Monk hails strength in character
21st March
Garry Monk hailed his side's strength in character after they battled to a late 1-0 victory at Aston Villa.
Bafe Gomis' dramatic winner fired the Swans to eighth in the Barclays Premier League with their 12th win of the campaign.
The French striker was twice denied by Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan, while Wayne Routledge saw an effort cleared off the line.
But with just three minutes left on the clock, Gomis fired home his seventh goal of the season from Jefferson Montero's incisive pass across the box.
And Monk was full of praise for his side's determination to keep fighting for the three points despite missed opportunities.
"Overall, I think we deserved it," said Monk. "In the first half we were fantastic, created a few chances and maybe should have scored a couple.
"The second half was much more even, with both teams pushing and fighting, but we dealt with a confident Aston Villa team well today.
"It was similar to Monday night in that we were fantastic in the first half, but in the back of your mind you do wonder whether the missed chances will come back to bite you.
"But today typified the character and determination we have in that changing room.
"A lot of people might question what we have to play for, but we continue to fight and push.
"We did a lot of things right today. There were some big performances at a tough place to come. I'm very pleased."
The Swans boss was also keen to highlight the impact wingers Jefferson Montero and Nathan Dyer had when introduced in the second half.
"We've changed the system in recent weeks to have more midfielders on the pitch, and wingers like Jefferson and Nathan can count themselves unlucky not to be starting," he added.
"It's good to see they were focused and ready when they came on, and their contribution was fantastic.
"Jefferson's pass for the goal was a great ball, which he threatened to do moments before.
"That's the beauty for me as a manager that we can control it centrally, then switch it and create danger that way as well."
Meanwhile, Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood was left frustrated after missing out on a share of the spoils thanks to Gomis' late strike.
"It's the second time it has happened now," acknowledged Sherwood. "It's disappointing to lose in that manner. I think we deserved a point.
"They were better in the first period, but we looked more likely to score in the second half.
"It's frustrating that we didn't score because we created some good opportunities."
Bafe Gomis' dramatic winner fired the Swans to eighth in the Barclays Premier League with their 12th win of the campaign.
The French striker was twice denied by Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan, while Wayne Routledge saw an effort cleared off the line.
But with just three minutes left on the clock, Gomis fired home his seventh goal of the season from Jefferson Montero's incisive pass across the box.
And Monk was full of praise for his side's determination to keep fighting for the three points despite missed opportunities.
"The second half was much more even, with both teams pushing and fighting, but we dealt with a confident Aston Villa team well today.
"It was similar to Monday night in that we were fantastic in the first half, but in the back of your mind you do wonder whether the missed chances will come back to bite you.
"But today typified the character and determination we have in that changing room.
"A lot of people might question what we have to play for, but we continue to fight and push.
"We did a lot of things right today. There were some big performances at a tough place to come. I'm very pleased."
The Swans boss was also keen to highlight the impact wingers Jefferson Montero and Nathan Dyer had when introduced in the second half.
"We've changed the system in recent weeks to have more midfielders on the pitch, and wingers like Jefferson and Nathan can count themselves unlucky not to be starting," he added.
"It's good to see they were focused and ready when they came on, and their contribution was fantastic.
"Jefferson's pass for the goal was a great ball, which he threatened to do moments before.
"That's the beauty for me as a manager that we can control it centrally, then switch it and create danger that way as well."
Meanwhile, Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood was left frustrated after missing out on a share of the spoils thanks to Gomis' late strike.
"It's the second time it has happened now," acknowledged Sherwood. "It's disappointing to lose in that manner. I think we deserved a point.
"They were better in the first period, but we looked more likely to score in the second half.
"It's frustrating that we didn't score because we created some good opportunities."
