Neil Taylor had it spot on when he described the 0-0 draw against Sunderland as 'not the best of games' as the Swans kept their first clean sheet away from home in over a year to keep themselves 5th place in the table.

It was a game with very few chances which almost looked like two teams who were afraid to lose rather than two teams who saw the chance to advance their league points tally with a win.

I suspect the Swans ended the game as the happiest of the two teams as they gained a point away from home which was made all the more valuable after the late sending off of Angel Rangel for a second bookable offence.

“It wasn’t the best of games, and there wasn’t a lot of action in it either,” conceded Taylor. “We weren’t playing very well and at half-time we gathered ourselves and said the minimum we leave here with is a point.

“We were better in the second half, but the red card changed things a little.

“Then it was about bringing home a point and clean sheet, so I suppose we came away satisfied.”

It was just 51% possession for the Swans as well as Sunderland recorded their fifth draw in six league games this season and continue their search for a first win of the season as a result of it.

“We weren’t free-flowing with our passing, but we dealt well with their set-pieces. We showed our resolve — it’s a second clean sheet in a week.

“It was no classic, but we take a point and move on.

“We must thank the fans for making the long trip up to Sunderland. They pushed us on even more so when we were down to ten men, and we are thankful for that.”

We have a chance next week to lift ourselves back into the Top 4 and should certainly look at a home fixture against a struggling Newcastle side as one that we should be looking to win which would take us into the international break in a very satisfying position indeed.

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