We’ll take the positives, says Grimes

14th February
First team

Matt Grimes insists there are positives Swansea City can take from Wednesday’s 2-1 Championship defeat against Leeds United at Elland Road.

The Swans had given themselves a chance to steal a late point in Yorkshire after Oli McBurnie had pulled a goal back from the penalty spot to halve Leeds’ two goal advantage, but it was not to be.

The victory sent the Whites back to the top of the Championship, but Grimes – who hit the woodwork with a free-kick earlier in the game - believes the Swans will have learnt a lot from a challenging night.

“They are a good side,” the midfielder said.

“The game plan we set out to deliver did not quite work for us but we were a lot better in the second half.

“We started to string together bits of play and created good attacks. On another day I think we could have taken a draw.

“I didn’t feel there was too much between us at points. I thought we limited them to very few chances but the goals sucker punched us.

“We fought to get back into the game which shows the character and spirit of the team, but it is always hard to come back into a game away from home.

“On our day we can mix it with the best teams in this league. It is all about learning something new from every game and I still feel we can take a lot from last night.”

Grimes, who has been a stand-out player for Graham Potter’s side this season, made his first return to Elland Road since his loan spell at the Yorkshire club during the 2016-17 campaign.

The midfielder made 12 appearances for the Whites before returning to South West Wales but believes he has grown as a player since that experience.

“I feel I have improved as a player massively since my loan spell with them.” He admitted. “I don’t feel my time at Leeds was a reflection of what I can do.

“I am the first to admit that it was a struggle for me, but I have moved on and grown from that.

“Now I feel confident with the Swans and I feel that is showing this season. I just want to keep giving good performances in the team and look forward to helping the side bounce-back from this result.”