Oli McBurnie has warned Garry Monk that Swansea City are no longer the naïve rookies of the start of the season.
The Scotland striker will be looking to add to his 13 goals so far this season when former Swansea manager Monk brings his Birmingham City side to the Liberty Stadium tonight (Tues).
It will be Monk’s first return as a manager since he was sacked three years ago, but McBurnie believes the chances of a happy homecoming are remote.
The Swans, says their in-form striker are on a roll and have wised up from the team that were lucky to get a 0-0 draw at St. Andrew’s back last August.
“We have improved since then – massively,” says McBurnie.
“That was three games into the season and for a lot of boys these were their first games in professional football. It’s ridiculous how quickly some people have come on.
“You can see it in their individual performances, which have developed, and how much playing each week has done for them.
“We are a completely different team to the start of the season. We know each other a lot better. The gaffer wants us to play a lot better, still, so we will be a different proposition for Birmingham.”
The Swans are on their best run of the season – unbeaten in six matches in all competitions and into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a home tie against either Brentford or Barnet to look forward to.
A victory for Graham Potter’s team would lift them to within three points of the play-offs and McBurnie says the young team are thriving, but keen to climb higher.
“The table is congested. Two wins in a row can send you from 14th to sixth. It’s very tight and the fact is anyone can beat anyone. But it’s exciting and a fun league to play in. You go into every game thinking you can win and so does the other team.
“It’s enjoyable. The fans are enjoying it as well. It’s a great environment and we want to keep it that way.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game against Birmingham. We remember how tough they made it for us up there at the start of the season. We know what to expect. But I’m sure the gaffer will have a plan.
“We will try and get three points as always. There have been games where we felt we could capitalized more, but we are in an okay position. It’s a building block and we want to keep the performances going, and also the results.”
Monk has worked something of a minor miracle at Birmingham, where money has been even tighter than at Swansea. But like, Potter, he has been able to mend and make do and his team are currently just a point behind the Swans.
He admits it will be a strange setting in the away dressing rooms and dug-out after so many years as a Swansea players and manager.
“My memories of that club will always be fantastic. It will always have a place in my heart because it was an unbelievable 12 years.
“The journey we went on there was unbelievable. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to be a player and a manager there.
“There are still some faces there that I knew during those 12 years that I am still friends so it will be great to see them afterwards.
“But come 90 minutes I’m there to win as you saw in the first game against them this season at St Andrew’s. My only concern is that I want Birmingham to win.”
