'Keep calm and we'll stay up'

Player of the year Lukasz Fabianski reckons calmness will be key as Swansea City look to secure Premier League survival.

Fabianski took the top gong at Wednesday’s end-of-season awards dinner as he was voted the Swans’ star performer in 2017-18 by the club’s fans.

Fabianski was also named Away Player of the Year after a fine campaign in which he has been hugely consistent.

As delighted as he was with his prizes, the Swans keeper will only be happy if a turbulent season ends with his team sitting outside the Premier League relegation places.

The final push to avoid the drop sees the Swans face Bournemouth on Saturday before home fixtures against Southampton and Stoke.

And Fabianski reckons mentality will be key to completing another escape from danger.

“The manager has told us to stay calm, believe in our ability and focus on our training,” he explained.

“He wants us to do all the things right on and off the pitch and as players we have bought into that.

“We have to prepare physically and mentally and be ready for Saturday at Bournemouth, which is our main focus.

“I think the mental side of things is going to be key. In the Premier League every player has talent but, in this situation, I think the team with the most mental strength will come out on top.”

The Swans are fighting a relegation battle for the third successive season.

And Fabianski hopes their previous successes will help over the next 10 days.

“The pressure is there for sure,” he added. “It’s a big task for us, but we have a team full of confident boys who are ready for the challenge.

“A lot of us have experienced this kind of situation before and I think that can play a part.”

The Swans head to Bournemouth looking to end a six-game winless run, but Fabianski is unconcerned by the fact that Carvalhal’s men have not tasted victory in two months.

“Bournemouth is big because if we could three points there, it would be massive for us,” he said.

“If you look at our results since Carlos took over, we have only lost against big teams apart from Brighton.

“We have been pretty strong, even away from home, so I think we can take confidence from that as we go to Bournemouth.”