Swansea City attacker Andre Ayew
Swansea City attacker Andre Ayew is of the opinion promotion to the Premier League will rank among his career highlights.
Relegated from the elite division in 2018, the Jack Army are on course for a return as they are set to face Barnsley in a promotion play-off second leg fixture on Saturday with an away advantage.
In the first leg earlier this week, Swansea secured a 1-0 triumph at Oakwell, courtesy of a strike from the Ghanaian.
“It [ultimate promotion] would be among the tops for me. I have grown to love the club and the fans. It’s very special for me. It would be a big achievement for me because it would prove I can do it at any level,” Ayew has said, ahead of Saturday’s showdown, his club’s official website has reported.
“I’ve followed a lot of players who have played at a really high level, come down to the Championship, and not succeeded.
“For me, this has been a test to prove I can do it at any level. I have done it at every level and I’ve never doubted myself. I need to keep going. If you work hard, you get rewarded and I want to make Swansea happy.
“In terms of me personally, this [promotion] would be very big. That’s the reason why I stayed with this team. If there was no ambition to try and go up, then there would have been no point.”
It is Swansea’s second straight time featuring in the play-offs after an unsuccessful campaign last season.
“We know what the Liberty is like when we are in these moments and have these big games coming up. It’s something different,” Ayew added.
“We know everybody isn’t going to be there and as players we would love a full stadium for this game, but it’s not the case. We are lucky to have a few in and it’s the start of something. Hopefully we will have more back soon.
“I can guarantee all of the players can’t wait for Saturday to feel the fans. We also want to feel they are happy with where we are.
We are going to need them if we are going to go through on Saturday. It’s a fact because what is coming on Saturday is going to be very tough.”
During the regular Championship season, Ayew netted 16 times in 43 matches to propel Swansea to the play-off.