Williams looking for Swans to sustain intensity in Good Friday battle against struggling Owls. 

The Swans would produce their strongest all-round display of the Williams era in their 2-0 derby day victory over Cardiff a fortnight ago with an vibrant performance to earn all three points. Goals from Liam Cullen and Jamal Lowe securing bragging rights for his side for another season whilst also ending the Bluebirds four match winning streak. 

The victory moved Williams’ side seven points clear of the bottom three of the division and within touching distance of football in the second-tier next season. 

Just two points off the top half of the table, the next aim for the Swans will be to continue a strong vein of form which has seen ten points taken from the last 15 available, starting against relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow afternoon. 

Despite lying one place off the bottom of the table, the resurgent Owls will be a tricky prospect having won five of their last eight league matches.  

Back-to-back defeats at home to promotion-chasing Leeds United and a 6-0 thrashing at Portman Road against Ipswich Town have slowed German Danny Rohl’s side’s revival. However, with a strong recent record at Hillsborough collecting 10 points from the last 15 available, Williams believes their Yorkshire opposition will be ready to fight ‘tooth and nail’ to get a result that could take them out of the bottom three come five o’clock and his side will need to match their tenacity.

“Our goal is to climb up the table as high as we can. We got a great opportunity to do that,” said Williams speaking ahead of the match. 

“We are in a good place and have fixtures ahead of us against teams that are in a similar position in the league to us. 

“I expect them [Sheffield Wednesday] to fight tooth and nail for every inch of the football pitch. That is fine with us, we are expecting that – we would like to do the same thing. 

“Ipswich can do that to the best of teams, so they will be hurting from that. 

“The manager has gone in there and made a brilliant impression on everybody. He would have used the time since to get the group back together and learn from the game. 

“That’s going to be a challenge. They are going to be fully motivated and well-organised, but we are going to be doing the same thing. 

“The Cardiff game really gave us an opportunity to press the opposition and try to build-up as well against a team that was trying to take the ball off us. 

“It was a great way to go into the international break. It really pleased so many people. 

“This was the best performance we’ve had so far since we’ve been together and in the biggest game. 

“Certainly, it was a very good display and a good example of playing on the front-foot. This is something that we want to become a trait and recognised for. I would like to see us playing from the front-foot again from the beginning of this game. 

“If we can continue to impose ourselves on the opposition, it is something that is important to us that we want to become an identity of ours. 

Williams revealed that he will be without the injured defensive duo of Kyle Naughton and Ben Cabango for the long trip up north but is hopeful Welsh international Cabango will be back in contention after the bank holiday weekend for the final run-in. 

“I think we are ready for a cluster of fixtures after the international break,” continued Williams. 

“Kyle is going to be out for a while [with a hamstring injury], but Ben [Cabango] is going to be back on the grass very soon in full training which is very good news for us. 

Meanwhile, midfielder Liam Walsh, one of several players playing for a new deal at the club is back training after spending the last two months on the sidelines. Williams is delighted to have Walsh to be back, but warned players will need to earn new deals on the pitch from their performances from now until the end of the season. 

“Liam Walsh has been training, which is incredible. He is very close now [to a return],” explained Williams. 

“For all us head-coaches, it’s the balance with connection and continuity. Then it is the freshness by giving the oxygen to the players working so hard to help make performances. 

“This balancing act is a constant struggle for us, and we tussle in our own mind about the right decision to make and something in between. 

“We have a lot of players who are desperate to show what they can do to be a part of what we are doing going forward and they need the game time to do that. 

“We have this scenario in an abundance, players perform at their highest levels in the last year of their contract. 

“It isn’t a healthy way to live, one season contract at a time, it is unsustainable of course, though the motivation is obvious. 

“It is though catch-22 if the manager doesn’t put you on the pitch to show how good you are, it is a case of having to scrap away and fight for the minutes.” 

[Lead image: Swansea City FC]