Swansea City are still firmly in the hunt for a Championship play-off spot after holding West Brom to a goalless draw on Saturday to move within three points of the top six.

Steve Cooper's side have experienced plenty of frustration in recent matches after conceding stoppage-time goals against Fulham and Blackburn, but they produced a resolute display to restrict high-flying West Brom to just one shot on target.

The Welsh side also registered some of the best chances to win the game as both Jay Fulton and Andre Ayew went close to finding the net, but the encounter ultimately remained goalless as the Swans continued to close the gap on sixth spot.

Swansea now have just nine Championship matches remaining to step up their play-off push, and they will now be targeting back-to-back wins when they face relegation candidates Middlesbrough and Luton over the next week.

Here, we take a look at three factors which could affect Swansea during the final run-in...

The fitness of key players

This may seem obvious given this will be a factor for every side chasing a play-off spot this season, but it perhaps particularly applies to the Swans given their reliance on key attacking players such as Andre Ayew, Rhian Brewster and Conor Gallagher.

Cooper initially suggested Ayew might miss Swansea's clash with West Brom last weekend, and while the Ghanaian did eventually feature on the wing, there was clear concern regarding the potential absence of Swansea's key man.

Swansea are not quite blessed with a plethora of high-quality attacking options heading into the final weeks of the season, and this is why it is so important that Cooper carefully manages the playing time of his key assets over the coming weeks.

Whether their mentality can be improved

Swansea's excellent point against Albion definitely represented a step in the right direction in terms of the squad mentality but the late points dropped against Hull, Fulham and Blackburn will still remain fresh in the memory of Swans supporters.

There were many positives for Swansea to take from these three displays on their travels, but Cooper's men need to develop more of a winning mentality when playing away from home, rather than buckling and conceding late goals at the death.

The Swans can consider themselves fortunate that they remain in the hunt for a play-off spot despite this series of late setbacks, but the south Wales side must learn from these late strikes instead of letting them affect the team again in the future.

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Their ability to beat teams above them in table

The Swans proved they are capable of competing with the very best sides in the division during their 0-0 draw with West Brom, but Cooper's side have staggeringly not defeated a side placed above them in the table since their 1-0 win over Leeds in August.

Swansea definitely need to start turning these defeats and draws against the top sides into victories, particularly seeing as they face Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City in consecutive matches in April, with this run likely to be pivotal in deciding the Swans' fate.

The upcoming run of matches sees Swansea face relegation-threatened Boro and Luton before a key clash with Millwall, but the fact the Swans' play-off fate is not currently in their hands means they may well need to overcome at least one higher-placed side before the end of the term.