Swansea City manager Steve Cooper describes Andre Ayew’s strike against Barnsley as excellent

Swansea City manager Steve Cooper has hailed Andre Ayew’s magnificent strike against Barnsley in the Championship promotion play-off as an excellent finish.

Ayew, 31, settled the first-leg tie at the Oakwell Stadium when the Ghana captain drove into the area and curled home in the 38th minute to give the Swans a 1-0 advantage going into the second-leg tie.

The strike marks Ayew’s 17th goal of the season for the Welsh side who honour their home games at the Liberty Stadium.

READ MORE: VIDEO: Watch Andre Ayew’s stunning goal against Barnsley in Championship play-off 

“I thought we did that. We got a real moment of excellence with Andre’s goal and we managed to continue to be strong defensively. We could have shown a bit more quality on the ball at times, but I get it, the fans were back in tonight and there was a good atmosphere,” he said in the post-match interview.

Swansea will host Barnsley in the second-leg tie at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday and will clash with the winners of Bournemouth and Brentford in the final if they are able to secure qualification.

The Welsh gaffer has challenged his Swansea City players to learn their lessons from last year and make sure they convert a semi-final lead into a play-off final appearance.

By El Akyereko/Ghanasports