A PREMIER League footballer has told of how the criticism he faced when playing for Hereford United spurred him on to greater things.

Sam Clucas is now a familiar face to Match of the Day viewers having secured a £15million move from Hull City to Swansea City last summer.

But, back in 2011, the midfielder faced more than a couple of critics when he was learning his trade at Edgar Street.

And, in an interview with The Guardian on Saturday, Clucas explained how he would look at fans' forums to see what the Hereford supporters thought of his performances for the then Conference side.

Clucas said: "You would see people saying: ‘He’s the worst player we’ve ever signed.’

"There was one – I actually took a screenshot of it on my phone – who wrote: ‘If he ever plays higher than League Two, I’ll eat my hat.’

"That’s one that always sticks in my head.”

But Clucas did go on to play a lot higher than League Two after impressing at Mansfield Town and Chesterfield before getting a big move to Hull in 2015.

And the footballer admits that these days he takes a different approach to the internet and social media.

“I used to be one of those players that types his name and sees what people are saying but it does get you down at times," he said.

"So I thought to myself that I had to block it out because it was getting to the point where I was losing confidence going into games, thinking I was going to get slated.

"Now I’ve turned all my Twitter notifications off, so if I have a bad game I don’t see: ‘Clucas was rubbish, get out of my club.’

“Fans are obviously trying to vent their frustration but they don’t realise the knock-on effect it has.

"And obviously if that player is going to a game not full of confidence, it has a knock-on effect to the team.

"It’s the most frustrating part of being a footballer because, to be honest, it’s hard to bite your tongue at times.

"Some of the tweets, I think: ‘I wouldn’t say that to anybody.’ So if you’re going to be on social media, you’ve got to develop a thick skin, because it can be a vicious place.”