Russell Martin relishing return of fans to Swansea.com Stadium

Russell Martin has hailed the return of the Jack Army to the Swansea.com Stadium as positive news for society in general, and cannot wait to hear them roar on his Swansea City side again.

Swans fans will return to the stadium, which can operate at a full capacity, in readiness for next week’s home clash with Preston, which has moved back to a 3pm kick-off.

It comes after the Welsh Government announced the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, which come into place on Friday, January 21 – a day before the Swans’ home clash.

It means the Jack Army will be able to watch the Swans in action live in SA1 for the first time since December 11, with last weekend’s FA Cup tie against Southampton played behind closed doors.

And the Swans head coach believes the government’s latest update will provide a huge boost to supporters and players.

"It's really positive and fantastic news for everyone, not just for football but for society in general," he said.

"The numbers seem to be going the right way so restrictions can be lifted. Hopefully it's the last time we ever have to deal with that.

“It changes the whole dynamic and the whole game. Games are very, very different without fans, especially with the way we play and how good the fans have been with us.

“I find it really difficult and nowhere near as enjoyable. It’s the same for the players.

"They feed off that atmosphere and take energy from it - especially last week when we had players that were on their feet and really, really tired having not played for so long and had to play extra-time.

"We would have gained a lot of extra energy with our supporters behind us.

"So we are really looking forward to the chance to play in front of them again and do our best to perform and make them proud."