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Swansea goalkeeper Woodman hails 'fantastic' Andre Ayew after latest heroics
The Jack Army No.1 is full of praise for the Ghanaian whose goals have won their last two games
Swansea City goalkeeper Freddie Woodman reveals Ghana star Andre Ayew contributes more to the club than just stepping up in big moments on the pitch in their quest for Premier League promotion.
The 31-year-old attacker has registered four goals in his last three appearances for the Jack Army, his strikes including two crucial last-gasp match-winning penalties.
On Saturday he scored twice to complete a comeback 2-1 triumph over Middlesbrough in the Championship.
“It’s not just about the penalties. The fans will see the goals that he scores, but he's a leader behind the scenes and fantastic to have around the place,” Woodman said, as reported by his club's official website.
“I feel like I've learned so much off him; even just having a chat with him about different things. He gives great advice out and he gives you this confidence and belief when you do speak to him.
“The fans see the goals, but everyone at the club realise that he's even better at getting the best out of the players around him - even the younger lads."
On Wednesday, Ayew converted a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time to seal a 2-1 away victory over Stoke City.
The story was not any different three days later on Saturday as he netted a 97th-minute penalty, having earlier scored in the 40th minute to give Swansea the lead, to make it 2-1 for his side and dramatically win all three points.
“Andre's got ice in his veins, that's the joke going around in the dressing room,” Woodman added.
“We actually spoke about penalties; I'm always intrigued by what the players do and I study penalties quite heavily, but he's changing all the time and doing something different.
“On Saturday, he decided to go down the middle, which is the worst for a goalkeeper.
“Ben Hamer faced one of his penalties earlier this season and said that it's impossible; you can't get a push-off because he's still stuttering and waiting for the goalkeeper to move.
“It's very difficult to read and make a proper dive, so credit to him. He's the guy that we're relying on at the minute.”
In all, Ayew has registered 13 goals for Swansea so far this season, having featured in 32 games including 31 starts.
With 11 games still to go, Ayew is just three goals away from matching his goal haul of last season.
Swansea are currently third in the league and well on course to at the least snatch a promotion play-off ticket.
