Swansea boss Cooper hit by BIRD POO during win over Barnsley
Good luck charm? Swansea boss Steve Cooper is hit by BIRD POO during Championship play-off semi-final win over Barnsley… but the Welsh boss laughs it off as his side secure advantage at Oakwell
- Steve Cooper received an unusual suprise during his side’s win over Barnsley
- The Swansea boss was hit by bird poo during the first half of the play-off semi
- Cooper laughed off the incident before his side edged to a 1-0 win at Oakwell
They say it’s a symbol of good luck – and after being pooed on by a bird during Swansea’s win over Barnsley, Steve Cooper will certainly take that view.
The Swans struck first blood at Oakwell to take a slender 1-0 advantage with them to the Liberty Stadium, but it was a pigeon who struck in the first half – all over Cooper’s jacket to the bemusement of the Welshman.
Cooper looked down to see white excrement down the right hand side of his coat, but decided to laugh off the awkward incident as he urged his team on.
Steve Cooper was the unlucky recipient of bird poo during Swansea’s win away at Barnsley
The Welshman laughed off the incident before his side went on to secure a narrow victory
Just 20 minutes later, Andre Ayew scored a superb solo effort in what turned out to be the only goal of the game, and it appears Cooper may well have been riding his luck as the Ghanaian appeared to be slightly offside when collecting his pass from Kyle Naughton.
But Ayew still had plenty of work to do as he picked up the ball on the right-hand side of the area, shifted it onto his left foot and went past two players before curling home into the corner.
The visitors stayed firm to deny the home side, and had Freddie Woodman to thank for a handful of very smart stops to keep it at 1-0.
It promised to be a tough evening for Swansea, especially with the return of fans at Barnsley following Monday’s relaxing of Covid protocols, but Cooper was left very pleased with his players’ efforts,
‘It was a good effort from the boys, we managed to show some bits of quality, the goal being the obvious one,’ he told Sky Sports.
Cooper walks out of the ground holding his jacket ahead of the return leg at the Liberty
‘It was fine margins, I was just really pleased with the resilience of the boys.
Cooper was particularly happy with the efforts of Ayew after his fine strike, and said the 31-year-old was ‘a brilliant lad’ who had given everything to the cause during his two years at the club.
‘There was not loads of chances,’ Cooper added. ‘But Andre knows the way and in those areas, he is a real handful and he proved it again.
‘He’s a brilliant lad first and foremost, a really good player. During the last two years, he’s given 100 per cent to what we are trying to do.
‘We’ve got it all to do again. Tonight was a real effort from everyone but we’ve been here before, the final whistle in the next game is the important one.’
Andre Ayew scored the only goal of the game to give the Swans a crucial first leg advantage
The Ghanaian celebrates after his brilliant solo effort with Matt Grimes on Monday evening
Cooper will be hoping to secure promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking, having been beaten by Brentford at this exact same stage during last year’s play-off semi-finals.
This time, however, he’ll be able to welcome back fans to the Liberty for the second leg – and he believes the club’s faithful can play a big part in spurring them on to reach Wembley.
‘It’s the play-offs, if the supporters can give us the edge then we have to maximise that,’ he said. ‘We welcome it… because it has been not as good without them.
‘When we get people back in where I am sat now it will be a special moment and I am sure for the people who are lucky enough to come.’
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