Swans boss Martin praises calmness of keeper Hamer

Russell Martin praised the calmness of goalkeeper Ben Hamer after he kept another clean sheet at the Swansea.com Stadium.

The Swans were held to a draw by Millwall this evening, marking the keeper’s second clean sheet in as many league appearances; leading the head coach to praise the poise shown by the former Leicester, Huddersfield and Charlton man.

Hamer had to wait patiently behind team-mate Steven Benda at the start of the season, but has taken his opportunity to make an impact as a starter in his stride.

And Martin made special note of his ball-playing ability, given its importance in how he wants Swansea to play.

“Ben’s done great, he’s done really well,” said Martin. “I think he’s used the ball brilliantly.

“He’s got an air of calm around him, Ben, an air of assurance and confidence that I think has really helped the team, and I felt that was needed at this time.

“As I said, I think Steven [Benda] did brilliantly in taking on such a big responsibility, and you can see how big a responsibility the goalkeeper has in our team.

“And Ben’s come in and done really, really well, and it’s a great battle to have.

“It’s four clean sheets in seven games, we are hard to play against, first and foremost, and we have to maintain that.

“If we maintain the threat that we had and keep creating chances at the top end of the pitch it’s going to be nice when it all comes together.”