Having claimed seven points from the nine on offer since the international break, Swansea City have all-but secured their Championship status.

A dramatic and wholly unexpected 2-2 draw with promotion-hopefuls Leeds United at Elland Road has been backed up by successive home wins against relegation candidates Derby and Plymouth.

While the quality, or rather lack of, of the opposition needs to be taken into account when assessing Wednesday night's impressive 3-0 triumph over Plymouth, there's no doubting that the Swans represented a side the Jack Army want their team to be.

The hosts had 70% of the possession against the Pilgrims, making 608 passes, more than double what the visitors managed (255) at the Swansea.com Stadium.

But more importantly, the control came in tandem with attacking output.

Swansea had eight shots on target, and their total of 88 successful passes in the final third was more than four times more than Miron Muslić's men achieved.

“You saw a really aggressive team, in and out of possession with a real desire to attack and I think tonight was the perfect night to do that," reflected Alan Sheehan.

His comments perfectly encapsulate what Swansea supporters want to see on a consistent basis.
It all means interim boss Sheehan has a win rate of 50% from his eight matches in charge since replacing Luke Williams in February.

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They've also kept clean sheets in five of their eight games in what is Sheehan's second stint as caretaker head coach of the club.

Fans will fairly point to the fact that the squad may well be benefitting from a short-term lift under a new coaching staff - which now also includes Mark Fotheringham and Richard Stearman. A 'new manager bounce', if you like.

But a glance at the Championship table since Williams' departure makes for impressive reading for those in SA1.

When analysing Sheehan's stint in charge so far, Swansea have taken an average of 1.75 points per game. It leaves them seventh in the table since the Irishman was placed in temporary charge of the team, and even then, that's with three of the six sides above them playing an additional game.

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They also boast the joint-second best defensive record having conceded just five times after losing 3-1 at Stoke in Williams' final game in the dugout.

There's no doubting that Sheehan is making his mark, and with Swansea now nine points clear of the drop zone with just five matches remaining this season, the new ownership group will hope to see what this team can produce over the final stages of the run-in as they continue to assess a range of key decisions; including contracts, transfers and, crucially, the managerial vacancy.

Former Leicester, Leeds and Luton left-back Sheehan's latest audition for the job was extended at a point where many were starting to fear the worst after defeats to Watford and Burnley left Swansea just six points above the bottom three.

But he has done his chances of landing the job on a permanent basis no harm whatsoever given the way his side have come charging out of the March international break.

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Director of football Richard Montague will like plenty of what he's seen from the team under Sheehan, although the club are continuing to assess external candidates - with a view to making a permanent appointment following the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign.

So too will the fans, who used words including 'fun' and 'enjoyable' when describing the experience of watching Swansea's display against Plymouth.

Saturday's clash with Sunderland - who are currently fourth in the table - at the Stadium of Light represents the toughest test of Swansea's run-in.

But having had 15 matches worth of auditions across his two spells as caretaker manager so far, Sheehan now faces five more opportunities to make his case to convince the new powers that be that he is worthy of a first permanent role as a football boss.