FITTING EXIT FOR ALLEN AS SIDES FINISH WITH A REAL FLOURISH

ALAN Sheehan was delighted with Swansea City’s 11th-place finish in the Championship.

- TOM COLEMAN

Sheehan was drafted in to replace the sacked Luke Williams in February.

At the time Swansea were flirting with the relegation zone, but his arrival sparked an upturn in form as they began climbing the table.

And it was capped by a run of five successive wins, a sequence that saw Sheehan handed a three-year deal last week.

He said: "A top-half finish is incredible progression in a certain amount of time.

"Sometimes when we get that momentum, we want more.

"It gives us a taste of what winning is like consistently."

Swansea's final game of the season had little riding on it, apart from the fond farewell afforded to Joe Allen.

In the end, there weren’t any tears.

As Allen left the field for the last time, against the backdrop of the applause of an adoring home support, he merely raised a wry smile, before embracing Sheehan for a hug on the touchline that felt like an eternity.

The decision to make Allen captain for this 585th - and final - outing of his career, suggested even Sheehan - relentless in his determination to win every game - had some room for a bit of sentimentality.