over Hull in November 2018.

The 19-year-old’s heroics sent his team-mates into ecstasy but, for him, they came as no surprise, as he revealed that he will often stay behind after training at Fairwood to hone his technique.

And he was thrilled to see his persistence come to fruition at a crucial time for the development side, as they earned their first win in seven games.

“It’s a special feeling to score the winner. It’s always nice to get a goal and I was absolutely delighted,” De Boer said.

“After training, I’ll sometimes stay a bit longer and practice my free-kicks, so I was very pleased to see my hard work pay off.

“I know I am capable of producing free-kicks like that, but I haven’t shown it yet, so it was great to be able to do it so late in the game. 

“To be honest, I didn’t realise that we were in the final minute; I still thought there were a few minutes to play. 

“It’s been a while since my last goal, so it’s about time that I scored another one.

“It was good to get back on the scoresheet and, hopefully, I can add a few more this season.”

De Boer was also pleased to deliver the goods under the watchful eye of Steve Cooper, who was once again in attendance for the Premier League 2 Division Two clash.

The Swansea head coach handed the central midfielder his senior debut in the dying moments of August’s Carabao Cup victory over Northampton at the Liberty.

And the Dutch youth international admits that Cooper’s presence at the development side’s matches provides him with extra motivation as he seeks further opportunities in the first-team environment.

“It’s always good when the staff are here watching us. I see it as a really good opportunity to show them what I can do, so that is extra motivation for me,” he added.

“I’m desperate to get into the first team and there’s no better chance to do that than when they are here watching.

“They are always telling us that they are looking for midfielders who can score goals and provide assists.

“It was great to make my senior debut earlier in the season. That experience has only made me hungrier for more opportunities, but the only way I am going to get another one is by playing well for the under-23s.”