The forgotten man no more!

Cast your minds back to last season and Jay Fulton was one of a few players alongside the likes of Ryan Bennett deemed unwanted by new manager Russell Martin.

It was a tough season for the Scottish midfielder who made just six appearances in the 2021/22 season amongst rumours – which were clearly just that – that he was set to leave for pastures new.

It was a stark change to the amount of game time he had seen under both Martin’s predecessors which saw him amass 123 appearances over three campaigns under Steve Cooper and Graham Potter.

But for Fulton 2022/23 is somewhat of a renaissance for the 28 year old and nobody is happier for him than the manager himself although questions will still remain why it took so long for Martin himself to utilise a midfielder with vast experience in this division.

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

“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.”