Phil SumblerAfter 441 days the fans will finally return to the Liberty Stadium this evening albeit in a relatively small number with each of them hoping that it will be a celebratory return as Steve Cooper and his side look to finish off the job that they started Monday evening at Oakwell.
Andre Ayew scored the only goal of the first half to bring the game back to Swansea holding a 1-0 lead and knowing that a fourth clean sheet of the season against the Tykes will give us a 49th – and last – league related fixture of the season next weekend.
Whatever happens tonight one set of supporters will be celebrating whether that is in the stadium and at home for Swans fans or back in South Yorkshire for those from Barnsley as we do face the prospect of potentially extra time and penalties to decide a winner although clearly that is something that our heart rates (and possibly even our sanity!) would like to avoid.
The atmosphere at the Liberty tonight will of course not match the electricity of the game against Nottingham Forest ten years ago but it should be enough to create a feeling that can lift the team if and when it is needed which is something that Barnsley benefitted from on Monday evening although ultimately the Swans defence stood firm in the face of Barnsley pressure particularly at the start of the second half.
On Monday night, Steve Cooper got his selection and tactics right and whilst the game may not have been pretty the result was exactly what he would have wanted but you would expect this evening changes to be made which could see the three at the back line reintroduced and maybe Connor Roberts coming back into the side. If that were to happen you would imagine it would be at the expense of Liam Cullen whilst Korey Smith for Conor Hourihane seems an obvious change that would need to be made but then again when have we ever seen Cooper do what we think may be obvious?
The prize for the winners tonight is an appearance in the self styled richest game in football next Saturday where the winners of Bournemouth and Brentford will be waiting for us. By the time we kick off we will know who has triumphed in that game as Brentford look to overturn the same 1-0 deficit they came back from against us at this stage last season.
But for now the focus has to be on us, the Liberty, the fans returning, the wishing that we could return in greater numbers, Steve Cooper and his side and the hope, passion and belief that we can finish off what we started Monday night and that by the time we all turn the lights out tonight we know we have one more game left to play.
We still believe…
