Russell Martin | Everyone has to pull together and get behind these players

Russell Martin hopes Swansea City’s win over Blackpool can be the platform to move past a difficult couple of weeks, and has urged players, staff and supporters to unite for a final effort over the remaining 15 games of the season.

The 2-1 win over the Seasiders, courtesy of Matty Sorinola’s second goal of the season and an own goal from Callum Connolly, moved the Swans back to within five points of the play-off places.

The Swans boss was pleased to see his side overcome some difficult moments to secure the three points, following defeats to Birmingham and Sheffield United on the back of the January transfer window.

Martin acknowledged he understood and empathised with the frustrations supporters have felt in recent weeks, but hopes the onus can now be on everyone in Swansea coming together to back a young squad desperate to try and achieve for the club.

“I hope it can be a big win for us and help us to start something,” he said.

“We have a choice here, everyone has a choice and a decision to make.

“I think there has been a hangover from January and how it ended up, and I do understand it.

“We are as frustrated as everyone else, but we have made a decision to focus all our energy on helping these young guys try and win football games, and I am happy about that decision.

“That’s the decision we have made, but we all have a choice in this.

“We know we have conceded too many goals, but if you look at our attacking play we are inside the top six for chances created and shots on goal, and for goals scored.

“There is a myth out there that we only pass sideways and backwards, but everything we see and can show the players proves that is not the case.

“We had the youngest team in the Championship on Wednesday night and six of the 10 youngest starting line-ups in the division this season have been Swansea teams.

“We are five points off the top six, there are 15 games left and seven of the players who started against Blackpool were 23 or under. That is not normal in this division, and the way we try to play is not normal.

“We are on a journey and part of that is to be different, and the events in January highlight why we need to be different.

“As a club, supporters, players, staff, everyone, we have to pull together and get behind this group of young players. That is the only choice we have.

“There are players here who will help this club for a long time to come, the evidence is there to see that, whether that is through getting to the Premier League eventually or making the club a lot of money.

“Players like Nathan Wood who has been excellent over the last few weeks, Ben Cabango has made big strides in the time we have been there, Ollie Cooper has really progressed in his journey.

“It’s not easy to win games every week in this league, but the players work so hard for us and the togetherness as a group is outstanding.

“Everyone I bump into around the city is so supportive, but I get that there is a little bit of noise out there because of the frustration.

“But there is no point in feeling any other way than wanting to get behind the players, we cannot change what has happened.

“That’s why we made that choice and it’s a choice we all have to make because the best thing at this football club is the people, and the supporters are the most important people at this football club, and they always will be.

“This is a special place and we all love it here and we hope to be here for a long time. We want to make all the hard work worthwhile, so we all have to make sure we do not let anything else affect what we do from now until the end of the season.”