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Wales international Connor Roberts was full of running against Stoke City on Saturday as he had a few fantastic chances to settle the match before the added-time penalty that Andre Ayew dispatched.
A very controversial decision by referee David Webb saw the Swans awarded a penalty in the 95th minute. Jack Clarke looked to track the run of Kyle Naughton and tapped the defender. The 32-year-old fell over and Webb pointed to the spot with Ayew scoring the penalty.
One man that ran the show from start to finish was Roberts. The energetic wing-back was lively throughout the match as he looked to deliver chances into the box for his teammates on several occasions.
His goal in the 19th minute of the match was the leveller. After Nick Powell’s early goal, the Swans looked to attack and ask questions of the Stoke back three.
Those questions were answered by Ryan Manning and Roberts as the two combined for the goal. The left wing-back crossed the ball into the Potters box with the on-running right-wing-back getting into the box and slotting the ball beyond Angus Gunn.
The now 25-year-old has been a Swansea player for the whole of his career as he made his way through the youth ranks at the Welsh club and now is a permanent starter as a right-wing-back.
His career would start at Yeovil Town with the Swans shipping the then 20-year-old out on loan to the League Two club in order to get experience in the professional game.
In his first professional season, he performed very well as he looked to gain knowledge about the men’s game for the first time.
54 appearances in all competitions for the young Welshman saw the Glovers finish 19th in the fourth tier. Alongside that, the club made it to the Third Round of the FA Cup, losing to Carlisle United on penalties and they also made the Quarter-Finals of the FA Trophy being knocked out by Oxford United at that stage of the competition.
On a personal level, playing right-back he was able to get three assists that season and performed very well for a side that avoided the drop that season.
The next season was a mixed bag for Roberts. He went out on loan once more, but this time to League One Bristol Rovers.
He was rarely played in the side and only made five appearances for the Gas and returned back to Swansea in December 2016 after an unsuccessful period at the Pirates.
In September 2016, the Welshman made the step-up from under 23 football to the senior team as he signed a three-year deal with Swansea, but was unable to make his mark until 2018.
After another short loan at Middlesbrough, Roberts made a fantastic impact in the FA Cup. He played seven matches in total, that featured three replays, before the Swans bowed out of the competition against Spurs in the Quarter-Finals after a 3-0 defeat.
The Welsh club were relegated from the Premier League with the right-back playing four games in the top tier before his club dropped down into the second tier.
Now in the Championship, the Swans have had a mixed bag of success in their last two campaigns. Their first season back saw them finish tenth but had his best season with goal contributions, bagging five goals and two assists.
2019/20 saw Swansea finish in sixth marginally on goal difference and a play-off campaign that was cut short due to be knocked out in the semi-final by Brentford.
Roberts and his side were able to get a 1-0 win in the first leg but Thomas Frank’s men won 3-1 in the second leg and made it through to the final 4-2 on aggregate.
This season, the 25-year-old has played as a slightly more attacking as a right-wing-back/right midfielder as he looks to push forward and have more space to run into.
Having scored four goals and grabbing five assists, this is probably one of the best seasons the Welshman has featured in on a goal contribution front.
He had three notable chances in the 90 minutes during the Stoke match which could have put the game to bed long before the controversial decision by the referee.
Adding onto that, he is a very keen runner which was displayed whenever Ayew would hold up the ball before the quick full-back would run down the byline and offer a pass when was needed.
All in all, a star performer for the Swans this campaign as they look to return to the Premier League. Only one point separate Swansea in fourth and Brentford in second as Watford are sandwiched in between those sides in third.
It will be a tight race to the finish line with only two months remaining in the season and Roberts will look to play a vital part in his side’s bid to get promoted into the top tier for the first time in three years.
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