Russell Martin highlights big change Swansea City have made following dramatic Watford victory | OneFootball

Russell Martin has explained the big way in which his Swansea City side has changed over the last 12 months.

The Swans earned an impressive 2-1 away victory against Watford on Wednesday night, which moved the team up to 6th place in the Championship table.

A late, late Ben Cabango goal sealed all three points for the visitors, his goal coming in the 98th minute.

Reflecting on the win, the Swansea manager has claimed that there is a far greater resilience compared to this time last year.

He believes that this team is now much more difficult to beat, which has seen confidence grow in recent weeks.

The 39-year old has challenged his side to maintain this level of belief in themselves, which has been highlighted as a key reason for this shift.

“We’ve lost one game in six, to Sheffield United, which is a game we felt we should have got something from,” said Martin, via Wales Online.

“We’re becoming hard to beat, first and foremost.

“I think there’s a real resilience about the group that we didn’t quite have last year, for a number of reasons.

“I think the biggest challenge is getting the players to believe in themselves as much as we believe in them, individually and as a group.

“They’re really starting to believe now.

“The fans I feel have a real connection with the team because of the foundations we built last year and what they’re seeing now.

“Hopefully we’ve rewarded everyone for a bit of patience.

“It’s up to the boys now to be relentless.

“We have to turn this week into a brilliant one and turn it into the best one we’ve had since we’ve been here and try and back it up on Saturday.

“That’s the next test.”

Quiz: Did Swansea City win, draw or lose the last time they played at these 18 stadiums?

1 of 18

Anfield

W D L

Swansea moved up to a play-off place with their second away win in just five days, having also beaten West Brom at the weekend.

One loss in six games has propelled the club into a promotion challenging position after 12 games.

Up next for Martin’s side is the visit of Sunderland on 8 October.

The Verdict

While it is still early days for this season, the signs are very positive from Swansea that progress has been made in recent weeks.

The start of the campaign raised some concerns, but results have taken a hugely positive turn in the last month or so, showing the potential of this side.

Maintaining this form over another 30-odd games will be the big test, with Sunderland representing a big challenge on Saturday.

But if the team can get through this next period while keeping a position inside the top six then their belief will only continue to grow heading into the World Cup break in November.