Edwards lauds a 'key' three points as Hatters boost play-off hopes by beating Swansea

Hatters boss Rob Edwards described it as a ‘key’ three points picked up by his side during their 1-0 victory against Swansea City yesterday afternoon.

The hosts ran out narrow victors over their Welsh opponents courtesy of Carlton Morris’s 14th of the season in the 39th minute, tapping home after visiting keeper Andrew Fisher couldn’t hold on to Alfie Doughty’s deflected cross.

Speaking afterwards, Edwards, who has now seen Town claim two wins and a draw from their last three games, said: “I know it was a really important three points, any three points at this stage of the season are really key.

“But after the week we’ve had, backing up the four points that we got from Saturday and Tuesday it felt today like, we put the pressure on the lads a little bit, ‘we’ve got to find a way to win this game,’ and they did.

“Swansea pose you a lot of threats as you all know and they ask a lot of questions of you without the ball because they’re so good with it.

"They’re going to make us run and at the end of a really tough week, we’ve got to go and we need our energy, and we probably lacked a little bit today.

“We lacked a little bit of that energy and that intensity in the first 20-25 minutes, I’m trying to roar on from the sidelines, but it’s difficult to have an influence.

“I just felt when we played with a little bit more intensity and played forward and ran forward, got some action going, then we probably lifted the crowd a bit and then we did start getting some chances towards the latter end of that first half.

“I thought we deserved the goal, a bit disappointed we couldn’t go on and get that second.

"They made one or two tweaks and began to get a little bit more control.

“We retained a threat on the counter attack as the game wore on, but we weren't able to press with the same intensity that we've been able to do in recent weeks.

"It was a similar sort of game to Burnley if you think how Burnley play and we did that on that night for 96, 97 minutes.

"Today it was a bit of a different way but that's fine, you've got to solve problems and we got over the line.”

Edwards was happy to secure a third single goal victory out of five matches in front of their own fans, to make it four wins from seven games at Kenilworth Road since taking over, although would have liked a larger margin of victory to calm any nerves in the dug-out.

He continued: “We’re loving a 1-0 win, but getting that second goal would certainly calm things down a bit.

"We did have our chances, it was great that we are still creating those chances, so I know if we keep doing it and keep doing the right things then more goals will follow.

"When you’re difficult to break down like we are, then sometimes the one is enough but I would like us to get another to allow my heart.”

The win saw Town move up to fifth in the table, with just 11 matches to go, as Edwards added: “We can only control what we can do and that was doing the job today.

"Where we end up at the end of the day, it is what it is, we can just control us.”