Eyebrows were raised when Steven Benda was listed in the starting 11 for Swansea City's clash with Queens Park Rangers just shy of two months ago.
The German had been expected to secure a move away from south Wales in the summer, but, having played in the Carabao Cup against Oxford United, Benda was later given the chance to shine in the league for the first time in a year.
To put it mildly, the Swans haven't looked back since occupying a place in the Championship's relegation zone at the end of August.
Now on a run of seven wins from nine games with Benda in the side, Swansea sit in fourth spot ahead of their trip to Bristol City on Saturday. And the latest of those triumphs against local rivals Cardiff City gave Benda yet another opportunity to savour his current position at the club.
"It's a perfect day, three points, clean sheet, derby win, the fans have been brilliant. I love it," he told WalesOnline. "Since I've been in, we've played really well and we've got a lot of wins. Playing against Cardiff is a big one for the fans especially, so to get the three points is massive."
Callum Robinson's moment of madness cost Mark Hudson's side dearly as he was shown a straight red card by referee Darren Bond for throwing a match ball into the face of Ben Cabango after just seven minutes.
Swansea dominated as a result of their numerical advantage. Indeed, Russell Martin's side ended the contest having had 83 per cent of possession and making a season-high tally of 709 attempted passes.
Nevertheless, with the score locked at 0-0 prior to Ollie Cooper's 38th minute opener, Benda made a crucial save to keep out Tom Sang's volley.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, head coach Martin revealed he held talks with his players regarding their discipline ahead of the derby, and Benda admits his side did well to keep their cool throughout the contest.
"At 0-0, you never know what can happen. Thankfully I made the save and from then we kicked on I think," he said. "It's difficult for them a man down, but I think we controlled it really well.
"They didn't have any chances after that save I made. From then it was just about keeping our concentration and seeing the game out.
"In derby games, it's not a normal game. There's always a bit of emotion and heat. You just need to stay calm, focussed and let them make their mistakes. I didn't expect it [Robinson dismissal] to be honest, but sometimes you can lose your head and it happens.
"But, I think, on the whole, the team was brilliant. To score those two goals, it could have probably been more as well, but we'll take it.
"Any game, to get a win, is important and it's a brilliant feeling. But, especially against Cardiff, for the boys, it's brilliant."
A glance at the dugout during the clash with the Bluebirds will have filled the Jack Army with hope for the months ahead. Joe Allen, Joel Piroe, Ryan Manning and Jamie Paterson were all unavailable to face Cardiff while others including Liam Walsh, Brandon Cooper and Nathanael Ogbeta also watched on from the sidelines.
With only five matches to go prior to the World Cup break in November, Benda believes Swansea are well placed to maintain their current form and keep facing each challenge that lies ahead on a game-by-game basis.
"The ones who were injured, they kept supporting us so for the team as a whole, it's great," he explained. "We're one big team and the whole club needs to stick together. I think the lads have shown that. When you stick together you can achieve a lot.
"I think for us, there's five games left until the international break, we need to just keep taking it game by game and seeing how many more wins we can get.
"We've got a good squad now and a lot of players who can come in and perform for the team. We just need to keep resting and keep performing."
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