Russell Martin | Jay Fulton character key to recent form

Swansea City head coach Russell Martin believes that the character and resilience that Jay Fulton has shown to win back his place in the Swansea City starting eleven is a key factor to the midfielder's excellent recent form. 

The Swans have put together their best run of results since August 2019 winning the last four games and recording five wins from their last six Championship outings.

The latest victory - a 2-1 win against Sunderland on Saturday - resulted in part from a strong showing in midfield by the former Falkirk man, a performance which saw him take the fans' player of the match accolade. 

Fielding the youngest Championship starting line-up for the second weekend in a row, the experienced heads of players like Fulton - who was the elder statesman of the team at 28 - and skipper Matt Grimes are vital to guiding young Swans players through difficult moments in games.

This has been even more important in the absence of Joe Allen and Jamie Paterson both of whom have been sidelined with injuries. 

“Jay Fulton, when he’s played in that position, has been incredible”, said Martin. 

“If you look at Jay and what he went through last year, you can see that the door was never closed. It’s why he played so many games at the end of last season.  

“He understood the situation. It wasn’t easy for him, but I really admire how he dealt with that. What he has done for us this year has been amazing really, compared to where he was last season, which was painful for him. 

“We had Flynn Downes [last season] who was difficult to play in front of. Jay understood though. He didn’t like it because he wanted to play. Jay’s been at this club a long time and his family have settled and it was a difficult time for him. 

“The way he responded was incredible. 

"I think one of the reasons for that response is that everyone here is really honest with each other. It’s that simple, it’s never personal in terms of the decisions we make for the team and the squad. 

“The character he has shown allows him to produce the performances he has. He feels trusted and feels he can really contribute.”