Another weekend gone and if you are a Swansea fan another great result which sees you to continue to inch up the Championship towards a play-offs spot. The win for the side from Wales moves them to within two points of a play-0ff spot as we get into the business end of the season. However it was not so long ago that Swansea were close to going out of the football league and going out of business full stop. So can the club once sold for a £1 better Hull City by going from League Two relegation candidates in 2003 to a Premier League side six years later.

If you had been a Swansea fan you won’t have had too much to cheer about since the Swans glory days back in the early 1980′s when the side beat the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal and even played in the Uefa Cup Winners Cup. However since then it has been a slippery slide down the football league, culminating in the 2002-03 season when survival as a football league side was not guaranteed until the final day of the season. Ironically it was a 4-2 victory over Hull on the last day at Vetch Field which kept the side in the division and saved the club as a whole.

Since then though the only way has been up for the Swans and now as one of the form sides in the Championship are they about to return to the top flight of English? Well they certainly have one of the best young managers in British football, perhaps even in Europe, at the helm with Roberto Martinez currently in charge. Martinez took over in 2007 and in his first full season in charge managed to get his side promoted as champions from League One.

Swansea have gone from strength to strength since then and have flown up the Championship table to join rivals Cardiff in the football betting as both sides  hunt for promotion. Martinez has assembled a useful little side since arriving with Jason Scotland one of the stand out performers with his goals whilst on loan Jordi Gomez has become a firm favourite with the fans this season along with the likes of Leon Britton, Darren Pratley and Mark Gower.

The Welsh club have lost just one game at the Liberty Stadium all season and are beginning to hit a good run of form at about the right time, which has been coupled with a good run in the FA Cup. Swansea will receive a good test on Saturday when they face Fulham at home in the FA Cup and it could go along way to measuring whether they could cut it in the Premier League.

It was certainly an impressive showing when they beat the cup holders Portsmouth in the last round and they would certainly love to repeat Cardiff’s achievement last year, perhaps going one better, by reaching Wembley. However I imagine that they would rather be there in the play-off final later on in May.

Swansea’s football odds have been slashed greatly since they embarked on their recent run of good form and their would certainly be a few eyebrows raised if Martinez’s side were able to achieve promotion, especially given the short period of time since their near demise. Whilst it may not be as remarkable as Hull achieving promotion to the top flight for their first time in history it would be a fairy tale in itself to see Swansea back in the top flight.

Newly promoted Swansea City couldn’t have picked a better time to ascend into the Championship.

The Welsh club was a penalty kick away from being promoted to the league in May 2006, but Barnsley walked away victors that day in Cardiff.

In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise for Swansea. The South Wales club now features one of the best sides Swansea has ever seen, which is heavily influenced by La Liga thanks to Swansea’s Spanish manager Roberto Martinez, formerly a player with Real Zaragoza, Wigan and Swansea City.

The Spanish influence doesn’t stop there. The style of play that the team employs is a traditional Spanish variety with lots of passing ball on the floor rather than hoofing them up the field, as well as an attacking style of play that is better suited for the Premier League than the old fashioned Championship.

Swansea’s squad is far stronger today than it was in 2006. The team now features six Spanish players: Andrea Orlandi (midfielder formerly with Barcelona and Alaves), Jordi Gomez (midfielder formerly with Espanyol), Gorka Pintado (striker formerly with Spanish side Granada), Angel Rangel (defender formerly with Spanish side Terrassa), Guillem Bauza (striker formerly with Espanyol) and Albert Serran (defender formerly with Espanyol).

It’s no wonder then that Swansea chose to play several friendlies the past two weeks in Spain to prepare for the grueling Championship season. The tour included a 3-3 draw against the Barcelona B side, a 4-0 loss to Espanyol, a 1-0 win against Palamos and a 2-0 win against Peralada.

The Spanish influence at Swansea is just one element of their success thus far. The biggest question mark about the Swans is that of experience. Can a Spanish style of play overcome the lack of experience in the fourth biggest league in the world? We’ll just have to wait and see.