Your Swansea City headlines on Thursday, April 6.
Chances await young guns
Russell Martin is hopeful some of the club's academy players will get the chance to get game time at senior level in the final stages of the season.
Key members of the club's Under-21 set-up including Cameron Congreve, Joel Cotterill, Azeem Abdulai and Josh Thomas have been involved in first team squads during the course of the current campaign.
And with just seven games left to play this term, Martin - who was with assistant head coach Matt Gill and goalkeeper coach Dean Thornton watching the young guns in action against Hull City on Monday afternoon - revealed he plans to let some players from the youth set-up have the chance to impress in the final month of the season.
"At some point we're going to need to get some people on the pitch to give them an opportunity to show what they can do," he said.
"I don't think we're quite there yet, we want to win as many games as we possibly can, finish as strongly as we can and build some momentum ahead of next season."
He went on to add: "They've just got to keep training how they're training.
"We'll analyse the situation as it comes. We have a lot of really good young players. The first-half an hour of the game (against Hull), there was some really brilliant stuff.
"What happens a lot in academies, you become fixated on a formation, but even the way they've embraced some of the stuff we've done and on the game model, we were really impressed.
"The academy staff, the way they've taken on some new ideas, I hope we've helped them and I think it stands us in good stead in the long term.
"When you look at the teams now, they look really aligned which makes it easier for the transition for players as they move up the age groups and then into the first team squad which is ultimately the plan because we have to do that.
"The fact it can look so similar in so many ways as a concept is really brilliant."
Cullen's Cardiff admission
Liam Cullen admits he's watched Ben Cabango's dramatic injury-time winner against Cardiff City more than his own header against the Bluebirds.
The two academy products both netted - along with Joel Piroe - as the Swans clinched a remarkable 3-2 triumph over Sabri Lamouchi's side at Cardiff City Stadium last weekend.
Multiple highlights from the derby contest have been circulated on social media in the aftermath of what was Swansea's fourth successive win over the Bluebirds.
And while he could not hide his delight at notching his eighth goal of the campaign against the Swans' fiercest rivals, Cullen says Cabango's 99th-minute strike has still proven to be the highlight of the week.
When asked how many times he has viewed a replay of his goal against Cardiff, Cullen responded: “Quite a few but I think I’ve watched Ben’s goal a lot more! I watch it and see the reaction and how much it means to everyone."
And on his own goal, Cullen commented: “When you have a moment like that and it means that much to you, I don’t think you care who is watching or who is around.
“The main thing is I scored for my boyhood club in a derby, and it has been a lifelong dream and I am going to celebrate and show how much it means to me and we are going to celebrate it because of what it means to us.
“I would do the same again if it happened this week.”
Martin's Coventry call
Coventry City boss Mark Robins phoned Russell Martin to offer him advice during Swansea's difficult run this season.
Following a promising start to the campaign which saw them reach fourth place in late October, the Swans plummeted down the Championship table following a run of just three wins in 21 league outings.
Martin's troops have produced better displays of late though and go into Friday's clash with Coventry on the back of wins against Bristol City and Cardiff City.
And ahead of the fixture with the Sky Blues, Martin showed his gratitude for the phone call he received from Coventry boss Robins earlier on in the campaign.
"It's a club that's been with their coaching staff for a long time," Martin said of Coventry. "They have a clear identity and they're really clear in their recruitment.
"They had a tough start to the season in so many ways but stuck with the people they really believed in. I love their group of staff, we have so much respect for them.
"Mark reached out to me this season when times were going tough, he gave me a phone call and I appreciated that so much. He just wanted to reach out and help a young manager in whichever way he can which I'm really grateful for, he's a really top guy, the same as Adi (Viveash). They've done an outstanding job.
"After a tough result at the weekend they'll be desperate to put that right. They've been brilliant games whenever we've played them so it's one we're looking forward to and one we're excited about."
Kick-off in Swansea is at 3pm on Friday.
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