Impressive Swansea aiming to maintain good feeling

ByGareth Vincent

BBC Sport Wales

Vitor Matos has made it apparent during 10 months as Swansea City's head coach that he is not interested in discussing the Championship table.

Whether at the start of a season, the middle or the even the end, Matos has continually batted away media questions about where his team are in the league.

He has claimed at times that he does not know Swansea's position – but it is hard to play dumb when your team's fans are singing about being on top of the league.

That was the scene at Lincoln City on Saturday, where Swansea returned to the summit of the Championship and Matos was forced to acknowledge as much.

"It's good," he said of his side's league placing. "It doesn't mean a lot, but it's a good feeling for everyone.

"I think it's a feeling that we are taking the right steps. What we need to do [now] is keep focused."

By Matos' standards, this was a lengthy assessment of Swansea's league position.

His usual approach is to reject all talk of the table and turn the focus instead towards his team's next game.

Even at the end of last season, after he had guided Swansea away from the relegation picture and into the calm of mid-table, Matos preferred to look ahead rather than to reflect on what had been achieved.

And when this campaign began, there were no bold claims about what Swansea might want to achieve, only a pledge to focus on trying to deliver consistent performances.

Up until now, Matos' team have done a fine job on that score.

As the Championship pauses for three weeks for the newly elongated international break, Swansea can reflect on a job well done in the first block of 2026-27.

Yes it is still early, with only eight league games played, but Swansea's form up until this point offers hope about what may be achieved in this campaign.

It should also have increased belief within the dressing room that this may be the year in which Swansea end their run of five successive mid-table finishes.

Having been knocked off top spot following their defeat at Southampton earlier this month, Swansea moved back out in front courtesy of successive victories against Burnley and Lincoln.

Matos' men were well beaten at St Mary's, but they have won their three other away games to date, which is no mean feat.

There have been two comeback victories, at Stoke City and now Lincoln, with the Sincil Bank success arguably the most satisfying yet for Matos given that his team found a way to grab three points despite being troubled by the Imps' direct approach.

Swansea's best performance so far this season came in the home victory over Watford, when they produced some of the best football seen at the Swansea.com Stadium in years.

Lincoln was an entirely different story yet one which finished with the same ending – namely, another three points on the board.

"I think the levels of concentration [at Lincoln] were really high, [dealing with] set-pieces, staying in the game, attacking the balls, staying concentrated for second balls," Matos said.

"I think it was a performance where we showed character, we showed how we want to compete in this type of game and of course it's an important win for us."

The Lincoln success was built on Swansea's resilience, as they stayed in the contest despite creaking for a while.

Lawrence Vigouroux had a part to play in that, having produced the latest in a line of high-class displays in goal.

Swansea's keeper had no chance with the hosts' goal, a thumping Reeco Hackett spot-kick after referee Anthony Backouse's debatable decision to award a penalty, but rarely looked like being beaten again despite the Lincoln barrage.

Vigouroux, one of the finest in his position in the Championship, has conceded only six second-tier goals this season, which is the best record in the division.

Those in front of him deserve credit too, with the likes of Stephen Welsh and Filip Lissah shining this season alongside more established figures in Swansea's rearguard.

Despite the summer exit of Ethan Galbraith, Swansea look to have an effective blend of options in midfield, where Stephen Eustaquio offers something different - and a layer of class - alongside the likes of Marko Stamenic, Goncalo Franco, Melker Widell and Jay Fulton.

The Swans have addressed their issues out wide, where the choices are so extensive that on-loan Manchester City youngster Jeremy Monga cannot even find a place on their bench, while Elijah Just produced perhaps his best Swansea performance yet operating behind the striker at Lincoln.

Up front, meanwhile, Matos is spoiled for choice, with Zan Vipotnik – last season's Championship top scorer – playing second fiddle thus far to the in-form Adam Idah and Ross Stewart still to come into the mix.

The hope is that Stewart, a proven performer in the second tier, will be free from injury when Swansea return to action against Norwich City on Saturday, 10 October.

Yet the truth is that just like a few others in Swansea's squad right now, he may have to wait for a chance in the team given current performance levels.

As Matos might say, it is too soon to look at the table for too long.

But, for the moment at least, his Swansea side are very definitely catching the eye.