Further proof if it was needed that the flexibility of youth can reap rewards came when the starting Swansea City eleven was the youngest in the championship this weekend. Russell Martin has slowly assembled a team resembling something along the lines of a side that can understand and implement his long term strategy for the swans.

The swans boss isn’t that keen on signing the more established player, even last season when Ethan Laird and Manchester United made an absurd career decision to terminate his time at Swansea. Then Cyrus Christie, now thirty appeared as a replacement that was more enforced as a result of Laird leaving. Finding quality youngsters to replace an older player is incredibly difficult at any point of the season. Eyebrows were raised as well when Jake Bidwell now twenty nine left for Coventry, and Ben Hamer found out at thirty four he will be replaced by more youthful goalkeepers. Bidwell looked comfortable in his position at Swansea and scored the odd goal as well.

It’s obvious the more flexible and open minded player will always find a place in Martin’s thinking, Andrew Fisher at twenty four and Harry Darling at twenty three are satisfactory signings overall, the latter showing his competency and belief on Saturday. It’s easy to reference Joe Allen at this point, however he is an anomaly, we don’t have to go in to all the reasons why he is now at Swansea, that’s obvious. His addition is as much about experience off the pitch as we hope it will be on it.

Of course younger players from higher placed clubs will feature on loan, Luke Cundle is twenty and looks a wonderful footballer. Armstrong Oko-Flex, twenty along with Fin Stevens, nineteen, are all premier league prospects. The former in Cundle possibly looking the most valuable loan signing so far this season.

We know the swans cut their cloth accordingly so there has to be a form of acknowledgement that certain players are out of reach. Allen only signed when he did because Flynn Downes, still only twenty three was snapped up by West Ham - a rare reverse in signing young players. Yes of course it’s a generalisation regards age, but Ben Cabango is only twenty two, Nathan Wood is twenty and Matt Sorinola at twenty one compliment old head Kyle Naughton at the back.

Most of the time anyway.

The emergence of Oli Cooper now twenty two was to an extent expected, a versatile and competent player who has reaped the rewards of being loaned out by the swans. For now he will be ahead of the complicated Jamie Paterson who has gone from a wise older signing last season to a conundrum this time around.

Let’s look at the rest of the side that started for Swansea on Saturday. Joel Latibeaudiere is twenty two, Steven Benda, twenty four, Jay Fulton an old head at twenty eight and Matt Grimes, twenty seven have been at the club for years and Ryan Manning at twenty six is a pre Martin signing. Michael Obafemi is twenty two and Joel Piroe is twenty three. Olivier Ntcham is twenty six but came on as a substitute on Saturday. That puts the swans in a unique position of starting with the youngest average age starting eleven on Saturday of just over 23.7 years.

Young minds come with numerous and challenging issues to manage for Russell Martin, a coach who is only in his mid thirties himself. He too, by his own admission is still learning but it’s more than evident his long term objective at Swansea is to manufacture a competitive side that relies more on youth than experience. No side can function overall without the experience of the likes of Grimes or Ntcham, especially Allen and Naughton - and the re-emergence of Jay Fulton has been nothing short of a superb effort by him to never give up. Irrespective of the position with the manager for many months last year.

For this to come to fruition after four wins on the trot and an upturn in performance over the last five weeks is even more exciting for the club. Ahead we see even more challenging games this month, especially the pressure cooker game against Cardiff City, and then away the week after at Bristol City. These will be tests for all of the swans young footballers, and they won’t pass them all that’s for sure. There will be further hiccups before the World Cup starts and more questions to be asked, but really that’s good. Those questions will only be referencing why the swans haven’t performed as they have to date, and they will come. But that will be as a result of the fine form we now see the club in. And that’s really what we have been looking for since Russell Martin came to the club.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

ReslovenSwan1 added 14:23 - Oct 10 Oli Cooper was looking like a forgotten player under Cooper 21 and never played a senior game. 45 game at Newport Co was great for him but from 17-21 he never had a kick. Martin is starting to use the "dirty dozen" in the first team. 19-23 year olds who did not play under Cooper. Benda, Latibeaudiere, Cabango, Cooper. Whittaker, Joseph, Garrick, Webb progressing on loan. Rushesha injured. McFadyan, Ogbeta, Josh Thomas playing well at u21.

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