"It's personal" - Swansea City boss Steve Cooper fumes at referee after draw with Sheffield Wednesday

The Swans boss revealed that he had aired concerns to the FA about the official prior to the match at the Liberty Stadium as to Woolmer’s suitability to preside over the match and claimed that there were personal issues between him and his side.

Swansea thought they had won the game in the dying seconds when Kasey Palmer bundled the ball towards the Owls’ goal in a goalmouth melee, only for the referee to blow up for a foul on goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith.

Swansea players reacted angrily to the decision, with Cooper and his backroom staff letting rip at the fourth official.

“Apparently it was a foul on the goalkeeper that he blew the whistle for. Good luck in writing about that one, whatever it was,” said Cooper in the moments after the match.

“But it was a performance I predicted from the official and one that I spoke to the governing body about a few days ago. My prediction was right.

“One thing was for sure, that, whatever the decision was, it was not going to us. It's personal unfortunately.”

Wednesday had the better of a first half that saw Adam Reach bag his first goal of the season before the intervention of Swansea substitute Andre Ayew saw the Welsh side draw level.

A fuming Cooper intimated he had spoken with the sport’s governing body about the appointment of Woolmer. The home side also raged on a second-half Joey Pelupessy tackle on Korey Smith.

“I spoke on the phone to the FA [before the game],” Cooper said.

“There were a few warning signs with the appointment, and maybe my gripe isn't just with the performance on the pitch, maybe it's with how he came to be here.

“I don't want to say too much, because we know who loses in these situations, and it's me and the club with a fine.

“I thought I knew where things were going to go tonight, and sometimes I don't get things right, but I did with this one.”

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