Freddie Woodman reveals the secret behind the stats that see the Newcastle United loan player leading the way in the Championship

From his 11 second tier appearances so far this season, England youth international Woodman has managed six clean sheets for Swansea City.

Only Middlesbrough have conceded fewer goals than the Swans’ seven in 2020/21.

Woodman, in his second season on loan in south Wales, is closing in on a Swansea record of his own with no keeper recording four home clean sheets on the bounce since 2005. Swansea take on Tony Pulis’ Sheffield Wednesday at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday.

So what’s the secret to his success?

“We do an awful lot of work defensively, on our shape, on defending set-pieces,” said Woodman.

"Marge (Martyn Margetson) came in last season and changed things up a bit.

“I think we're doing really well with them at the moment. Obviously, this league can give you those challenges with the aerial threat. But we have dealt with them, and we need to keep doing that.”

Woodman is at the stage in his career where games are essential – hence why United allowed him to return to the Liberty after a successful loan spell last season.

While the 23-year-old, Croydon-born keeper’s future has been uncertain at United in recent years, a new three-year deal with an option of a fourth put that talk to an end.

Martin Dubravka, Karl Darlow and now Mark Gillespie all stand in Woodman’s way at United at present, but he feels he is in the perfect ‘learning environment’ before his St James’s Park return.

“We go into any game wanting to show what we can do with the ball, but you have to be able to do the other side of things too because this game is about what happens in both boxes, not just one,” he said speaking to the Swansea official website.

“It's obviously important in this league. I think the boys have got a really good attitude towards it and you have seen guys making the effort to be there to make key clearances.

“Even when we're watching other games, the lads are always saying ‘this team do this differently, this team do that differently’. It's a learning environment, which is good.”