St Johnstone fans will not be surprised to hear that Danny Swanson believes he is playing the best football of his career.
The Perth playmaker has enjoyed purple patches at Dundee United and Peterborough United but it is the game after game consistency of his start to this campaign with Saints that marks it out from all the rest.
“I think this is probably the best form I’ve been in,” Swanson said. “It’s definitely the best for goals.
“I think I’ve added consistency to my game now and that’s massive.
“I’m getting on a bit now but I think I’m coming into my peak years.
“You will have bad games but I think I’ve played to a decent level all season so far, but I have to continue with that.
“The gaffer is great with me. He just tells me to enjoy it and lets me play.
“My fitness is good, I got a full pre-season under me for the first time in a long time and that’s massive.
“I’ve missed the summer work in the past, when I was at Dundee United, and you really do feel it.
“This year I’m fit and you can see that in the way I’m playing.
“I just enjoy it here, I like coming in on a Friday knowing there’s a game the next day and we’re doing well.
“The dressing-room here is great. It’s up there with the best.
“There’s not as much mucking about but I think that’s because we have an older, more experienced team.
“But I’ve said it before, we might not be the most talented team in the league but we work for each other and that’s what you need.
“You know everyone is in for each other when you’re on the pitch and that’s the way it should be.”
If judging performance levels is subjective, goal scoring statistics are there in black and white.
On that front there is no argument that Tommy Wright is getting the best out of Swanson, who has found the net eight times already.
“I started the season wanting to score 10 goals so now I have moved that to 15,” he said.
“I’m going into games confident that I’m going to score or at least get an assist.
“I have had quite a few assists as well, which is important because that’s what I’m there to do as well.
“The boys around me deserve as much credit as I’m getting though because they work harder defensively for me.
“I work hard, but I don’t work as hard as them tracking back and that has been a big help to me.
“They have given me the platform to play when I have the ball and hurt teams.”
Swanson’s contract will run out in the summer but the 29-year-old doesn’t believe there is any need to rush talks over an extended deal.
“I have spoken to the gaffer a few times but we’ve not discussed numbers or anything,” he reported.
“It’s on the back burner at the moment, I’m just concentrating on the football.
“I’m happy where I am. I don’t like change so I just want to stay focused on the football.
“I know what I’m doing at the moment, I don’t like worrying about other things.
“So I’m just training away and it will take care of itself.”
Swanson’s best years may still be in front of him, but he admitted to being conscious of the speed at which a career passes by.
“It has just gone really fast,” he said. “I can’t believe it.
“I was listening to an interview with Gary Neville the other night and he was talking about that.
“I feel I’ve done well in my career, but it does disappear in a flash.
“It just feels like yesterday when I was at Dundee United as a young boy with David Goodwillie, Johnny Russell and the boys there.
“I’m fit and just want to keep that way to prolong things as much as possible.”
Saints face two bottom six teams at home in their next fixtures – Kilmarnock and Dundee – and Swanson is keen that they continue the form shown before the international break.
“It has been a good start to the season,” he said. “We have been consistent and we’re up there in the top five teams in the league.
“We have played a lot of tough games but they’re all difficult in this league. Kilmarnock will come here expecting to beat us because everyone can beat everyone .
“Our record against the top teams has been better than against the teams in the bottom six lately so we need to sort that out.”
