As good as Town’s handsome 4-0 triumph at Millwall in midweek undoubtedly was, winger Wes Burns agrees that he and his colleagues must strive to build on it when they make the much longer trip to face Swansea tomorrow.

“Yes, definitely,” said the Cardiff-born Welshman, who has netted 25 goals in 117 appearances in all competitions for the Blues. “I think that was a great performance from the lads on Wednesday night and it’s now time to see if we can mount a good push towards the end of the season.”

If selected to play at Swansea for the first time in his career, Burns will make his 100th league start for Town, having been the first new arrival in the summer of 2021 under the new ownership at Portman Road, the tally of incoming transfers having grown considerably since then.

Asked how he was feeling ahead of the game in South Wales, Burns added: “I’m looking forward to it, to be fair. I don’t think I’ve played down there against Swansea before, so I’m really looking forward to this one. I don’t really want them to know I’m a Cardiff boy, though, so I hope that goes under the radar!

“But I’m sure it will be nice for a Cardiff boy to go down there and get a win, hopefully.

“When I was younger, I remember my granddad and my brother always going to these games at Ninian Park and then the new Cardiff City stadium.

“The atmosphere is always great on derby day, so for me to get a win there on Saturday would be great.

“It’s a much closer trip than most for any members of my family who want to come along and my brother is a season ticket holder at Cardiff, so he’ll obviously be buzzing if we can beat Swansea.”

Looking back to Wednesday’s win, Burns said members of the Town squad were all delighted when recent recruit Ali Al-Hamadi converted a late penalty to register his first goal for the club since his recent move from League Two outfit AFC Wimbledon.

“We were all buzzing, to be fair,” said Burns. “He’s come in and he’s been like a breath of fresh air.

“He’s such a nice, down to earth lad and he fits in perfectly with the hard work ethos of the club. Everyone was buzzing for him that he got his first goal.”

While the Iraq international has netted once in his three brief appearances from the bench, former Town player Kieffer Moore has marked his return on loan from Bournemouth with three, the latest a firm downward header that bounced off the turf and looped over the keeper at The Den, adding to the two he scored in the second half of the 3-2 away defeat at Preston.

Burns is also delighted for his international colleague, adding: “Again, Kieffer’s been the same as Ali, a breath of fresh air, and it was the same with Trav [Lewis Travis] and Jeremy [Sarmiento] joining us as well in a strong January transfer window.

“It was a very quiet window all round, really, but clubs have added in their own ways and Kieffer gives us a different outlet on the front line. As long as we get good service into him, we know he’s going to score a hatful of goals.”

Asked if the inclusion of the two necessitated a change in approach by Burns, he said: “Yes, definitely. I think a lot of teams this season have really homed in on the kind of relationship that I have with Conor [Chaplin], to be fair. Those cutback passes aren’t on as much because teams are marking it.

“But when you’ve got both Chappers and Chief [Moore] in the middle it’s difficult for teams to mark both. You can have two defenders being attracted towards Chief because he’s such a handful in the box, so it leaves Chappers free.

“Or if you’re blocking off Chappers then you’re leaving Kief one-v-one, and we know there’s only going to be one winner if you put the ball in the right areas. So, yes, he’s added a great dimension to our game.”

Have opposition teams tweaked their tactics against Town, who are no longer an unknown quantity in the second tier? Burns added: “Probably, at the start of the season, teams didn’t show us the level of respect we deserved, in terms of our pattern down the right side and even the left side.

“I think teams are now starting to adjust their defensive shape to accommodate us. I think we’ve found in some games how teams are properly closing off the avenues for me and Conor, or me and Omari [Hutchinson], whatever the combination is down the right side.

“So, we have been working on different solutions to figure that out and when you add in the likes of Ali and Kief on the front line it gives us a different option.”

Finally, Burns spoke of his recent decision to chop off his long hair, the man bun or ponytail having disappeared on his last trip to see his barber. “The hair’s different and it’s a bit of a change, to be fair,” he laughed. “I’d had the long hair for four or five years and just decided it was time for a change.

“I think everyone is getting used to it now and I know one thing – it’s a lot easier in the mornings. I just get out of bed and crack on, and I’m enjoying it.”

Photo: Matchday Images

Saxonblue74 added 06:42 - Feb 16 Interesting to hear his thoughts around the Burns/Moore/Chaplin attack. Makes a lot of sense. Hopefully the goals will return to the levels of early season!
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pennblue added 06:57 - Feb 16 Looking forward to tomorrow, already on the welsh border. Will be there in full voice giving everything to back this team, the best we have had for years and years and years. It is certainly time to mount a challenge now and get back on a roll. We need to be fully at it, get that high press going, run our socks off and stick to our principles and we should be right in the mix

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ArnieM added 06:59 - Feb 16 It’s been clear since Hirst’s injury that our whole forward line has suffered from an ability to score goals and pull teams apart. Hirst’s influence on defenders has been greatly missed. The signing of Moore was a “ must”, in order to rekindle that attacking threat and his influence against PNE and Millwall was there for all to see. As the coaches develop new strategies to utilise Moore and integrate him I think we will become a big threat as an attacking force again. But our biggest problem in our quest for promotion is our inability to defend.

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LegendofthePhoenix added 07:41 - Feb 16 Great interview with Wes - rather than the usual platitudes, he actually explains a lot so that us fans have a better understanding of what's being worked on but without giving information away that will help the opposition. Thanks for that Wes. As to ArnieM's point about defending - yes it's obvious we have conceded commit so many forward. and they won't be able totoo many, but KM's approach is that attack is the best form of defence. Now that we have Keiffer, not only is he a big help in defence at set pieces, but teams will be more wary of the options up front, and they will have to sit a bit deeper. Have to say the support at the Den was superb, if we can keep supporting like that then we have all the ingredients for a hugely exciting run-in.

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LegendofthePhoenix added 07:44 - Feb 16 Hmm. I played all the right notes, just not necessarily in the right order.
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mr_bean added 08:35 - Feb 16 @pennblue, are you playing football cliché bingo?
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MK1 added 13:23 - Feb 16 Leeds will take some staying with, but after Wednesday, think we can have a real crack at it. The next rounds of fixtures are slightly in our favour, so let's have a real go at it.
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Karlosfandangal added 21:00 - Feb 16 Top 3 are the relegated teams from last year so to be in fourth place is amazing. Just goes to show the gap between premier and championship
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