Kyle Naughton | This community will always have a special place in my heart
Kyle Naughton says Swansea City will always have a special place in his heart as the defender prepares to bring down the curtain on his career with the club.
The 36-year-old has been with the Swans for over 10 years, making over 300 appearances, helping the club to a top-eight Premier League finish, two play-off runs and two south Wales derby doubles.
Naughton, who has yet to decide definitively if he will retire for good following Saturday’s game against Oxford United, acknowledges he could never have imagined spending a decade in SA1 when he arrived from Tottenham during January 2015.
But the Sheffield-born full-back admits Swansea has very much become a home away from home for him and his family, and that the choice to bring an end to his time with the club has been a very difficult one to make.
“It’s a very emotional week, all the family are coming down for the game. They say time flies when you are having fun, and it has gone so quick,” said Naughton.
“It has been very difficult in some ways, but in other ways not so difficult because I think in football you have a way of knowing your time is up somewhere. That’s how it goes.
“But I have been here 10 years and I feel like I have been part of the family and part of the community. That’s a feeling I will keep forever, from playing for this club.
“With football you don’t think too far ahead. When I joined, I did not have much thought of how long I would be here because you have your length of contract and you play towards that.
“But one thing I can say is I have been glad I have been here for 10 years, me and my family have absolutely loved it and it will have a place in our hearts forever.
“I have met so many people who I know if I came back here in 10 years’ time, there would always be someone here I could call upon and that’s a special thing you don’t get at every club.”
Inevitably, Naughton’s decade in black and white has seen its share of highs and lows; from claiming Premier League scalps, to relegation, play-off successes and disappointments, and derby day delights.
Through all those ups and downs, it is the backing of the club’s supporters and the difference they can make that stands out for the veteran.
“I have had good and bad times, it’s not all been plain sailing,” he said.
“We have had a relegation, we have had near misses in the play-offs.
“But one thing I can say is that when things are going well here the fans do really get behind you, and they don’t realise how much that helps.
“When they turn up in numbers and they are shouting it does really give you a kick and help out.”
And what of the highlights of his time in south Wales?
Naughton’s first Swans goal – a vital strike in a win over Sunderland that helped secure Premier League survival – stands out, as does that top-half top-flight finish of 2015.
And, then of course, there is that south Wales derby “double doube”.
But not all of Naughton’s highlights revolve around life on the pitch.
“In terms of highlights, finishing eighth in the Premier League was definitely one and I hope that those sorts of experiences are ones the club will have again,” said Naughton.
“The goal against Sunderland to help us stay up was another good one.
“Doing the double in the derby meant a lot, beating them lot down the road just once is a good feeling, but to do it twice and make history was really nice.
“Doing the double again the next season, that was pretty cool.
“But it’s not always about football on the pitch though, I have met some amazing people and made friends for life.
“My kids have been raised here, and those are all big things for me.
“It’s not just about football when you play for Swansea City, it’s about the community as well.”