Steve Cooper | It's a really good start

Steve Cooper was pleased to see Swansea City show both sides to their game as they made a fine start to the new Championship season with victory at Preston.

Morgan Gibbs-White marked his league debut with his first goal in Swans' colours, and it turned out to be the winner as he steered in Jake Bidwell’s superb volleyed cross.

Bidwell had earlier been denied his first Swansea goal by the offside flag, while he headed onto the roof of the net, while Jamal Lowe fired wide in the first half.

But the Swans also showed defensive resilience to see out extended Preston pressure during the closing stages, and ensure a first win at Deepdale since 2008.

And Cooper was a happy man as Swansea started the season with an away win and a clean sheet.

“It is definitely a great start, any result you get here is a good one,” said Cooper.

“It is a really tough place to come as you could see from the record they had here last season. They have pretty much the same squad and the same team and it was tough.

“But I thought our performance was good, in the first half we got into some really good positions and did not capitalise on creating that real chance on goal.

“We were getting in down the sides, we looked a threat and we kept that going.

“Jake Bidwell has scored and it should have stood, we have seen it back, it was not offside and would have been a fantastic goal.

“But, as Jake does, he kept going, he kept doing the right things, he got in again off some brilliant play from Andre and Morgan gets in the six-yard box to put it in. It was a brilliant team goal.

“We had to show the other side of our game after that with lots of balls coming into our box to see out the result.

“Yet Freddie has not really had a save to make and that tells you everything about our heart and soul in those latter stages.

“It’s a really good start.”