Steve Cooper | Unity of team, club and city is key to any derby success

Steve Cooper knows if Swansea City are to create south Wales derby history, it will be down to a total team effort rather than any individual.

The Swans host Cardiff City at the Liberty Stadium this evening with the chance to claim the first league double in the 109-year history of the fixture; having won the reverse game 2-0 at Cardiff City Stadium in December.

Swansea had the chance to do the same last season, but a goalless draw in Cardiff denied them a landmark success.

They will be looking to go one better in SA1, but head coach Cooper has been keen to remind his squad of the need for a collective effort, while acknowledging that sense of unity will reverberate far beyond the walls of the home changing room.

Cooper is unbeaten in derbies since his appointment in June 2019 but, when pressed on that record, he said: “I hope we can carry that on, of course.

“But it’s not about me being unbeaten, and it’s not about any one individual. Everything we do is as a collective, as a team, as a squad, as a football club, as a city, because that is who we are representing.

“It’s such a shame we cannot have the supporters cheering us on this weekend, because I remember the atmosphere at the Liberty when we won last season.

“That noise was unforgettable, and it will stay with me forever.

“We want to play with pride, and we want to win the game. I am sure they will say the same.

“Whenever you come into these games, you are not thinking about a draw, or anything else.

“You think about what it takes to win, that’s always the message and it’s definitely the case this week.”