By Paul Jones
Rhian Brewster has told his Swansea City teammates they must not let standards slips as they chase down a place in the Championship play-offs.
The on-loan striker scored twice in the club’s eye-catching 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough last weekend that moved the Swans to within a point of sixth place.
Boosted by the agreement reached to extend the contracts of five players to the end of the current season, the club’s brisk resumption cannot now be squandered, says Brewster.
“We have set the bar, now we can’t fall below that,” said Brewster, who has now scored six goals since his January move from Anfield.
“We have eight games to play, so there’s lots on the line. Teams will drop points and let’s hope we keep winning.”
Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer, Mike van der Hoorn, Kyle Naughton and Erwin Mulder were due to be out of contract on June 30.
That would have meant they would have been unable to play a part in Swansea’s final six fixtures of the Championship run-in, plus any potential play-off games.
But the quintet have agreed terms through to August 4, the date of the Championship play-off final.
Manager Steve Cooper is now preparing his team for their first home game since March, when bottom club Luton Town come to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Luton earned a creditable 1-1 at home to play-off seeking Preston on their first day back, but their away record is poor with just one win on their travels between September and the shutdown in March.
Swans captain Matt Grimes believes his team have adjusted quickly to fan-less football and can build on their win at Boro in their first behind closed doors game at the Liberty Stadium.
“It was a very strange atmosphere without the fans, but it is going to be the norm for a little while so we have to adapt to that and get used to it as quick as possible,” said Grimes.
“It’s fantastic to be back, we have been away a long time and to get the feeling of playing on Saturday is one we have missed dearly.
“I thought we adjusted to it well at Middlesbrough, and we played some really good football.
“We’ve hit the ground running so we are very happy and we can move forward with confidence.”