The Bath-born winger came through the Bristol Rovers youth system before signing for Chelsea in 2005.
During his time in London he made just five appearances for the Blues but got valuable first team experience during loan moves to the likes of Plymouth Argyle, QPR, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic.
His move to the capital coincided with his involvement in the England development teams, beginning with the U17s in 2005, where he made his debut against Luxembourg in a UEFA mini tournament.
He went on to appear at U18, U19 and U20 levels.
In August 2010, he signed for Swansea for £500,000 and quickly proved his worth helping them to reach the Premier League via the Championship Play-Off in May 2011