Steven Benda encouraged by pre-season minutes

Steven Benda is relishing his chance to stake a claim for first-team involvement under Steve Cooper.

The German - who recently signed a new contract through to the summer of 2022 - has featured in both pre-season fixtures under head coach Cooper this summer.

The 20-year-old played the full 90 minutes when the Swans beat Mansfield in Portugal, and then got another 45 minutes under his belt in the win over Crawley on Saturday.

Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Erwin Mulder shared senior goalkeeping responsibilities between them last term, but goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson has said the number one spot is very much up for grabs ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Which means Benda is grateful for every chance he gets to put his name in the frame for the Championship opener against Hull.

"For me, it’s good to get games and experience of playing with the first team. The most important thing for me right now is getting the minutes," he said.

"The second half was a bit difficult against Crawley. We started well but made a few mistakes.

"It’s pre-season so the most important things are to get the legs going and build our team chemistry.

"Training is really good and everyone is very happy with the new manager. I think we’re doing well. We’re at a good point now and just need to continue working hard and see where it takes us.

"We have a few more fixtures before the season so there are a lot of games and a lot of opportunities. I’ll just keep working hard and see where it takes me."