The Wales international produced a spectacular moment in Swansea’s 2-0 victory over Stoke City at the Swansea.com Stadium, with an extraordinary strike from around 50 yards that sailed over the stranded goalkeeper.
It was an instinctive flash of brilliance that underlined Cullen’s growing reputation as a player capable of inspired contributions.
“To be honest, once it came to me, there was only really one thing in my mind,” said Cullen.
“It was out on my feet nicely, and I just was always going to hit it.
“I had 15,000 fans and about eight of the lads shouting shoot. I just knew I had to get a clean connection on it and that's what I did.
“It seemed like it took forever to go in, but it was a really nice feeling when it did.”
Cullen’s strike capped another positive afternoon for Swansea, whose impressive home form has become a foundation of their recent improvement under head coach Vitor Matos.
The Swans have now gone 10 home matches unbeaten, conceding just four goals in that run.
If their away form had been only half as impressive, they would be right among the play-off contenders, rather than mid-table.
“I think our home form speaks for itself - four goals conceded in the last 10 unbeaten, added Cullen.
“Obviously, our away form hasn't been where we want it to be. But we're working as hard as we can to change that.”
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Four days before the Stoke victory, it was Cullen who had again come off the bench to head a wonderful equaliser to salvage a point at home to Preston.
While his latest goal highlighted his ability to make a decisive impact, the Wales midfielder’s role this season has often been as a substitute — something he accepts as part of modern squad management even if it brings mixed emotions.
Unlike Wales manager Craig Belllamy – who likes to employ Cullen in a midfield role – Matos tends to view Cullen as a striker.
With clubmate Zan Vipotnik – scorer of the Swans’ opening goal against Stoke – the Championship’s top scorer with 17 league goals this season, it means Cullen often has to make his impact from off the bench.
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“I think everyone wants to play, don't they?” he admitted.
“When you're not playing, you are frustrated, but you've got to channel that in the right direction.”
Rather than allowing that frustration to affect him negatively, Cullen believes experience has helped him handle the situation and continue contributing to the squad in different ways.
“Having the experience that I have now, I think if I'm not in the team, I'll be frustrated, but I'll give everything to the lads that are playing on the match day.
“I'll do everything I can to make it tough for them on the Friday in training to prepare them as best as I can. And then I give them all the encouragement in the world going into the game on the match day.”
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When he does step onto the pitch, Cullen’s objective is clear: influence the match immediately.
“When I come on the pitch, I have got to try and show my quality, impact the game, and do what I can to help the team win.”
Beyond club matters, Cullen’s form could also be timely for Wales as they prepare for their crunch World Cup play-off clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 26.
For Cullen, the challenge is to maintain sharpness and fitness while Swansea continue their push up the table.
“It’s a really, really big month. Obviously, we've got a few more games to concentrate on with Swansea.
“We want to push up the table as high as we can and pick up as many points as we can. So it's full focus on that at the minute.
“But with the games being so big at the end of the month, you can't help but think about them.
“And it's just about staying as fit as I can, being as ready as I can to go into that camp as fresh as possible.”
