Kyle Naughton returned to action on Monday night and was immediately part of a defence that kept a clean sheet on the way to three points against West Bromwich Albion.
And whilst that may be partially coincidental, Swans fans should not believe that the two things are not connected with Naughton well on the way towards being one of the key favourites when it comes to crowing our player of the season this time around.
Naughton’s experience has been vital to the side this season and that is something that Russell Martin is well aware of with the name of Naughton one of the first onto his team sheet when the veteran defender is fit.
And Martin believes that Naughton has several years ahead of him meaning there could be many more appearances for the club in the future – not bad for a guy who is close to his 250th Swansea City appearance already.
“Kyle returning was very important to us,” Martin said when asked how important his return was last Monday.ย “He was a big loss.ย Ben Cabango did brilliantly in a different position but Kyle is an exceptionally gifted footballer.ย It is important to have cultural architects and experienced players who know what they are doing.
“When Kyle Naughton is playing other players get better and they willall tell you how important he has been and will continue to be.
“I played with Kyle when he was 19 or 20 at Norwich.ย He is now in a system where he can really flourish and it is not just what he brings on the pitch but what he brings off it as well.
“He can go on for some time yet as his mentality is good and he wants to play and his strong.ย He is in a great condition and really conscious of what he does and he always looks after himself really well.”