Marcos Painter is relishing life at Swansea after his close season move from Birmingham and can't wait for Christmas. However, Painter is more interested in 12 points over the festive period rather than the ’12 days of Christmas’ as he bids to keep the Welsh club flying high in League One. The Republic of Ireland Under 21 international has been an integral part of the Swans' rise to the top of the table but they face a tough test whilst most people are thinking about tucking into turkey. An away trip to second placed Carlisle this Saturday and a home clash with Leeds are just two of the of the four festive fixtures Roberto Martinez's boys face. Givemefootball's Ian Clarkson spoke exclusively to Painter as arguably the most difficult phase of the season approaches.
Q:YOU MUST BE HAPPY WITH THE WAY THE SEASON HAS PANNED OUT SO FAR?
A:We are going well at the moment and sitting on top of the league. We are playing good football and it is an enjoyable place to be at present. The difference to last year is that we are getting results at difficult places. We won 2-1 at Yeovil and 1-0 at Tranmere and those are the sort of results that give you a good chance of getting promotion. Also, those are the sort of games we might have lost last season.
Q:WHAT HAS WORKING WITH ROBERTO MARTINEZ BEEN LIKE?
A:The manager loves you to play the ball out from the back. He always wants you to play football and you can hear him shouting from the touchline for us defenders to receive the ball from the keeper. However, it doesn't always work when you are playing on soaking wet muddy pitches! But it is fantastic to watch and I think the fans are really starting to appreciate what he has done at Swansea.
Q:HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR TIME AT SWANSEA?
A:I am enjoying playing and being part of a team that is top of the league. There is a great buzz about the city and when you are out shopping people are always encouraging you to do well at the weekend and it is a great feeling. The Leeds' game on December 29 is a sell out, which means there will be around 20,000 in the stadium to watch us play. There were over 12,000 to watch us beat Southend on Saturday and we have had great support both home and away this season.
Q:ARE YOU CONFIDENT OF BEING IN THE TOP TWO COME MAY?
A:There is a real confidence in the changing room and a buzz amongst the lads that is hard to explain if you aren't part of it. I know it's a cliché but we are taking each game as it comes and not getting carried away. The festive period is arguably the most difficult time of the season and we need to keep on winning games.
Q:YOU HAVE ALREADY PLAYED AGAINST BILLERICAY AND HORSHAM IN THE FA CUP AND NOW YOU FACE HAVANT – YOU HAVE HAD YOUR FAIR SHARE OF BANANA SKINS THIS YEAR HAVEN'T YOU?
A:I haven't played in the FA Cup yet as I travelled to Horsham and the manager rested me and a few other players. The weather was horrendous there and I felt really bad freezing cold in the stand whilst the lads were playing! Seriously, I want to play in every game and hopefully I will be involved in Round three against Havant and Waterlooville and we want to make it into the hat for the fourth round. If we beat Havant then I would love a home tie against either Birmingham or Villa.
Q:HAVE YOU BEEN PLEASED WITH YOUR OWN PERFORMANCES THIS SEASON?
A:The confidence you gain from being in the starting XI most weeks is unbelievable. You can look at the league table in the newspaper and se Swansea at the top and think 'I am part of that'. Playing regular first team football definitely improves you as a player.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITONS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?
A:Ideally, we would like to gain promotion automatically without going through the play-offs. We are certainly good enough to challenge for automatic promotion but League One isn't easy. You can't guarantee any result as clubs at the bottom of the table beat teams at the top. It isn't like the Premier League where the top four generally win and there are lots of different styles to contend with too. Teams such as Leeds and Nottingham Forest really get it down and play whilst others put their foot through it and are more direct. You have to cope with all styles if you want to get promotion and we are managing to do that at present.
