Swansea City targeting play-offs, says on-loan goalkeeper Carl Rushworth
- Published
Brighton & Hove Albion's Carl Rushworth has previously been on loan at Walsall and Lincoln City
Just days into his Swansea City loan, Carl Rushworth was under no illusions as to club's aims for the new season.
The goalkeeper will spend the 2023-24 season in Wales having joined on loan from Brighton.
It did not take long for the 22-year-old to realise his new team-mates fully shared his own ambitions.
He said: "We had a meeting before the [first] game about what we want to do as a team we want to be pushing for the play-offs and promotion."
He added: "We've got the players to do it. I know I haven't been here long but I've seen the quality. The facilities as well, everything is in our favour to go and perform this season and get promotion."
Rushworth was swiftly installed as the club's first-choice goalkeeper for the opening game of the Championship season against Birmingham.
However he was left holding up his hands just 45 minutes into his debut after his risky pass to Ben Cabango led to the Blues' opener.
Jerry Yates, another debutant, earned Michael Duff's side a point but his error was reminiscent of several high-profile mistakes made by the Swans last term.
"Mistakes are going to happen, we're all human at the end of the day, you're not going to be perfect every moment of every matchday [but] the team bailed me out there," Rushworth admitted.
"We've learned a bit of game management from Saturday and we know it's not going to happen again.
"The gaffer wants us to play with freedom. He is really keen on us playing with purpose, to attack and create goal-scoring opportunities."
Rushworth kept a clean sheet in his second outing for the club as Swansea beat Northampton Town 3-0 in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.
The England Under-21 international is now aiming to beat his tally of 18 clean sheets in all competitions during his loan at Lincoln City last season.
He said: "I want to make sure I stay fit and play as many games as I possibly can [and] keep more clean sheets last season."