Swans duo aim to join Wales list

It has not happened since Neil Taylor left the Liberty Stadium for Aston Villa in January 2017.

But tomorrow in the Chinese city of Nanning, the likelihood is that a Swansea City player will once again be capped by Wales.

And in fact, after a significant spell without one, there could be two Swans stepping on to the pitch in Welsh colours when the national team play their first game under new manager Ryan Giggs.

Andy King, who has 44 caps to his name already, looks a strong contender to feature in midfield as Wales take on the hosts in their first game at the China Cup.

And young full-back Connor Roberts will hope his first involvement with the Welsh senior squad will also bring him a maiden appearance at the highest level.

Should they both feature – whether it is against China tomorrow or in the second game of the competition, which will be against either Uruguay or Czech Republic on Sunday – King and Roberts will stretch the list of players who have been capped by Wales while on the Swans’ books to 69.

Ivor Jones, Billy Hole, Jack Fowler and Willie Davies were among the early Welsh international Swans in the 1920s.

Then came the likes of Sid Lawrence and Jack Warner in the 1930s, before the post-war years saw the rise of a famous generation of Swans who would thrive with Wales.

Mel Charles and the Allchurch brothers all went to the 1958 World Cup while playing their club football at Vetch Field.

They were joined in Sweden by Cliff Jones and Terry Medwin, two players who had left SA1 by that stage but were Swansea products who had played for their country while still at their hometown club.

The 1960s saw the likes of Barrie Hole, Barrie Jones and Mel Nurse win Wales caps while they were on the Swans’ books.

The 1970s and early 1980s brought another wave of top-class Welsh stars to the Swans, including Alan Curtis, Robbie James, Dai Davies, Leighton James and Jeremy Charles.

A little further down the line, the likes of Colin Pascoe, Andy Melville, Steve Jenkins, Jason Bowen and Christian Edwards would represent Wales while at Swansea, while Roger Freestone was a popular winner of a solitary cap in 2000.

Since then, there has been a steady flow of Welsh international Swans, with the likes of Sam Ricketts, David Cotterill, Owain Tudur Jones, Shaun MacDonald and Jazz Richards joining the list along with star names Joe Allen, Ben Davies and long-time skipper Ashley Williams.

Now, after a spell in which the Swans were short on senior Welsh players, King and Roberts are set to get the ball rolling again.