It is not a coincidence that Fulham's previously patchy defensive record has undergone vast improvement in the 10 Championship matches since centre-back Michael Hector first pulled on the white jersey.

Scott Parker's side have kept an impressive six clean sheets in the league since Hector's debut for the club in early January, with this representing marked progress on the Fulham defence's two shut-outs in the 10 league clashes prior to this.

Hector's commanding presence in the side has helped third-placed Fulham propel themselves three points clear of the chasing pack, while the Craven Cottage side are also still in the hunt for an automatic-promotion spot as they sit five points behind Leeds.

After 10 league matches at Fulham, it is clear to see why Fulham pressed ahead with securing Hector's services back in September despite the transfer window being closed, with the Cottagers' transfer chiefs having clearly anticipated the impact he could have.

At the time, there were question marks over the arrangement which allowed Hector to train at Fulham without being able to play for around four months, but his recent influence on the side has proven why the Cottagers were justified in signing him when they did.

Hector's arrival into the first-team fold could also not have been timed better given it essentially coincided with the knee injury sustained by Alfie Mawson, with Fulham's regular centre-back having missed the last eight matches with this problem.

This has seen Hector make a seamless step into the Cottagers' back line alongside Tim Ream who has been a consistent figure in the side this term, and the USA international has also noticeably benefitted from Hector's assured presence at the back.

Hector has displayed his truly well-rounded defensive attributes as his last-ditch blocks and challenges have accompanied his confident ball-playing ability from the back line, and this has quite simply made him a revelation in the Fulham side.

The statistics further magnify the 27-year-old's brilliance. Hector has won 62.3% of defensive duels in addition to 58.3% of all aerial duels since his inclusion while also recording a strong average of 5.3 interceptions per game, according to Wyscout.

Hector has also registered an 80.2% pass completion rate during his 10 Championship matches for the Cottagers, while he attempts an average of 12.46 long balls per match as he often looks to kick-start attacks after winning the ball back for his side.

It should not come as a surprise that Hector has been so impressive this year given the defender has excelled at both Sheffield Wednesday and Hull in recent campaigns, but the centre-back has still managed to exceed expectations so far at Fulham.

This all begs the interesting question of whether Parker's side would find themselves in the top-two spots at present if Hector had been available throughout the campaign, with Fulham's defence having been a key issue in the first half of the season.

The Cottagers certainly flexed their attacking powers on several occasions before the turn of the year, but they were sometimes let down by defensive lapses which means they have failed to really compete with the likes of Leeds and West Brom until now.

However, it cannot to dwell over too much. The main thing is that Hector is crucially now very much a Fulham player, and there is even an argument that the extended delay before his debut would have made him even hungrier to succeed for his new club.

The west Londoners must now look ahead to the last 10 matches of their campaign as they target one of the top-two spots, and recent clean-sheet displays against Swansea and Preston suggests their promotion bid is now back on track after a slight blip.

The presence of Aleksandar Mitrovic in Fulham's attack means they will certainly score plenty more goals this campaign, but Hector's continued brilliance at the back means the Cottagers should not be expected to concede too many more goals either.