Martin – That was a relief

Russell Martin was a relieved man at the final whistle after his Swans team won for the first time in six matches.

It’s been a long wait since the win against Bansley at the end of November, but the return of fans was greeted with a return to winning ways thanks to Ryan Manning’s thunderbolt.

Swansea now have two back to back away games against QPR and Hull and stay 17th in the table. They have closed the gap slightly on the play-offs to 13 points, although Martin’s side do have a number of games in hand on the teams above.

“There is a lot of relief at the end of a tough period. I was so pleased for the supporters because they have been so patient and understanding of what is going on here,” said the Swans boss.

“There has been a lot of change, and change can be messy and scary at times. But there is a big understanding and an awareness of the long-term view for the team and the vision and identity we are trying to bring to the team.

“So, it’s great to give them moments like that. The atmosphere was brilliant, especially in that second half and the boys just fed off that.

“It would have been a very different game without them in the stadium, so we are grateful to have them back and we hope it stays that way.

“It’s been a really difficult period for our players to manage and I am sure it has been the same for the supporters missing those emotions that we know football can bring.

“But we were so pleased to all be back together again and celebrate it with a win.”