JASON SCOTLAND has admitted he’s winning over the snipers who said he couldn’t fire for Swansea City in the Championship.
The former soldier from Trinidad has taken the praise from his Portsmouth performance in his stride this week, observers from further afield than South Wales suddenly realising what an attacking talent Roberto Martinez has at his disposal.
For the 29-year-old knows there were just as many pundits quick to line up to dismiss his chances of succeeding in the second tier not so long ago.
His 14 goals before today’s trip to Southampton suggest the critics got that one wrong as he continues to shine in Swansea’s 13-game unbeaten run.
But, although Scotland says he’s happy to be able to prove them wrong, the powerful forward insists he hasn’t finished proving his point yet, just like the team as a whole are still relishing making their own Championship statement.
“A lot of people from the outside who hadn’t seen us, were quick to say things like we couldn’t do it here,” said Scotland. “And a lot of people found it easy to criticise me personally, saying I would never do it in the Championship.
“When I came to League One people were saying I couldn’t make the step up because I’d only been playing in the Scottish First Division. I made that step, then they said I couldn’t step up to the Championship.
“But I’ve done that and got 14 goals – but give it a few weeks and there will probably be those who start saying I could never step up to the Premiership.
“You can’t win, but you can accept the challenges to prove people wrong. It has spurred me on to do even better, and it still does.
“I don’t know whether some people still have their doubts about me, that’s up to them.
“And it’s the same for the good things that people have said after the Portsmouth game, we just get on with things.”
Getting on with things is exactly what Scotland and Swansea did in midweek, FA Cup hangovers missing as the party continued at the Liberty with a superb midweek win over Preston.
It was a result and a display that kept the plaudits coming after Swansea’s Fratton Park performance awoke neutral observers to the football served up by Martinez’s men.
But, knowing a striker’s form can be gauged by the width of the post, Scotland insists it’s only been a case of more of the same with the Swans.
“A lot of people have said some nice things about us and it’s probably credit we deserve,” he said.
“But, as a team, we know we’ve been like this at the start of last season and rather than be the exception it’s normal for us.
“We’re still finding our way in this division, so perhaps that’s why people haven’t taken notice before, but we knocked Portsmouth out – and not just by beating them but by playing them off the park – and everybody there could see the game we played.
“Of course it’s good to be publicised on a bigger scale for the football we play.
“It was tough at the start because we didn’t know what to expect because some of the teams play their football to play just for results.
“We’re in a division where managers get sacked very quickly if they don’t.
“But, to be fair to our gaffer, we haven’t changed our way and it’s still about putting the ball on the floor and passing it around.
“It’s worked for us to stick to what we’ve shown we can be good at. Everybody can see that now.”
Like more and more are seeing what Scotland is about. Ironically, his current form has been arguably more impressive for his build-up play and work with the ball at his feet, rather than just the goals that has put him among the division’s top scorers.
It is a fact recognised by Scotland, perhaps given away by the fact he put his goal against the “intimidating” David James on a par with his cheeky nutmeg of Sol Campbell.
“Every striker has their good patches, perhaps earlier in the season they would have gone just wide,” said Scotland, who admits he is feeling the benefits of his intense pre-season that was delayed after undergoing a stomach operation. “You can get frustrated, but now every time I shoot on target I’m forcing the keeper to do something or see it hit the back of the net.
“But even when I wasn’t scoring I still felt I should be in the side because of the way I was playing.
“Bringing people into play and holding the ball up is important to the team and perhaps more so than me actually scoring.
“We have three midfielders and guys running beyond me and that’s one thing I know I can do and I feel I’m doing well.
“And I think people are seeing that. I did have one or two fans getting on my back, but the majority of fans got on their back because perhaps they can see I’m doing a bit more.”
Southampton were swiftly dispatched at the Liberty back in October, but Swansea will face a different team today, with new manager Mark Wotte prepared to be more direct than predecessor Jan Poortvliet.
With the young talent of Adam Lallana, Andrew Surman and Welsh youngsters Lloyd James and Kayne McLaggon – scorer in midweek – there is reason for Swansea to be wary.
And Wotte could even be tempted to frustrate Swansea by stringing five across his midfield, an immediate test for Swansea’s own middlemen given the loss of Darren Pratley.
With Joe Allen likely to shake off a hip problem, Jordi Gomez is set to switch inside with Leon Britton to leave Mark Gower and Andrea Orlandi or Tom Butler doing the wing work with red-hot Nathan Dyer ineligible against his parent club.