Captain bags brace to bring booing to a Holt

Swansea 2 Norwich 3

Phil Cadden
Monday 13 February 2012 01:00 GMT
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Norwich's Grant Holt silenced the Swansea City crowd in emphatic style with a second-half double and then insisted: "I love getting abuse."

The burly striker was roundly booed by the home faithful following his pre-match comments on his Twitter account, holty30, which read: "Good team nice ground shame there welsh."

Yet the 30-year-old hitman claims he was grateful for the constant flak from the south Wales audience as Norwich jumped up to eighth spot – their highest Premier League placing of the season so far.

Holt said: "I'm never popular anywhere I go. But I like that. I love getting abuse, I really do. One of my old managers – Steve Parkin – always used to tell me that the reason rival fans shout at me is because I'm doing something right. I want to get abuse every week. I'm big enough and old enough to take it.

"People can write or tweet what they want. If people want to give me stick on there, that's fine. It was one person's comment. I can handle banter as long as they don't mind getting some back!"

Holt's goals – a trademark header followed by a cool right-foot finish in the second half – sandwiched Anthony Pilkington's deflected effort, and helped to inspire the Canaries to become only the second team after the champions Manchester United to register a win in Swansea. The hosts could not force a draw despite the two-goal heroics of in-form striker Danny Graham.

Match facts

Swansea: VORM 7/10; RANGEL 6; CAULKER 6; WILLIAMS 6; TAYLOR 5; BRITTON 6; McEACHRAN 6; SIGURDSSON 7; DYER 7; GRAHAM 7; SINCLAIR 5

Norwich: RUDDY 7; DRURY 6; WARD 7; R MARTIN 6; NAUGHTON 7; PILKINGTON 7; FOX 7; SURMAN 7; BENNETT 7; MORISON 6; HOLT 8

Scorers: Swansea City Graham 23, pen 87 Norwich City Holt 47, 63, Pilkington 51.

Substitutes: Swansea Gower 7 (McEachran, 63), Lita (Dyer, 74), Routledge (Sinclair, 74). Norwich Barnett 6 (Drury, 56), Hoolahan (Bennett, 76), Morison (Jackson, 83).

Booked: Norwich Drury, Holt.

Man of the match Holt. Match rating 8/10.

Possession: Swansea 47% Norwich 53%.

Attempts on target: Swansea 9 Norwich 11.

Referee M Atkinson (West Yorkshire) Attendance 19,927

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