‘I think you could see it’: Midfielder eyes role to kickstart Portsmouth return from West Brom
The Gosport lad eyes the No10 role at Fratton Park - a position he’s excelled in at Championship level through his career.
John Swift is confident he can get his Pompey career firing from his preferred No10 position.
And the creative midfielder has promised he’ll be ready to seize upon his chance when it arrives in the Championship next season.
Swift: ‘If I’m honest, it’s where I feel most comfortable’
Swift spoke honestly about the difficulties he faced after his homecoming in an interview with The News this week, as he battled to come to terms with a deep-lying role.
That was a departure from the advanced positions the Gosport lad has operated in for the vast majority of his career at Championship level, clocking up more than 400 appearances in his career to date.
Swift was deployed as part of a double midfield pivot at the season’s outset, before being moved further forward in October.
It was the 31-year-old’s displays in back-to-back away wins at Charlton Athletic and Millwall in February which really caught the eye, however, as the former West Brom and Chelsea man helped Pompey make good use of possession.
Swift felt that offered an insight into what he can do from that area of the pitch, as he finished the season with three goals and two assists - numbers he was ‘disappointed’ with.
He said: ‘If I’m honest, it (the No10 role) is where I feel most comfortable.
‘It’s where I like to be - in the No10 position trying to pick up positions behind the midfield line, trying to get on the half turn, trying to link the play and trying to help us get out when teams are pressing high.
‘It’s also trying to stay as high as possible to help Colby (Bishop) when the ball goes long.
‘It’s just where I feel naturally most comfortable. I felt like that last season and I think you could see it as a fan and those watching on.
‘I was a bit disappointed with my output last season, but hopefully I get more opportunities to play in my natural position. I can then build on that.
‘I’ve played a lot of times in the Championship and a lot of times in the No10 position.
‘I don’t think the gaffer is going to say I can’t do certain things in the 10, it’s just more picking a team to nullify the opposition.
‘So all I can do is stay fit, stay ready and when my chance comes I can hopefully take it.
‘Last season, I felt I did that on a few occasions but with injuries and everything there was a lot of chopping and changing positions.
‘So hopefully I can stay fit, stay ready and take my chance.’
Swift’s eyes are now on the start of the league season, which gets underway with QPR coming to Fratton Park on August 15.
He noted how an opening-day win at Oxford United 12 months ago laid the foundations for the kind of promising start Pompey now need to build on.
He added: ‘It’s another big, gruelling season - hopefully we can get a good start.
‘We had a relatively good start last season, but just failed to build on it. Hopefully we can get off to a good start at home.
‘I’m looking forward to that, I think everyone is looking forward to that - we’ll be fit and ready to go.’