Swansea City

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Swansea City head coach Luke Williams paid tribute to goalscorer Josh Tymon and debutant Lewis O'Brien after the Swans ended their winless run in 2025 with a 1-0 victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Tymon fired home the winner, his first Swansea goal and first goal since November 2022, on a day where Swansea picked up three points for the first time since December 29.

"Josh Tymon ran himself into oblivion and he's an incredible player with such physicality and quality, we are very lucky to have him," Williams told BBC Sport Wales.

The Swans endured a difficult month where results on the field were matched by a lack of success in the January transfer window, with the club failing to strengthen their squad.

Club captain Matt Grimes was surprisingly sold to Coventry City after a decade of service, but Williams paid tribute to Lewis O'Brien, the loanee from Nottingham Forest who has taken Grimes' place and impressed on his Swans debut.

"Lewis O'Brien showed he wants to come here and fight for us," Williams added.

"He showed such a commitment. I am very happy with that and grateful to him.

"The players were destroyed at the end of the game, they left everything on the pitch. Then we celebrated with the fans. There is nothing better than that.

"We showed the fans we are fighting for them."

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Swansea City head coach Luke Williams says his side's 1-0 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate showed that his players have resiliency and want to fight to turn their season around.

Swansea had not win since December and had lost five matches in succession until Sunday's victory at the in-form Robins, who has won four successive home games.

The hosts were the better side in the first half, but Williams says he takes tremendous heart from the manner of Swansea's victory.

"I loved it because it looks like there is so much fight in the players, so much determination to changes the fortunes," Williams told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"We have played better football before, but I don't think there is any substitute for players being willing to put their bodies on the line and protect the goal.

"Ultimately we've also created four really good chances to score, so I am really proud of the group today."

Swansea have been in dismal form in 2025 and endured a disappointing January transfer window, but Williams is hoping Sunday's win over the Severn Bridge can lift spirits.

"We hit a brick wall after Christmas with a lot of players exhausted. You have a couple of bad results and that can knock confidence," he added.

We tried to be consistent with the messages we give to the players and the staff have to make sure we don't get too down and we try and show the players we trust them. They were fantastic today.

"It's a huge win for us. We've shown we can fight against a really good team away from home. We have shown we are still fighting."

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Luke Williams says it would be "naive" of Swansea City to look beyond the current campaign as they bid to halt their alarming run of poor form.

The Swans had been within striking distance of the Championship play-off places following back-to-back wins against Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town after Christmas.

But they have plummeted to 17th in the table and are now just six points above the bottom three having picked up only one point from the last 18 on offer.

And Williams says his side's recent results have ensured the club has forgotten the "positive feelings" they had earlier on in the campaign.

"What we have got to do is get the group supported and in the best place to play as well as they possibly can," explained Williams.

"We know this group of players can win enough games but looking further than that in terms of this season would just be naive of us.

"People want to see that we are going in the right direction. At times this season it has felt like that.

"Then we have had a bad run, we have lost the captain and the window hasn't gone the way [we wanted it to].

"Then people, me included, forget a lot of the positive feelings and performances we had."

Bristol City have earned 16 of the 18 points on offer from their past six league matches at Ashton Gate and sit on the cusp of the top six going into the contest with Swansea.

"They are a good team. We had a really tough game against them earlier in the season, with two teams who were quite evenly matched," added Williams.

"They will be well supported, a good atmosphere, but our players want to play. They have to make a performance if we are going to have a chance in this game."

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Lewis O'Brien says he is determined to get his career back on track during his loan spell with Swansea City.

The central midfielder - who was on loan at Los Angeles FC in the latter half of the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign - joined the Swans from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day.

He has not featured under Nuno Espirito Santo this season and says the opportunity to play regular football in the Championship was one he could not turn down.

"I looked on the map first and realised how far away it (Swansea) was," joked the 26-year-old.

"I wanted to play football. I spoke to the manager before coming down and he gave his ideas across to me and he thought I could fit into the system pretty well and help the team.

"My wife is heavily pregnant at the moment so it was a tough decision to come this far, but football-wise it's hopefully a step in the right direction for my career.

"The decision to go to LA was a tough one as well. I'm not sure which beaches are better looking at the moment, there or here! I'm just trying to get my career back on the pathway that I want it to be."

O'Brien moved to the City Ground in the summer of 2022, just two months after Steve Cooper's Forest side defeated Huddersfield at Wembley in the Championship play-off final.

And O'Brien revealed Cooper's former assistant and Swans legend Alan Tate sent him a message as he pondered a switch to the Swansea.com Stadium.

"Tatey messaged me the other day and said 'I need to come down to God's country'. I just gave him a little laugh to be fair," O'Brien said.

O'Brien's arrival comes as a real boost to Swansea head coach Luke Williams following Matt Grimes' move to Coventry City.

But Williams says O'Brien has not been brought in to replace former club captain Grimes.

"We should just respect Lewis for the player that he is. He is a top performer who has been in some excellent Championship teams," said Williams.

"Grimesy was a very niche player, an incredible player. In a different way, Lewis is that as well.

"You can speak to a dozen coaches who are going to talk about Lewis in the same way that over the years we have spoken about Matt Grimes, because he has been a top performer.

"Brilliant managers who know what they are looking at say this guy is the real deal."

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Luke Williams suggested Swansea City could explore the free agent market after failing to make more additions to their squad during the January transfer window.

Defender Hannes Delcroix and midfielder Lewis O'Brien both joined the Swans on loan, although Williams had been eager to add at least two more players to his ranks during the winter window.

It comes after Swansea sold captain Matt Grimes to Coventry City and Azeem Abdulai to Leyton Orient while Andy Fisher, Kyrell Wilson and Josh Thomas were all sent out on loan.

Swansea did complete a deal to sign midfielder Melker Widell last month, although the Sweden Under-21 international will remain at current club AaB Aalborg on loan for the rest of the season.

But Williams says the free agent market could be an option for the Swans over the coming weeks - with the head coach adding the club will continue to monitor the academy for upcoming talent.

"Free agents came up this time last year. More players than ever are free agents," said the Swansea boss.

"I have a lot of confidence in the group. We are having a tough time, I am not hiding from that.

"But they have also played some very good football this season, been very competitive in almost all games up until recently.

"There are options once the window is closed to try to strengthen the squad and we don't know who is going to emerge out of the academy to make an impact.

"A number have emerged already who have been released in this window and have played quite a lot of minutes."

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Joe Allen will miss Swansea City's trip to Bristol City as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

The central midfielder has not featured under Luke Williams since being withdrawn in the second half of his side's 3-0 defeat at Cardiff City on 18 January.

And head coach Williams says the Wales international's time on the sidelines is set to continue.

"He is going to be a bit longer which is always a blow for us because he is a brilliant player and a brilliant influence on everybody," said Williams.

Allen's fellow Wales midfielder Ollie Cooper had been absent since late October due to a stress fracture in his foot.

The 25-year-old returned to training prior to Swansea's Championship fixture with Coventry City last weekend and came on as a second half substitute against the Sky Blues.

"With Ollie Cooper it's just match minutes now. We have to be careful with him because he puts a huge strain on his body, the way he plays," added Williams.

"He is a really important player for us."

Centre-back Harry Darling will serve the final game of his three-match suspension on Sunday after being sent off during Swansea's 2-1 defeat by Sheffield United in January.

The Swans face Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Sunday (12:00 GMT).

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Matt Grimes says Coventry City's "ambition" was what convinced him to leave Swansea City for the Sky Blues.

Grimes made his Coventry debut as a 62nd-minute substitute as Frank Lampard's team were beaten 2-0 by Leeds on Tuesday.

The midfielder joined Coventry last week having made it clear to Swansea that he wanted to move on after a decade at the Welsh club.

Swansea have indicated they could not compete with the financial package on offer to Grimes at the CBS Arena.

But when asked by the BBC's Sky Blues Fancast why he had made the move, Grimes said: "The ambition of the club to be honest. That's what I was sold on.

"Obviously I was at Swansea for 10 years, a very long time.

"I had conversations with Dean [Austin, Coventry's head of recruitment], the manager and the chairman. They really sold the project to me and it's something I felt like I had to be part with."

Coventry had won four successive league games before losing to Championship leaders Leeds.

Defeat leaves Lampard's side 11th in the table, three points outside the play-off places.

Grimes said it was "very early to say" what his new club could achieve.

"I have been in the building only a matter of days," he added.

"But I am excited to be part of this project and the club is really ambitious, so we'll see what happens.

"The lads are brilliant, the manager's top, so I am really looking forward to seeing what the future holds."

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Alan Tate has given Lewis O'Brien a glowing reference following his move to Swansea City – but says the midfielder will be nothing like Matt Grimes.

Swansea signed O'Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest in the one piece of good news for the Championship club on an otherwise dispiriting transfer deadline day.

The Swans moved for O'Brien having sold Grimes to Coventry City last week.

And while Tate says the two players have contrasting qualities, the Swansea legend expects O'Brien to thrive at his former club.

"Signing Lewis is a good bit of business," said Tate, who was assistant boss to Steve Cooper at Forest when O'Brien moved to the City Ground in 2022.

"He brings enthusiasm and dynamism with the legs he has in midfield. He gets stuck in, he will make passes and he will make forward runs.

"He also a great lad, one of the best you will ever meet. He has the cheeky chappy sense of humour, but he trains properly and will play anywhere you want him to play. I think the Swans fans will take to him."

Swansea pushed hard to get the O'Brien deal over the line having seen Grimes depart after a decade at the club.

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The former Huddersfield Town player, who was on loan at Los Angeles FC earlier this season, is expected to make his Swansea debut in Sunday's game at Bristol City.

Swansea hope O'Brien's experience and proven Championship pedigree will hope them cope with the loss of Grimes, who was arguably Luke Williams' most influential player.

But Tate (pictured above with Cooper) says O'Brien will offer something different to the Swansea midfield, adding: "The only way he is like Grimesy is that he is left-footed. They are not like for like players in any way really, in terms of how they play.

"Grimes is more of a controller. Lewis is an all-action midfielder who wants to get up and down the pitch.

"He wants to get forward and score goals but he will also do really well on the defensive side."

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Cameron Congreve is making a case to be given a chance to prove himself at Swansea City during a positive loan spell with Bromley.

The 21-year-old scored twice in Bromley's 3-3 League Two draw at Salford City on Tuesday night, with the club describing Congreve as "our Welsh wizard" on social media.

No wonder, perhaps, given that Congreve has found the target four times in his last six games.

In all, the Wales Under-21 international has scored five times in 31 games for Bromley, who are 16th in the fourth tier following last season's promotion from the National League.

That represents a big step forward for Swansea academy product Congreve, who failed to feature in the first team in 2023-24 having made 18 appearances under Russell Martin across the previous two campaigns.

Congreve's Swansea contract expires at the end of this season, though the deal includes an option for a 12-month extension.

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Former Swansea City midfielder Owain Tudur Jones has described the club's January transfer window activity as "depressing".

Loan deals for Hannes Delcroix from Burnley and midfielder Lewis O'Brien from Nottingham Forest were completed as captain Matt Grimes left for Coventry.

Swansea's squad, already thin on options, is two players lighter in terms of numbers after the close of the window and that is a situation which concerns Jones.

"I always think that if you sign a player on deadline day there's a sense of panic," Jones told BBC Radio Cymru podcast, Y Coridor Ansicrwydd.

"Swansea City are a club that needed to bring in players in a bit of a panic.

"You we're hoping, by doing that, they would be lucky in bringing in good players.

"What we've seen this last week is Delcroix coming in as a centre-half and he only came in because Harry Darling is suspended for three games.

"O'Brien only came in because Grimes had left. You wonder if Darling had not been sent off and Grimes had not left, then perhaps they would not have brought anyone in and that's depressing."

As well as Grimes, Swansea allowed Azeem Abdulai to join Leyton Orient and sent Andy Fisher on loan to St Johnstone.

But the Championship club failed in their attempts to sign another central midfield player, an attacking midfielder and a wide player.

"I saw a quote from a Swansea reporter – 'Even by their own standards this January window was, however you look at it, a total disaster'," Jones added.

"Perhaps that says it all and that's the feeling around the club."

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Lewis O'Brien believes he can bring the "fight" Luke Williams is calling for after joining Swansea City on loan from Nottingham Forest.

The Swans were determined to bolster their midfield options after selling former captain Matt Grimes to Championship rivals Coventry City in the final week of the winter transfer window.

And O'Brien - who has had loan spells with DC United, Middlesbrough and Los Angeles since joining Forest from Huddersfield Town in 2022 - feels he is ready to be thrust straight into action in the second tier.

"I am really excited to be here. It was a chance for me to come back to the Championship," said O'Brien.

"I spoke with the gaffer and he outlined the way the team plays and also spoke about wanting a player who is ready to fight.

"I have played in a number of different competitions and leagues, and I feel I have taken a bit from all those experiences. I hope the fans will be able to see that when I start playing.

"It's a tough league so you need that fight and aggression to be able to compete.

"I feel like my energy levels are a big part of my game, I can play 90 minutes at the same level of intensity and I think that helps, especially in the latter stages of games.

"I also think I bring composure on the ball, my ability read the play in defensive moments can be good attribute to have too."

O'Brien is no stranger to the Swansea.com Stadium having previously played at the home of his new club with Huddersfield.

"I have some memories of playing against Swansea," added the 26-year-old.

"I can remember one game against Swansea in particular where we were 2-0 down in no time at all, but the one that stands out would be that game where I scored for Huddersfield.

"I do know what a hostile atmosphere it can be here, the fans really get behind the team and I cannot wait to play in front of them.

"I hope this can be a positive time for myself and for the club. I hope I can push Swansea into a good position in the league. Like I say, I cannot wait to get going."

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Ian Walsh branded elements of Swansea City's showing against Coventry City as "abysmal" in addition to questioning the club's "amateur" recruitment.

The Swans have endured a torrid 2025 so far, losing six of their seven matches in all competitions, the latest of which was a 2-0 defeat by Coventry City at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Without former captain Matt Grimes - who joined the Sky Blues on Friday - in their ranks, Luke Williams' men once again looked bereft of ideas as they suffered a first league defeat to Coventry since 1981.

"The team looked abysmal at the end," former Wales and Swansea striker Walsh said on BBC Radio Wales.

"The worrying thing for me is that if you're so reliant on somebody like Grimes in the way that you're playing and he's not playing, can you imagine if he was out injured for six weeks, how the whole structure would have to change.

"There's not enough players, the manager hasn't had enough help with recruitment. I say recruitment, there is no recruitment. And who is recruiting?

"That's another question we'd love to ask the football club, but they won't come up and answer us.

"At the end there, it looked like a bunch of 11 individuals just thrown on the field without a clue of what they're trying to achieve."

Swansea remain eager to bolster their squad before Monday's 23:00 GMT transfer deadline.

They have brought in defender Hannes Delcroix on loan from Burnley this month.

They also struck a deal to sign Melker Widell from AaB Aalborg, although the versatile midfielder will remain with the Swedish side on loan for the rest of the season before linking up with Swansea in the summer.

With Swansea's squad lacking depth and quality in certain areas, Walsh questioned the club's recruitment, adding that the Swans could find themselves in a relegation battle if results don't improve soon.

"I don't think that the manager Luke Williams has a clue who is coming in and going out of this football club," added Walsh.

"It's so amateur behind the scenes here.

"If it carries on like this, you're talking about Swansea fighting off relegation, another three or four results like this, they could be right bang in it."

Ged Scott
BBC Sport England

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard said his strikers Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante had every right to feel happy - and opposite number Luke Williams called them the "difference between the two teams" - as the Sky Blues eased to a 2-0 victory at Swansea.

Following a fourth straight league win, due to first-half goals from Simms and a Thomas-Asante stunner, Coventry are 11th, only three points shy of the play-offs, heading into Wednesday's home date with Championship leaders Leeds United.

"We're on a good run," Lampard told BBC CWR. "But I'm not getting too carried away because I know things can flip very quickly in football and we play the best team in the league on Wednesday night.

"They were two really good goals. The second was fantastic. It was instinctive. Probably nobody else in the stadium thought he'd take it on. But the quality of his technique and execution made it very special. He deserves to have a big smile on his face.

"Eight or 10 games ago we weren't winning headers up front or holding up the ball, but you can now see the difference. It has to continue and it can get even better. They have to be a threat when they play together up front."

Summer signing Thomas-Asante, reportedly a target for other Championship clubs in this window, might not have been playing at all but for the ankle injury that has kept out top scorer Haji Wright since early November. The US international is yet to figure under Lampard, but is back in training and getting close to a return.

Williams admitted: "The Coventry front two caused us a lot of problems. They were the big difference between the two teams. We weren't able to cope with them."

While Swansea fans booed their side off both at half-time and at the final whistle, most of the Welsh anger was aimed at their board for selling skipper Matt Grimes to Coventry on Friday.

Grimes sat the game out - not needed by his new club - but he was certainly missed by his old club. "It's very difficult to be the same type of team without Matt Grimes," added Williams. "But the best side won."

Coventry's first win in South Wales since beating Cardiff 1-0 in October 2022 was described by Lampard, who made his league debut for Swansea almost 30 years ago when on loan from West Ham United, as "a very complete performance".

"Everything about the performance, on and off the ball, was good. Defensively we were spot on. All the things you want to win away from home we did."

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Luke Williams believes Swansea City must strengthen their squad before Monday's transfer deadline in order to "help" his ailing side turn their dreadful form around.

Swansea suffered a fourth successive Championship defeat as they went down 2-0 against Coventry City on Saturday.

Williams' men have now taken only one point from the last 18 on offer, scoring three goals and conceding 17 along the way.

Swansea's worst run of the season – which also featured an FA Cup exit at Southampton – has seen outside play-off hopes replaced by relegation concerns.

The club's hierarchy have indicated they are in the market for as many four potential signings before the transfer window closes at 23:00 GMT on Monday.

Williams says his current crop of players need the lift which new recruits can bring.

"We could do with some help," he said.

"It doesn't make it easier to attract a player when we keep losing games, but we have to do everything we can to try to find some players to help us.

"What would be ideal is for the starting line-up to be better [after signings are made], and I think honestly [we need] to relieve the burden on some of the players.

"They look to me like it's a tough season for them and they are feeling the bite."

Williams says he is confident Swansea will "get a second wind" after their painful slump over the last five weeks.

The club have been attempting to recruit a wide player and up to three midfielders, but Williams says he is uncertain on what progress is being made.

"I think there are names that are on a list," he added.

"We are trying to attract players here but I can't say anything else because it's disrespectful to talk about a player until we are at that point [where they sign]. I am hoping we can get some players to help us."