Potter pleased with brave Swans

Graham Potter saluted Swansea City’s courage and character after defeat to Eibar in their penultimate pre-season friendly.

The Swans were beaten 2-1 by their La Liga opponents, who scored either side of half-time through Pere Milla and Sergi Enrich.

But Potter’s men played some good football in passages of the game, and pulled a goal back late on through Jordi Amat.

The Swans were pushing for an equaliser as the final whistle blew, and Potter is taking encouragement from the desire his team showed.

“It was a tough game for us against quality opposition, but we were brave and we tried to play,” he said.

“We made some mistakes, but overall I am really pleased with the attitude and the application of the players.

“There were moments of good possession, although it was challenging against a team with good defensive organisation.

“It was good experience for a relatively young side. In the second half I was pleased with the way we kept going. We put in a lot of effort and the boys deserved the goal at the end.

“We didn’t accept the result and that was good to see. The boys pushed on and I am happy with the personality they are showing on the pitch.”

The Swans went in at half-time 1-0 down after Eibar scored with the first genuine chance of the game.

Eibar fielded a near full-strength side, and doubled their lead early in the second period.

But the Swans did not crumble, showing spirit as they put pressure on the Spaniards’ defence late on.

Amat nodded home five minutes from time when Joe Rodon headed Matt Grimes’ free-kick across the face of goal.

“It was a really good game and a really good challenge for us against a side who did well in La Liga last year,” Potter added.

“They are an experienced team who have a clear idea of how they are playing.

“We coped quite well at times and struggled at times, but I feel the group are progressing. We are getting to know each other more and getting more information.

“Today was a really useful test for us. The boys have been great all week – they are getting closer together and that’s another positive.”

Recent signing Joel Asoro was rested tonight but is set to feature against Freiburg on Friday, while a handful of senior players did not feature against Eibar.

Potter added: “You can’t read too much into that. It’s a contingency exercise. You don’t know how things will go as the window moves on.

“All the guys have been brilliant. They have been very, very professional. I just wanted to look at some other options just to see how the squad is looking and how the team is shaping up.”