Russell Martin believes Swansea City are making progress and gaining momentum going into next season.

The Welsh club have been on an impressive run of form after a campaign riddled with inconsistency.

Martin has overseen a transitional season with the club having replaced Steve Cooper following the team’s play-off final loss last year.

A run of six games unbeaten, winning four and drawing two, has given fans a glimmer of hope that the team is on the right track.

Martin has admitted that he wants to take the next step with his side by winning games playing his style of football more consistently next season.

The 36-year old believes his team have learned a lot this campaign and now he wants them to continue playing this well going to compete for promotion in the years to come.

“I think the whole season has been about learning. The whole process has been about us learning about the players, the players learning about what we want and all of us learning what it’s going to take for us to be really successful,” said Martin, via the club’s official website.

“I think the players have learnt a hell of a lot. I’ve learnt a lot throughout the season, all of us have, as a coaching staff. All of it prepares us really well and puts us in a much better position for next season, especially the way the players have learnt and grown together.

“That was the biggest part of it, to show we can play a certain way and bring an identity back to the football club, to bring a certain playing style and to show progress throughout the season.

“I think those boxes have been ticked. Now the next bit is to win consistently and do it in our way. We have real belief that will come, at some point.”

Swansea’s form over the last 10 games puts them near the top of the Championship, so the signs of progress are evident.

Included in this current unbeaten run is also an emphatic 4-0 win over rivals Cardiff City, which should have increased support from the fans tenfold. 

It will be an important summer for the club as they look to re-establish themselves as a threat in the race for promotion next season.

For now, Swansea next face Reading on Monday afternoon at the Madejski Stadium.

The Verdict

It has been a difficult season for Martin with the team unable to manage the same performances as under Cooper last year.

But recent weeks have shown the future should be bright for this team.

Their form has been top class and they have played some really nice football while winning four of their last six.

However, there will be a lot more pressure at the start of next season with expectations now set to be raised.

How Martin and the team handles that increased intensity will define how well they compete for promotion.