Stephen Dobbie admits he is back at the gym relishing the prospect of Manchester City on the opening day

The Swansea City man shakes his head with disbelief when he sees the first three away games of Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea as he finally prepares for his crack at the Premier League.

And he revealed that life in South Wales has changed the way he does things from his days up in Scotland with Queen of the South.

Speaking to the Western Mail, Dobbie said “Going to Manchester City on the opening day is just unbelievable. Our first three away games are them, Chelsea and Arsenal.

“And, after hearing that, I just want to get back to work, get started and be ready for the new campaign.

“But I could never have imagined – especially when I was at Queen of the South and Dumbarton – I’d be preparing to line up against Manchester City.

“I’ve worked so hard to get here and I’m now relishing it.

“I’ve lost just over two stone since my days at Queen of the South. I’ve put in a lot of time at the gym and moving away from home has helped,” he said.

“Down here it’s just myself, my wife Susanne and my wee boy Jack. I had afternoons and nights to myself when I was at Queens so I’d go for a game of golf and have a few beers with the boys.

“But, being at Swansea, the boys here are conscious of doing gym work every day. I’ve bought into that and it has worked for me.

“There’s stuff I used to eat that I wouldn’t touch now.

“I used to drive home from Queen of the South and stop at the McDonald’s and get a take-away.

“Now my time is dedicated to an extra hour in the gym or taking my son to swimming or soft-play.

“My last season at Queens was make or break for me,” he said. “I had to do the business to try and get to a higher level or I knew I’d be stuck in the Scottish First Division.

“Thankfully I got my head around it and scored some goals. The right people were watching and it has escalated from there.

“If I didn’t change my lifestyle I wouldn’t be about to play in the Premiership next season.

“In fact, at the weight I was, I wouldn’t have got anywhere near the Championship.

“But I’d like to think I’ve now shown I’m good enough to play at Premiership level.”

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