Swansea City's loan striker Darryl Duffy is ready to fire the Swans into the play-offs. Having served his 'apprenticeship' on the bench following his loan move from Hull City last month, the former Rangers striker was 'hired' rather than 'fired' when he bagged a double on his first start in a Swans shirt against Port Vale a fortnight ago.
Having waited patiently for his chance, he didn't disappoint as the Liberty Stadium crowd were treated to two classy strikes that highlighted why Swans boss Roberto Martinez was quick to make him his first signing when Adebayo Akinfenwa was cruelly ruled out with a broken leg.
With Rory Fallon having departed to Plymouth in a £300,000 deal, it left the Swans with just two experienced strikers in Lee Trundle and Pawel Abbott, plus highly-rated 17-year-old Chris Jones.
But rather than push Duffy straight into the firing line, Roberto kept his nerve and his patience to make sure the striker was fully acclimatised and comfortable with the Swansea City way.
And having opened his account in the 3-0 win against Port Vale and helped the Swans stage a remarkable comeback in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, the 23-year-old is determined to continue his football education by scoring the goals that fire the Swans into the play-offs and beyond.
It will also add another chapter to an already diverse career that has taken him from Scotland to England and now Wales.
Born in Glasgow to a Scottish father and English mother, Duffy grew up in nearby Paisley playing football from the age of eight with his local boys' club.
Celtic were the first to spot his potential when they snapped him up as a 13-year-old.

"It was a time of mixed emotions for the family,'' joked Duffy. "Me and my father were big Rangers fans, along with most of my immediate family, so it didn't go down too well!''
But Duffy only had the silent treatment at family functions for a year before he became a real family favourite when he switched allegiances.
"We played Rangers in my first season at Celtic and I scored two against them,'' he added. "I went on to score 90 goals in 50 games that season and Rangers came calling.
"At 14 there weren't any rules to stop me moving at the time, so I took up Rangers' offer. At least all the family started to talk to me again!''
Duffy impressed the Scottish giants enough for them to offer him a two-year apprenticeship at 16 before a two-year pro contract followed at 18.
But competition was such at Rangers that Duffy only made three substitute appearances - including a Champions League game against Panathinaikos.
During the last six months of his pro contract and with first team opportunities still limited, he went on loan to BrechinCity having made up his mind to leave Rangers in search of regular football.
His potency in front of goal was highlighted again when he bagged four goals only to break his ankle in his eighth game and bring a premature end to his season.
It left the 20-year-old in limbo. Having made the brave decision to quit Rangers, he faced a summer of uncertainty.
"I had to keep asking myself: 'would a club take a chance on someone with a broken ankle and limited first team experience?'
Fortunately for Duffy, Falkirk came calling. He didn't let them down, on or off the field.

He eventually bagged an impressive 27 goals in 55 starts before Hull City swooped with a £250,000 offer in January 2006 that the Scottish club couldn't turn down.
But the young striker left Falkirk with a parting gift that came as a breath of fresh air in today's cash crazy game by donating his £25,000 signing on fee to the club's youth academy.
"My girlfriend wasn't too thrilled,'' he joked, "but I felt it was the right thing to do.
"When I was looking for a club in the summer, Falkirk came in and took a chance on me and my broken ankle.
"They gave me the opportunity to express myself on the pitch and I will be eternally grateful to them for that.
"I did repay them with plenty of goals and promotion, but I felt that giving them the money was the only decent thing to do.
"Money is tight in Scotland, so while it wasn't a huge amount, every little helps. Hopefully it made a difference because I had a fantastic relationship with the manager and the club in general. They were absolutely brilliant with me and I've still got some good friends up there.
"They still invite me to their games when I go back and it will always be a special place for me.''

At Hull, however, Duffy has found the step up to the Championship frustrating after being restricted to the substitutes bench.
Having made five League starts and 10 from the bench last season with three goals, the trend continued for the new campaign as he managed to add just four more League starts to his tally and five as substitute.
It prompted the Scotland Under-21 and B international to go in search of regular football again on loan at Hartlepool where he scored five goals in 10 League starts for the League Two side.
And having had the taste again for regular football and the thrill of hitting the back of the net, it wasn't quite the same returning to bench duty at Hull and he jumped at the chance of joining Swansea on loan after taking some words of advice from Tigers' team-mate and former Swan, Sam Ricketts - and finding a dog sitter!
"Sam spoke very highly of Swansea,'' added Duffy who took the former Swans defender out to lunch in Mumbles to thank him for his reassuring words when he was down on Wales duty recently.
As for the dog-sitting, well that's a long-running joke within the Swans dressing room.
"I've got a little Lasapio,'' laughed Duffy. "It's far from a bulldog, but it's not a handbag job either!
"When I had the call to come to Swansea, I didn't know what to do with the dog. My girlfriend was away on holiday in Tenerife and I was left looking after it on my own.''

While his team-mates still reckon his move to Swansea came close to collapsing because his dog wouldn't relocate, Duffy can see the funny side of it.
"The staff in the Swans office were desperately looking for a hotel for me that took dogs. They were even offering to look after it for me. But in the end I got something sorted and the dog travelled down with me.
"The only problem is, whenever I come into the stadium now nobody asks how I am, just how the dog is!''
While the dog settled in to its new surroundings, his owner had to be patient with bench duty against Northampton, Millwall and BristolCity. But he knew it was only a matter of time before his chance would come.
"It was a catch 22 situation,'' he explained. "Naturally I wanted to play from the start, but the boys were doing well and I didn't want them to have a bad game for me to come in.
"I didn't have any complaints and I knew I had to be patient, but I didn't mind too much as I was really enjoying my time at the club.
"Swansea is a great place to live; the stadium is fantastic and the playing surface is great.
"The players are also a great bunch who made me feel really welcome as soon as I walked through the door. In fact, everyone at the club has been superb.
"As for the football, the Gaffer and his assistant Graeme Jones really know their stuff. The training is always varied, which isn't always the case at some clubs. I've been to some places where you can go in each day and know exactly what you'll be doing before you even start.''

But the waiting game paid off as Duffy was giving his chance against Port Vale with his first start in a Swans shirt. And he grabbed it with both feet as his two-goal tally helped his new team to a 3-0 victory that kept their play-off hopes alive.
"It's hard sometimes to settle in to a new club until you get to know the boys, the staff, the area and the style of football that the team plays. They've also got to get used to you.
"Looking back, perhaps that's why the management didn't throw me straight in.''
The decision certainly looked a good one, as Roberto Martinez explained: "We knew what Darryl was about when we brought him into the club. We needed to assess him and he had to see what type of football club we are.
"He wasn't ready to play before - we don't want to put players in a pressure position when they join a club - but we know what kind of player we have got.
"He's played his part in recent weeks when he's come on at Millwall and BristolCity, but he's had enough time to settle down and work with us.
"I think it was the right time for him to have 90 minutes under his belt against Port Vale, and he's showed his worth to the Liberty Stadium crowd.
"He looked hungry, he looked ready and he showed his quality with the goals he scored. You could see on his face that he was dying to get the third goal, but I was really pleased with him.''

Now Duffy wants to reap more praise from his new boss by bagging a few more goals in the final three League games to take the Swans into the play-offs and the Championship.
"Having got in the team against Port Vale and Bournemouth, now I need to keep myself in there,'' added Duffy.
"The best way I can do that is by scoring goals. I'm paid to score goals and I'm proud of my record. That's what I'll be judged on at the end of the day.
"I was delighted to score the two goals against Port Vale, but I'm my own worst critic and I know I should have definitely had three.
"While I always analyze my own performance thoroughly, the important thing was for the team to get the three points. If I can get a few more goals along the way then it will be a bonus.
"With the season coming to a climax, every game seems bigger than the previous one and whether you are playing a team at the top or bottom it's a cup final. The manager has made it quite clear that if we don't get into the play-offs then it's nine months of hard work out of the window.''
With three games to go and three wins needed, Duffy knows there's no better time to extend his impressive goalscoring record.