Wayne Routledge | Another cup run can help league form
Wayne Routledge believes launching another FA Cup run can benefit Swansea City during the final stages of the Championship season.
The Swans climbed back into the play-off places with victory over Charlton on Thursday night, putting them firmly back among the promotion contenders in a tightly-packed division.
Attentions now turn to the FA Cup, with Steve Cooper’s side visiting QPR in the third round on Sunday afternoon.
The Swans have reached the quarter-finals in each of the past two seasons, coming agonisingly close to a Wembley semi-final appearance against Manchester City last term.
While the importance of maintaining form in the Championship is obvious, experienced winger Routledge does not feel that has to mean the cup is treated with any less emphasis.
And he points to the positive impact winning in knock-out competition can have on league form.
“Reaching the quarter-finals of the competition in consecutive seasons has given the boys a taste of what they can achieve in their careers,” he said.
“Hopefully, they can kick on again this season. It’s a great feeling if you can keep winning in the competition; it breeds a good mentality.
“It doesn’t matter how you win these games, so long as you can get over the line by hook or by crook.”
Routledge returned to the Swans starting line-up against Charlton, with his intelligent play helping the hosts produce an excellent first-half display that could have yielded more than the decisive one-goal margin.
And he believes the mix of quality and resilience reinforces that the team are heading in the right direction.
“It wasn’t an easy game by any stretch of the imagination,” he added. “But I felt that we created enough opportunities to possibly put ourselves further ahead in the first half.
“Obviously, we didn’t and that made it a nervy finish for us. But a 1-0 win and another clean sheet is a good night’s work.
“Like I’ve said many times before, we’re still a work in progress but we’re going the right way.”
