Matt Grimes reacts to personal Swansea City moment in Barnsley stalemate

Matt Grimes made his 200th appearance for Swansea City in their 1-1 draw with relegation-battling Barnsley on Friday.

Olivier Ntcham cancelled out Claudio Gomes’ opener to take a point for the Swans, as the Tykes kept their outside survival hopes alive in South Wales.

Grimes had to bide his time at the Swansea.com Stadium, enduring three loan spells away from the club after signing in January 2015 from Exeter City, before establishing himself in the first team under Graham Potter.

The 26-year-old signed a contract running until the summer of 2025 this season, and appears to have fully bought into Russell Martin’s ideas and ambitions for the club.

Grimes took to Instagram to express his emotions at reaching the milestone.

He wrote: “Absolute pleasure to play 200 games for this fantastic club, I’ve loved every single minute of it and I can’t wait to make more memories here.”

A post shared by Matt Grimes (@mattgrimes8)

The Swans look firmly on an upward trajectory under Martin, displaying gradual signs of progress in their first season without parachute payments and an abundance of Premier League loanees, recruited by Steve Cooper.

Grimes is at the centre of that, and will be confident of leading the Swans in a credible top six push next season.

The Verdict

Grimes is one of the most easy-on-the-eye midfielders in the Championship, a cultured ball player able to thread passes through the eye of a needle with his left foot.

One side of Grimes’ game that has notably improved in recent years, is his out of possession work, breaking up play and winning the ball back for the Swans to continue building from the back.

The 26-year-old has built a great relationship with Flynn Downes in central midfield this season, and deserves a