Scott Sinclair vows to hit the goal trail
Dec 26 2010
by Tim Lewis, Wales On Sunday SANSEA City’s leading goalscorer Scott Sinclair says he is hungry to make an even bigger impact in the second half of the season.
Sinclair has been a revelation for Swansea since completing a £500,000 move from Chelsea in the summer, netting 12 goals in all competitions for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Former Stamford Bridge starlet Sinclair is reaping the benefits of a sustained run of games and his sparkling form has seen him earn a call up to the England Under-21 side under Stuart Pearce.
Despite being shipped out on loan to six different Premier and Football League sides in three years by Chelsea, the winger had never started more than eight games for a club.
His appearance in last weekend’s defeat to Sheffield United took his total league games for Swansea to 19, surpassing his previous highest season total of 18 with Wigan Athletic – 17 of which were as a substitute.
Swansea boss Rodgers commented recently that if Sinclair didn’t score again all season he would have done his job in front of goal, but the 21-year-old says he won’t be happy to go until the end of the campaign without adding a few more to his tally.
After Sinclair’s blistering start in front of goal, he has failed to hit the net in his last five outings but has the chance to put that right against league leaders Queens Park Rangers today. Sinclair said: “I’m sure there will be more goals to come from me.
“I’m going into every game trying to score a goal and I’ll continue to work hard to make that happen.
“I’m enjoying playing every week for the first time in my career.
“I came to Swansea because I wanted to play regularly and I knew I could learn off the manager.
“I was so hungry to play the games at the start of the season and it showed in my performances.
“I’m still as hungry as I was then, but now it’s about being consistent with my games and scoring goals.
“Now it is about playing well every week and I am learning all the time.”
Sinclair has become a victim of his own success with opposition managers trying to nullify the flyer by putting two defenders on him.
He has found it increasingly difficult to find any space, especially at home, after becoming a marked man as one of the Championship’s top scorers.
“Managers watch our games and may have seen me running with the ball or scoring goals so if they think I am a threat they will double up,” said Sinclair.
“I’ve got to come up with a different game-plan, maybe pick the ball up in different areas and come up with other things that not only improve my game but also help the team.”
Sinclair will be a familiar face to some at Loftus Road after spending time there on loan in 2007.
The Hoops have gone through a host of changes since Sinclair made eight appearances for the club.
Current boss Neil Warnock is the ninth managerial change since Sinclair’s time at QPR, but they finally seem to have found the stability.
Like Swansea, QPR have struggled lately losing their last two league games, but they have only lost once at Loftus Road this season.
Swansea’s loss at Bramall Lane last week means they have won two of their last six, but Sinclair insists they are desperate to kick-start another run at the expense of the leaders.
He said: “My time at QPR was a good experience for me. I was only there a short period of time, but I enjoyed it.
“There have been a lot of changes since I was there, but they seem to be settled now and have a lot of good quality in the team. We now it’s going to be a tough place to go because they are top of the table, but we have to bounce back from Sheffield United.
“We need to start picking up results now and start pushing forward. We’ve had a bad spell, but there is still half of the season to go.
“We just have not been playing our normal game, but it’s hard to put a finger on what’s been going wrong.
“There have been a few games where the team has not been themselves, but hopefully we will get back to winning ways.
“When the team are all on it, we are great but if the team are not themselves we all seem to play poorly. But there has been only a few games we have not played at our best.
“You’ve got to be better than the opposition on the day, the league positions don’t count for too much in the Championship because anyone can beat anyone.”
Clubs like QPR are likely to strengthen even further in the January transfer window, while Swansea will be restricted in the number of personnel they can bring in.
Even without several new faces, Sinclair believes Swansea have a squad capable of pushing for automatic promotion.
He added: “We’ve got a very strong squad where people are fighting for places in every position.
“At the moment what we’ve got is very good and there is great competition for all the lads.
“The manager will do what he thinks is right in terms of bringing people into the football club.”
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