'There's been tough times': Portsmouth success story Zak Swanson on never losing belief - and conquering injury woes

The 24-year-old has been one of the success stories of the season, producing a string of impressive performances at right-back and establishing himself as a fans’ favourite.

It’s a remarkable rejuvenation following two injury-wrecked seasons which prompted the Blues to opt against taking up a 12-month option on his expiring contract last summer.

Nonetheless, with John Mousinho adamant he wanted Swanson to remain, a new one-year deal was thrashed out in mid-July.

Now the talented defender has started 10 of Pompey’s last 12 matches in the most productive campaign of his three-season Fratton Park stay.

Most crucial of all - he’s finally injury-free.

He told The News: ‘Last summer was a weird one, the gaffer believed in me, he wanted me to be here and that was big for me.

‘There was a bit of interest in me here and there, but I was part of getting Pompey into the Championship, so I wanted to be here. I had to be patient, it took a bit of time, but I got a new contract.

‘The frustrating thing is I don’t want people to talk about how I’m not robust - but I couldn't actually look at them and say I wasn’t, because I wasn't playing. I wasn’t fit enough and available for selection at the time.

‘That’s what the gaffer said to me in the summer and I’ve worked a lot on myself to be available more this season.

‘In my first year and then my second year here, I had similar issues in the same area and obviously had surgery. It lingered on a bit longer than I wanted it to, but that’s football and it happens.

‘Last season was tough in all aspects, I had a lot of personal stuff going on and my injuries as well, but I tried to stay fit over the summer, worked on myself a lot, worked on staying robust - and I have shown that this season.

‘We’re in the Championship now, the level is up, the games are harder, so I’ve pretty much shown you have to recover properly, eat properly, do a lot of things properly to stay fit - and that is massive for me.

’I have really, really focused on getting my body right for the season and I'm pretty sure I’ve shown that.’

Named in 24 successive Pompey squads

Swanson has made 30 appearances this season, consisting of 22 Championship starts.

Groin injuries and the consistency of right-back rival Joe Rafferty had restricted the former Arsenal under-21 skipper’s first-team outings in the previous two seasons.

Admittedly, there was a set-back in October, when the full-back was sidelined for two months and seven fixtures with a heel problem.

However, he has now been named in 24 successive Pompey squads, featuring in all but two of them, including another excellent display in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Blackburn.

Swanson added: ‘I know I’ve had injury issues, I'm used to that and didn’t play as much as I wanted to. I came back this year and have proved I can stay fit and play.

‘Last year was obviously really tough for me, I had a lot of personal stuff going on and my injuries as well, but I’ve tried to come into this season and show what I’m about. Now I’m playing regularly and enjoying it.

‘We are a side which gets after teams, especially at Fratton, we need to be aggressive, we press high up the pitch - and I think that has really benefited my game.’

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