Persistence is paying off, says derby day hero Jamie Paterson

Derby-day hero Jamie Paterson believes persistence is paying off at Swansea City following the 3-0 win over Cardiff in SA1.

The Swans ran riot at the Swansea.com Stadium as they dominated the south Wales derby following goals from Paterson, Joel Piroe and Jake Bidwell.

Paterson was named man-of-the-match for his impressive display which included a goal along with two assists.

The Swans enjoyed 74 per cent of possession and made 565 passes compared to Cardiff’s 186, with Russell Martin’s side controlling the game despite a testing opening 15 minutes.

While this was just a third win in 12 attempts in the league, Paterson believes the performance and result is evidence that the Swans are improving quickly.

"The lads are buzzing,” said Paterson, who has four goals in his 12 appearances since joining on a free transfer following his release from Bristol City. “We have a great togetherness and belief amongst ourselves, we know what we're good at and we've stuck to that - we haven't changed at all.

"We're just happy that we played our way, against a tough team. They were playing really direct and we matched that along with playing our own game."

Paterson’s stunning strike had the Jack Army on their feet, with the 29-year-old’s effort hitting both posts before going over the line in the 29th minute.

He then set up Piroe for the second with a divine assist before crossing for Bidwell to nod home the third and final goal.

One goal, two assists and a man-of-the-match display – not bad for his first south Wales derby.

"I'm not sure how to sum it up - I'm just happy for everyone else, the fans, the lads and the staff," he said. 

"A goal and two assists today and I've had a couple of assists this season. I'm just glad we put in that performance; it's been a really good day.

"For me personally, I'm just enjoying the football and looking forward to carrying it on.”

He added: "I think the fans will go home happy today and I'm sure there'll be some sore heads in the morning.

"When I went out for the warm-up I could sense the energy around the stadium. When fans are like that, it gives you an incentive to impress, it gives you that extra yard.

"As soon as we went 1-0 up that was it, we knew we were in control.

"The fans were right behind us, not just in this game, but in every game. Obviously, today was a little bit more special.

"It was really nice to see them all in the corner celebrating at the end of the game.”