Swansea striker Darryl Duffy is determined to enjoy his surprise recall to the team
There were big hopes of Duffy this season after a big money move last summer followed a successful loan spell at the Liberty at the end of last season. He was pinpointed as the man likely to replace Lee Trundle at the top of the goalscoring charts but just two goals later and it seemed his Swansea career would be a short one. Rumours of a January move never materialised into facts and Duffy now looks set to get a second successive start at Southend on Friday.
And the player admits that it has been tough for him this season - so often he has even failed to make the bench - as he has watched his team mates go from strength to strength in opening up a nine point advantage at the top of the table. Fellow striker Jason Scotland has passed the 25-goal barrier - more than Trundle ever managed - and Duffy has even seen himself outscored by Guillem Bauza and Warren Feeney to boot as well as several of the midfield. But he thinks some of that may now be behind him and he is looking to trying to retain his position in the starting line-up as the Swans head into their final 9 games of the season.
“I felt quite sharp despite not playing many games and I want to kick on from here,” said Duffy in today's Western Mail.
“Hopefully I can have a similar sort of impact to last season. There were about eight or nine games to go when I joined last season and I scored a few goals.
“There’s about the same amount of games left now and it would be great if the same thing happened again.
“I won’t lie, my confidence has been low,” he said. “I haven’t started too many games and that’s been really disappointing for me.
“It’s really difficult to train constantly and know you’re not going to play games at the end of it.
“There are so many words – angry, frustrated, disappointed – to describe that feeling.
“It’s tough, but you just need to get your head down and train as hard as you can.
“Sometimes I’ve been like a bear with a sore head and I’ve probably not been the best of people to be around.
“But it would be a bad thing if I was coming out of training happy and bubbling knowing that I wouldn’t be playing.
“I’m happy with my reaction, but it’s up to the manager which team he picks.
“I’ve been chomping at the bit to play and hopefully I can get a run in the team and a few goals and build that confidence up again."