Jamal Lowe Barnsley

Jamal Lowe | Team spirit got us here, it can make the difference

27th May
First team

Jamal Lowe believes Swansea City's team spirit has been a key factor in their run to the Championship play-off final, and it can help them get over the line in this weekend's Wembley final.

Lowe and the Swans head to the home of English football to take on Brentford with the winner securing promotion to the Premier League.

The 53rd and final game will bring the curtain down on a gruelling campaign, coming as it did on the back of a very short turnaround in the wake of the delayed ending to the 2019-20 season.

It has placed extra demands on players and staff alike amidst an unrelenting schedule of games; and Lowe feels it says something about Swansea's togetherness that they have negotiated the ups and downs to be within touching distance of success.

"Team spirit is a massive part of why we are here," he said.

"There are ups and down in every season, that's the way football is, and you have to stick together.

"You cannot afford any egos or bad eggs, and we don't have any of that. Everyone gets along, anyone could sit next to anyone at lunch, there are no little cliques going on.

"It's not that way at every club, but it is good we have it here and it's been big for us."

Reaching the top-flight would cap a remarkable rise for 26-year-old Lowe, who at one stage worked as a PE teacher before giving up the job determined to pursue his dream of being a professional footballer.

Jamal Lowe Portsmouth

He trained alone on top of his non-league commitments, working out in the gym or taking a bag of footballs to a local park to work on his game.

He got his break with Portsmouth, and it was during his time with Pompey that he got his previous experience of playing at Wembley.

Lowe was on the scoresheet in extra-time in the 2019 EFL Trophy final against Sunderland, and then netted again from the spot as the south coast club won on penalties.

With those fond memories to call upon, Lowe is looking forward to playing under the arch again.

"It's a great stadium to play it, it's an honour to be able to play there," he said. 

"Some of the lads haven't had the chance yet, but I can tell you it is one of those things you will never get tired of. 

"If you are going to Wembley as a footballer it is because you are playing in a big game and you are part of a big occasion.

"There is so much riding on the game, and those are exactly the games you want to play in."