Swansea manager Graham Potter has backed Bersant Celina to bounce back from his penalty nightmare following the 3-0 Sky Bet Championship defeat at West Brom.
The Swans were trailing to a 19th-minute goal from Chris Brunt when Celina slipped while taking a 40th-minute penalty, resulting in him sending the ball two yards sideways.
Potter, whose side then conceded further goals from Mason Holgate in the 54th minute and Jay Rodriguez five minutes from time, said: “It was one of those moments that you don’t wish on anybody.
“Fair play to anyone who wants to step up and take it. It is just a horrible moment that he will have to get over and deal with.
“It is easy to mock, of course, and I am sure he will get a bit of that, but that is just life.
“He has the courage to take the penalty, and it is up to us to stick by him and he will grow and get better for the experience.”
Despite the scoreline, Potter was pleased with parts of his side’s performance, adding: “Their ‘keeper pulled off a couple of good saves, and at the same time we have not defended our box well enough.
“The result is not what we like but there were a lot of positives from the performance.
“But the three goals were poor, and ultimately we have to take responsibility for that and be better.”
Albion caretaker manager Jimmy Shan, who steered the club to their first home league win since Boxing Day in his first game in charge following the dismissal of Darren Moore, felt the scoreline “flattered” his side.
With goalkeeper Sam Johnstone pulling off a host of saves, Shan said: “I am delighted. Swansea posed a massive threat and Sam Johnstone’s performance kept us in the game.
“His performances have been very, very good throughout the season.”
Shan is unsure how long he will remain in charge as Albion seek a permanent successor to Moore. He added: “The instruction was one game at a time.
“We all know that football moves very, very quickly, and there could be an appointment in the next 24 to 48 hours. I am not too sure.
“But as staff, up until we know anything different, we have to make our preparations for the game against Brentford.
“I think the board had confidence in me to take the game against Swansea. I am just awaiting further instruction.
“The last three or four days have been surreal for me. I started coaching 18 years ago in a school playground so to fast forward to this point, there is a massive sense of pride.”
