 After recovering from hernia surgery early in the 2011–12 season, he partnered Jonathan Spector in a solid midfield supporting two attacking wide players.Later in the season, he played a defensive support role alongside the more attacking Jordon Mutch, and manager Chris Hughton suggested he was "enjoying playing in that central role and he's enjoying the development he's had there all season".When he suffered a groin problem that caused him to miss the last few weeks of the season, Hughton called it "a real blow for us ... because he's a player that has been in really good form".