It's been an impressive start for Swansea this term, with the Welsh side currently lying in third place in the League One standings. One of the shining lights for Kenny Jackett's outfit so far has been the form of winger Kevin McLeod, who was deservedly named the PFA Fans' Player of the Month for September. The former QPR player had scored seven goals in ten league starts, including a hat-trick against Bristol City, but an ankle injury has kept him on the sidelines for the last few matches. The fact that Swansea have failed to score in their last two games of McLeod's enforced absence only serves to demonstrate what an important player he is to the club. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man with the questions.
Q:HOW PLEASED WERE YOU TO GET THIS AWARD?
A:I was delighted. In fact I didn't find out until a friend phoned me from Spain to tell me and even then I thought he was winding me up. So I went onto the PFA website and found out it was true – I was chuffed to bits.
Q:YOU'VE SCORED SEVEN GOALS ALREADY, YOU MUST BE PLEASED WITH THAT RETURN?
A:Most definitely, in fact I think I must have been playing with someone else's boots on. I've scored some memorable goals so far and the hat-trick against Bristol City was particularly satisfying.
Q:HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY SWANSEA'S START TO THE SEASON?
A:I think we have been a little bit surprised but we never really knew what to expect when we came into this league. When we played Huddersfield, early in the season, it was a very even contest and although we lost that game, largely because we had two men sent off, we soon realised that we have nobody to fear at this level and the manager keeps reminding us of that.
Q:HAVING YOUR FELLOW WINGER LEON BRITTON AND LEE TRUNDLE IN THE SAME TEAM MUST BE A REAL PROBLEM FOR OPPOSING DEFENDERS?
A:The three of us seem to have struck up a good relationship and that's important for attacking players. Lee is a quality finisher, who will find the net at any level, and the fact that he has ten goals already shows what a quality player he is. As for Leon, something just seems to happen when you give him the ball and you can sense the crowd's excitement when he's in possession.
Q:WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED TO LEAVE QPR LAST SEASON?
A:Not really because I had more lows than highs while I was there and I felt the time was right to make a fresh start somewhere else. I didn't really get on with manager Ian Holloway and I think we both felt that it was best that I moved on.
Q:ARE YOU ENJOYING WORKING WITH KENNY JACKETT?
A:I knew Kenny well from his time as QPR No.2 and it's good to be working with him again. His training his different class and the players know exactly what their roles are in the team. On top of that, his door is always open if anyone has a problem.
Q:HAS SWANSEA'S IMPRESSIVE START CHANGED THE PLAYERS' TARGETS THIS SEASON?
A:The supporters are starting to think about another promotion but there is still along way to go and a lot of points up for grabs. Having said that, we have nothing to fear in this league and there is no one team that looks like running away with the title.
Q:WHAT'S THE UPDATE ON YOUR INJURY?
A:I tore my calf against Blackpool a few weeks ago and made the mistake of carrying on and finishing the game. When I woke up the next day I could hardly walk and I realised it was far worse than I first thought. But things have improved a lot lately, in fact I was hoping to train earlier this week but it didn't feel quite right. The physio has told me I might be able to train on Thursday and if I can get through that I may have a chance of being involved against Rotherham on Saturday.
