On Thursday (December 21) I issued an update to supporters regarding the head coach recruitment process. You can read it in full HERE.
I thoroughly acknowledge and share the frustration that many of you are feeling, but I want to reiterate just how important it is to get the right individual for Swansea City.
Alan Sheehan will continue to lead the team for the games against Preston and Southampton and he has done an excellent job in challenging circumstances. While we didn’t get the result we wanted last time out against Middlesbrough, there were important signs of progress from the squad that are very encouraging.
With Christmas just three days away, the club has once again been extremely active in our community this festive season.
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to make a visit to the children’s ward at Morriston Hospital as club ambassador Lee Trundle joined men’s players Joe Allen, Jerry Yates and Harry Darling, and women’s players Sophie Brisland-Hancocks, Stacey John-Davis and Jess Williams to put a smile on children’s faces.
The players also donated money in order to refurnish the hospital’s quiet room, which is used as respite for families with seriously ill children, while they also donated a PS5 to the playroom.
As is tradition, we also had first-team players attend the Disabled Supporters’ Association (DSA) Christmas Party, while former players Lee Trundle, Angel Rangel, Vic Gomersall, Wyndham Evans and Alan Curtis hosted a Christmas quiz at the Swansea City AFC Foundation’s Cwtch Coffee Morning.
Elsewhere, club partners AMROC Heating, Eleven Sports Media, and the club joined together to provide tickets for families who use Sketty Foodbank. The tickets were delivered to the foodbank by Josh Key and Nathanael Ogbeta, with the players also met volunteers and helped to pack food parcels.
Mykola Kuharevich visited young Ukrainian Tymofii at his football training for Waunarlwydd Galaxy Under-13s and invited him and his teammates to be guard of honour for tonight’s game against Preston. Tymofii moved to Swansea from Kharkiv - Ukraine's second-largest city, which is located near the Russian border and was one of the early targets of Russian airstrikes - with his mum and younger brother in May 2022. We hope you enjoy the game, Tymofii.
Another annual club tradition is the Phil Lake Christmas Party, where all first-team players attended the Swansea.com Stadium to provide a party atmosphere and Christmas treat for local children.
The academy has also been extremely active this festive season, with the under-18s donating to the Samaritans’ shoebox appeal to provide gifts and essentials to children less fortunate, while the under-21 squad donated gifts to the Mr X appeal.
The work we do in our community is absolutely vital, especially at times like this, and the Swansea community is unique. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and thank you for your amazing support that you continue to give the club.
Enjoy the game,
Andy
Welcome to the Swansea.com Stadium for our Championship fixture against Preston North End.
This is our final home game of 2023 and we are keen to make sure we round off the calendar year with a positive result.
We felt we had an improved performance against Middlesbrough last time out. In fact, I felt we performed better on the day than we had in our away games against Rotherham and Stoke, and we were disappointed to end up with nothing to show for it.
I thought we counter-pressed really well, and we also attacked well with the ball. We carried a threat and we got forward in numbers.
I think the frustration for us was that we were not clinical enough in taking the chances we created. We had our opportunities to be at least a couple of goals to the good.
The players responded well after going behind, we scored a good goal to level it up and, for me, if we continue to play with the intensity and energy we showed in large parts of the game, we will pick up results.
We know our record at home has not been good enough so far this season, it’s an area we need to improve on over the second half of the season and a win would be a good place to start.
Preston will provide a different test for us, but it’s a challenge we have prepared well for and it will be a case of focusing on how we can cause them problems and win the game.
Off the pitch, I’m sure you will have seen the club’s Week of Giving campaign across our website and social media channels.
Swansea City has always had a reputation as a community club, and it has been great to see the impact the activities and visits from players in our men’s, women’s and academy teams have made to people within Swansea and the wider area.
Finally, I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are incredibly grateful for the support you give us home and away, and we hope you, your friends and families all enjoy the festive period.
Enjoy the game,
Alan
Good evening and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for our match against Preston.
For fans of a certain age games against Preston evoke recollections of two historic matches, memorable for contrasting reasons.
The 2-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat at Villa Park on March 14 1964, after being 1-0 up at half time – is the closest we have been to an FA Cup final.
Then there’s Deepdale on May 2 1981. Goals that day from Leighton James, Tommy Craig and Jeremy Charles secured a 3-1 win which clinched the club’s promotion to the top-flight of English football for the first time – completing a rise from the Fourth Division to the First Division in just four years.
Last Saturday saw an improved performance against Middlesborough, but ultimately a combination of missed chances and a defensive lapse cost us the game.
Games are coming thick and fast over the Christmas period with this match brought forward to allow players greater recovery time before the fixture at Southampton on Boxing Day. The Friday night before Christmas is traditionally a celebratory night out on the town, so here’s hoping we kick the evening off with something to celebrate on the pitch.
Off the pitch the focus has been on recruiting a new head coach. Such appointments do not happen overnight and, as frustrating as it may be, it is important the club takes the time to carry out due diligence to ensure the person we appoint is the right fit for the club going forward.
Patience will also be required over the course of the next month or so whilst long-term injury absentees return to full fitness, and any new recruits bed in with the squad.
It was therefore pleasing to see a number of our injured players turning out for our under-21s in a 0-0 draw with QPR this week, with Nathan Wood, Kristian Pedersen, Mykola Kuharevich, Nathan Broome and Nathanael Ogbeta all getting a decent amount of game time.
This past week has seen Swansea City’s ‘Christmas Week of Giving’ festivities appear on the club’s official website and social media channels, and the Trust was very pleased to contribute to this as part of our community engagement work.
We provided funding for the Cwtch Coffee Morning Christmas Treat, you can read more about that here.
The Cwtch Coffee Morning is a health and wellbeing catch-up hosted by the Swansea City AFC Foundation at the stadium every Tuesday for those in the local community who are most at risk of becoming isolated.
If you want to learn more about the work of the Trust please visit us at the Trust pod, next to the club shop, before any home match. You can also join the Trust online at: https://www.swanstrust.co.uk/join-the-trust/ . or alternatively, email us at: supporters@swanstrust.co.uk
Paul Meller
Swansea City AFC Foundation has been raising awareness of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign through their Premier League Kicks, Inspires and Primary Stars programmes.
Having launched in 2013, this year represents 10 years of Rainbow Laces and, over the decade, more than a million people have taken part in the campaign to support LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
The Foundation hosted two stadium days for their Premier League Inspires and Primary Stars schools, which involved Rainbow Laces workshops and competitions to design a rainbow-themed Swans kit and football boots.
“We chose to do a Rainbow Laces kit launch to get the young people thinking about how they can incorporate the campaign into topics and subjects they are familiar with,” said the Foundation’s Premier League Inspires coordinator, Matthew Jenkins.
“I was really impressed with the designs, it was nice to see them exercise their creativity. Giving them that blank canvas so they can come up with whatever they want to is a good way to engage them with a topic and issue they might not otherwise be aware of.
“It’s really important to support Rainbow Laces, with people in secondary schools in particular, because as soon as they started thinking about how they could use rainbow laces to design their kits it broke down a lot of barriers. Awareness and talking about these issues is really important."
Education manager at the Foundation, Ceri Phillips, added: “The pupils we work with on the Primary Stars project, we’re teaching them important things in the real world, and equality and inclusivity are fully part of that.
“It was nice to have some of the schools attend the stadium for the workshops and have a stadium tour, which was good to be able to offer them to inspire the children further."
Academy players Sam Seager and Jack Cooper also surprised primary school children at the Swansea.com Stadium, and took part in a question and answer session before signing pictures.
“It was brilliant to have Sam and Jack join us to inspire the next generation,” said Phillips.
“They were really engaging and supportive of what the Foundation is doing. They promoted the positive lifestyles which they lead, positive behaviours and all the hard work that it’s taken to get to where they are now as young scholars. They were a fantastic addition to the day for us.”
There were more creative designs on show at the Foundation’s Premier League Kicks session in Aberystwyth, where participants learned all about the importance of equality through a football boot design competition, with rainbow badges and laces up for grabs as prizes.
“We had a fantastic time in Aberystwyth and the kids have been really engaged in all our rainbow laces activities,” said Craig Richards, youth engagement manager at the Foundation.
“Football gives us a fantastic platform to support campaigns like Rainbow Laces. To combine the two together means the important messages we want to get across are received in the best way possible.”
Swansea City players, staff, supporters and partners have come together over the festive period to deliver a Christmas Week of Giving in the local community.
CHRISTMAS CHEER AT MORRISTON HOSPITAL
Swansea City men’s players Joe Allen, Harry Darling and Jerry Yates, women’s players Jess Williams, Stacey John-Davis, and Sophie Brisland-Hancocks, and club ambassador Lee Trundle, paid a visit to the patients on the children’s ward at Morriston Hospital as they marked the start of the club's Christmas Week of Giving.
The visit from the group put a lot of smiles on faces of the young patients, who have had to spend some of the festive period in hospital.
The group delivered festive Christmas toys, donated by the club, as well as selection boxes - which were purchased by the players as part of a wider donation that included refurnishing the hospital's quiet room.
The quiet room is used by children with learning difficulties and mental health struggles, and also provides respite for parents and families with very sick children.
The room itself needed a revamp, and so the Swans men’s team purchased a sofa, two arm chairs, a table, lamps and cushions, while also providing colouring books, games, toys and a sensory light for children with sensory needs.
It’s a donation which means a lot to the staff at the hospital, who understand how important a homely space can be for those spending time in hospital.
DSA CHRISTMAS PARTY
Swansea City players Matt Grimes, Jay Fulton, Ollie Cooper and Kyle Naughton recently paid a special visit to the Disabled Supporters’ Association’s Christmas Party as part of a series of community visits to mark the festive period.
The event – hosted by Kev Johns MBE and also attended by club president Alan Curtis MBE - saw the Swans first-team players meet and mingle with the DSA members and join in with the singing of Christmas carols ahead of their annual festive gathering - followed by an evening of fun with music, raffles and food.
There was also an appearance from Santa Claus to get those in attendance in the festive spirit.
Launched in 2013, the DSA is continually growing and currently has over 100 members. The DSA works to improve facilities and policies that affect disabled supporters.
The DSA Christmas Party is an important time for members to get together to socialise, with recent years having been particularly challenging due to the impact of the pandemic.
Cath Dyer, DSA secretary, said: “It’s the highlight of the year for the DSA. The members love it, it’s an inclusive environment and the smiles on their faces are so lovely.”
Andrew Brayley, DSA chair, added: “It’s the main event of the year really, and it was good to see everyone get together and have a good time.”
VISIT TO SKETTY FOODBANK
Earlier this month, Josh Key and Nathanael Ogbeta visited Sketty Foodbank to hand out match tickets donated by the club and its partners AMROC Heating and Eleven Sports Media as Swansea City continued its Week of Giving campaign.
The tickets were distributed to families and foodbank-users who need support ahead of what is an expensive Christmas period, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis.
Everyone who received tickets attended the Swans home match against Middlesbrough on December 16, which also saw the club host a Christmas market, with match-goers able to enjoy festive activities in the fan zone for free.
It made for a full day of Christmas cheer for some of those within the Swansea community who most deserve a treat at a time of year which can be challenging for many.
“It’s been wonderful to welcome the players and we were absolutely delighted with the response we had from the families who come to us,” said Kim Mort, a manager at Sketty Foodbank.
“They were so pleased to have tickets for the game, these are people who would never normally be able to go to a game, who would never be able to afford a ticket, so for them to have that is a phenomenal treat.
“And for our volunteers, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed chatting to the players and having our photographs taken. It’s really given us a boost, especially after the last few weeks where we have been so busy.
“It was fantastic. We want to say a huge thank you to the club for the tickets, it will have made a huge difference to the people who used them."
SUPPORTERS' TRUST PROVIDE CHRISTMAS TREAT FOR CWTCH COFFEE MORNING PARTICIPANTS
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust helped bring Christmas to the Swansea City AFC Foundation’s Cwtch Coffee Morning as club greats Lee Trundle, Angel Rangel, Vic Gomersall, Wyndham Evans and Alan Curtis joined the Week of Giving festivities.
The Cwtch Coffee Morning makes up part of the Foundation’s health and wellbeing provision with a weekly catch-up hosted at the stadium. The club’s home shirt partner Reviva Coffee provide hot drinks, while the Foundation provide a warm space and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for those in the local community who are most at risk of becoming isolated.
While the coffee mornings take place every week, a visit from former players to host a quiz and have a chat is a rare treat, while the Supporters' Trust also provided mince pies, Christmas crackers, treats and a breakfast roll for those in attendance.
Stan Steadman, a regular at the coffee mornings, said: “My wife, Cathy, and I had lived in England for more than 50 years but we moved back to Swansea earlier this year.
“We were looking for ways to join in with the community and the first place we came when we arrived was to the coffee mornings..
“It’s fantastic, it’s transformed our lives, helped us settle back in to Swansea and, as a result of coming to Cwtch, we’ve been put in touch with Ageing Well and we’ve got so many things to do.
“I can remember the floodlights being opened at The Vetch when we played Hibernian that’s how long I’ve been supporting the Swans, so it’s been wonderful meeting the players – particularly Wyndham Evans and Vic Gomersall.
"Wyndham has always been a favourite for me and I’ve met him this morning … what a privilege!”
SWANSEA CITY UNDER-18S DONATE TO SHOEBOX APPEAL THIS CHRISTMAS
Swansea City’s Under-18s have donated to this year’s Samaritans’ shoebox appeal which brings the Christmas spirit to those who are less fortunate around the world.
The young Swans and wider academy staff put together over 18 boxes of gifts and presents, which will be distributed across the globe to children and families in need.
The campaign - founded by The Samaritan's Purse - has been active since 1993 and has reached over 209 million children in over 170 countries.
Players Rohan Davies, Ewan Griffiths, Josh Pescatore, Callum Deacon and Cameron Llewellyn helped drop off the gifts at St. Davids church in Morriston, along with club chaplain Eirian Wyn.
Head of academy education Jordan Morris said: "The players from the academy were excited to take part in the shoebox campaign.
"They know they will be making a positive impact by bringing a smile to the face of another child.
"We showed the boys a presentation outlining the history of the campaign and what it means to these families and children across the world, and they really got behind it and were passionate about giving back."
Striker Davies added: "It was great to be part of the campaign, and we all contributed as individuals and as a team.
"The volunteers at the drop-off point spoke to us about the history of the campaign, not just worldwide but how well it has been received in Swansea since it began, and it was lovely to hear and to help out.
"We can track where our boxes go after Christmas, which I'm sure we all will do, and see where our gifts have made a difference."
MYKOLA KUHAREVICH INVITES WAUNARLWYDD GALAXY TO BE THE CLUB'S GUARD OF HONOUR
Swansea City’s Christmas Week of Giving campaign continues with Ukrainian striker Mykola Kuharevich’s visit to surprise his 10-year-old compatriot Tymofii at his training session with grassroots team Waunarlwydd Galaxy.
Tymofii moved from to Swansea from Kharkiv - Ukraine's second largest city which is located near the Russian border and was one of the early targets of Russian airstrikes - with his mum and younger brother in May 2022.
He has settled into life in south Wales well, but he still dreams of returning home once it is safe to do so.
Kuharevich spoke with the young footballer, and invited the whole Galaxy team to be the Guard of Honour for the Swans’ home match against Preston North End on December 22.
Everyone at Swansea City hopes Tymofii and the whole Waunarlwydd Galalxy team have a wonderful time at tomorrow's match.
UNDER-21S DONATE TO MR X APPEAL
Swansea City’s Under-21s players have got into the spirit of giving back this Christmas by donating gifts to the Mr X appeal.
Launched 64 years ago by Tom Bravin, Mr X aims to provide children from low-income or underprivileged backgrounds in south Wales with gifts to open on Christmas Day.
Bravin passed away six years ago, but his legacy through Mr X is now carried on by his son and a team of incredible volunteers.
The players wanted to play their part and have bought and donated presents that will go to children who are less fortunate this Christmas.
Volunteers across south Wales are preparing in the run up to Christmas to organise the donation and collection for more than 10,000 disadvantaged children.
Academy chaplain Eirian Wyn and Ben Lloyd, Evan Watts and Mitchell Bates led the donation process at Landore Training Ground.
The players donated over 50 presents which will be distributed to young children in need across south Wales.
UNDER-21S DONATE OVER £400 WORTH OF PRESENTS TO LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES
Swansea City Under-21s have made a considerable donation of over £400 worth of gifts to social services in the local area, which will be distributed to families and children.
The development-side have already got into the spirit of giving back this Christmas by donating gifts to the Mr X Appeal, a campaign the young Swans have supported for nearly 10 years.
A spokesperson for Swansea's social services said the Swans' gifts will help put smiles on the faces of local children.
“For the players to donate gifts once again this Christmas is fantastic,” she said.
“It is a really good thing they are doing. It will bring a number of young children joy and, for some, more than they would have dreamed of.
“This will brighten most children’s Christmas mornings and we are thankful for the young players generosity.”
Under-21s' midfielder Ben Lloyd added: “We enjoy getting involved and taking part in this project every year.
“It gives us a chance to come together as a whole team and give something back to children around Swansea and south Wales.
“It is a great cause. We are very grateful for everything we have in our lives so we were keen to give something back.
"It’s a special day for everyone. Just the smallest thing can help make them very happy, so it’s good to give back."
Everyone at Swansea City wishes all our loyal fans around the world a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year in 2024.
We would like to thank you all for your fantastic support over the past 12 months.
We hope you, your friends and your families stay safe and enjoy the festive celebrations, and that 2024 proves to be a year where there are so many moments for us to share and savour together as a club, as a team and as a community.
We look forward to seeing you all at the Swansea.com Stadium and on our travels over the 12 months ahead.
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i gefnogwyr Clŵb Pêl Droed Dinas Abertawe!
As Swansea City prepare to face Preston North End in the final home game of 2023, we take a closer look at the Lilywhites.
WHAT'S THEIR STORY?
Founded in 1880 Preston were among the founder members of the Football League and won the first two top-flight titles in 1889 and 1890. North End are also two-time FA Cup winners with the first of those completing a double in the maiden EFL season.
That spell proved to be a golden era for the Lilywhites and it is success they have not found easy to replicate during their long history.
The Deepdale club have spent large parts of the post-Millennium period in the second tier of the Football League but have never played in the Premier League since it’s formation.
The closest the club came to promotion was in 2001 and 2005, when they suffered play-off final defeats to Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United respectively.
HOW'S THEIR FORM?
Up and down. Preston put together a six-match winning run earlier in the season and were among the pacesetters, but they have tailed off since then.
They have won three of their last 15 in the Championship, although one of those victories was in their last away game at Huddersfield.
Last time out they suffered a 5-1 defeat at home to Watford.
Ryan Lowe. The former Plymouth boss began his managerial career at Bury, coaching them in a caretaker capacity during the 2017-2018 season, before earning the permanent role in 2018.
Lowe made the move to Plymouth the following year, taking over a month before they were relegated from the third tier. In his first full season, Lowe gained immediate promotion back to League One in 2019-20, finished the following campaign in mid-table.
After agreeing to depart Home Park, Lowe has been at Deepdale since December 2021, replacing Frankie McAvoy in the hotseat, and guiding the Lilywhites to a 13th place finish in the Championship table in his first season at the club, before finishing 12th last term after their play-off challenge fell away late in the campaign.
In his playing career, the forward made 626 total league appearances for nine different English clubs, including over 50 appearances for Shrewsbury Town, Bury, Crewe Alexandra and Chester City.
Republic of Ireland international Alan Browne in the captain at Deepdale. A club veteran, the former Cork City midfielder has amassed over 350 appearances for the Lancashire club in his nine years with them, also chipping in with 43 goals in the process.
The tough-tackling midfielder played a large part in helping Preston return to the Championship via the play-offs in 2015 and has been an integral and influential figure during his time at the club.
Browne has also played at every level for his country of birth, winning 29 caps since his international debut in a 1-0 2018 friendly defeat against Turkey in Antalya.
There is a familiar figure to Swans fans in the Preston goal in the form of Freddie Woodman, who spent two successful seasons on loan in SA1 between 2019 and 2021 as the Swans narrowly missed out on a return to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.
Having come through the academy ranks at Crystal Palace and Newcastle, Woodman - an under-20 World Cup winner with England - the gloveman had loan spells with Hartlepool, Crawley, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen before his stints with the Swans.
He won the Championship golden glove in his second season in SA1, and was in superb form for Preston last term as he kept 17 clean sheets and was named the club's player of the season as he collected the Sir Tom Finney Award.
Midfielder Ben Whiteman has proved an impressive acquisition since his arrival from Doncaster in January of 2021.
The former Manchester United and Sheffield United trainee made his senior bow for the Blades in 2014, and had loan spells with Mansfield and Doncaster before making his move to the latter permanent in the summer of 2018.
He wasted little time making a big impact at the Eco-Power Stadium, and he was named club captain at the age of just 23 such was his form and professionalism.
His showings put him on the radar of a number of Championship clubs, with Preston securing his signature.
A dynamic player with an eye for goal, he has been a real driving force for North End over his two full seasons with the club.
Striker Will Keane is in his first season with Preston after joining from Wigan in the summer, and has six goals and two assists to his name.
A Manchester United academy product, the forward made three appearances for the Red Devils, and had loan spells with Wigan, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End before making a permanent move to Hull in 2016.
Keane spent three seasons in the East Riding of Yorkshire and scored one league goal for the Tigers before moving to Ipswich in 2019, he subsequently joined Wigan a year later and was a reliable source of goals for the Latics.
Keane netted 50 goals in 129 appearances for the club before joining Preston following the Latics relegation.
He has won five caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Versatile midfielder Paul Raynor scored in Swansea City's 1987-88 Fourth Division play-off final success.
Signing professional for Nottingham Forest in April 1984, he was loaned to Bristol Rovers and joined Huddersfield Town for £30,000 in August 1985.
Raynor moved to the Vetch Field in March 1987 and scored in Swansea's 1989 and 1991 Welsh Cup final triumphs, netting 26 goals in 191 League games before joining Cambridge United in March 1992.
Following John Beck to Preston in July 1993, he netted nine goals in 80 league appearances for the Lilywhites.
Raynor went on to play for Cambridge again, Guangdong, Leyton Orient, Stevenage, Kettering and Crawley before becoming player-manager at Hednesford Town.
He has since held coaching roles with Boston United, Crawley Town, Rotherham United, Leeds United, Mansfield Town, Gillngham, Peterborough United and, currently, Stevenage.
Jamal Lowe’s fifth goal of the season was not enough for Swansea City as they suffered defeat to Middlesbrough at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Swansea City: Carl Rushworth, Josh Key, Jay Fulton (Charlie Patino 87), Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Matt Grimes (captain), Jamal Lowe (Liam Cullen 87), Jamie Paterson (Yannick Bolasie 81), Josh Tymon, Liam Walsh (Ollie Cooper 64), Bashir Humphreys (Jerry Yates 81).
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Nathan Wood, Kyle Naughton, Sam Parker.
Middlesbrough: Seny Dieng (Tom Glover 90), Rav van den Berg, Isaiah Jones, Anfernee Dijksteel, Sam Greenwood (Sammy Silvera 72), Jonny Howson (captain), Dael Fry, Alex Bangura (Lukas Engel 72), Matt Crooks (Morgan Rogers 71), Daniel Barlaser, Emmanuel Latte Lath.
Unused Substitutes: Matt Clarke, Alex Gilbert, Hayden Coulson, Daniel Nkrumah, Calum Kavanagh.
Referee: Matthew Donohue
Attendance: 15,084
Michael Duff’s departure earlier this month means that at the time of writing, the man in charge of the first team in a caretaker role is one of his assistants, Alan Sheehan.
Speculation among supporters is always rife during periods of transition and we must try to balance our inevitably high expectations that the next permanent appointment will bring long-term success and the magic formula to suddenly get everything to click seamlessly into place, with the reality of life as a football fan.
And the reality is? There is no magic formula.
It doesn’t matter which side you support, history shows us that no amount of wanting and hoping can conjure up success. That’s a much more complicated formula to crack.
Whenever I see the Preston North End fixtures, I instinctively recall that previous encounter in May 1981 when we sealed promotion to what was then the First Division, the top-flight of English football.
It was a John Toshack side that made history with a 3-1 win at Deepdale, relegating North End in the process.
As someone who followed every kick of that promotion campaign, I look back on it now and I recognise that it was the defining moment in football for me – I was well and truly hooked.
I had been taken to watch games since I was a little girl and I had been aware of the trials and tribulations associated with a football club in the lower leagues for as long as I could remember.
I’d known my father be absent for pretty much every other Saturday of every season as he travelled away to watch the Swans – and as a family we had gone to every home game, regardless of the weather conditions or the previous results.
As a committee member of the Vice Presidents, my dad organised fundraising dinners and bucket collections, swept snow from the Vetch Field pitch and had lived and breathed all things Swansea City.
Professional football has changed over the decades but, for the fans, the rollercoaster may be brighter and shinier and less creaky as it turns, but the ride remains full of the same highs and lows.
And as we all know, managers and head coaches come and go – comparatively quickly. When Toshack arrived, the expectation and excitement was beyond anything I had experienced as a child. I thought he’d stay forever. I wanted him to, but inevitably he moved on and that my friends, is one of the things football absolutely guarantees us.
If you look back on the history of managers at this club over the years, many, indeed most of them, have been with us for no longer than a couple of seasons. The eight, seven and six-year tenures of the likes of Billy McCandless (1947-1955), Trevor Morris (1958-1965) and Tosh (1978-1984) are long gone.
We often talk about getting the ‘right’ man in, when these appointments are about who is ‘right for now’. And we really only know that with the benefit of hindsight, that most wonderful of things.
So, enjoy the game, Jacks – and let’s hope for three points to round off the calendar year.
A peaceful and happy Christmas to you all. Here’s to 2024.
Wrth i ddiwrnod Nadolig agosáu a phawb yn paratoi at hwyl yr ŵyl, Aled Biston sydd yn edrych yn ôl ar gwpl o cracyrs gan chwaraewyr Yr Elyrch ar hyd y blynyddoedd.
Leon Britton v Nottingham Forest Mai 1 2011
Gem hollbwysig ac mae’r dyn sydd byth yn sgorio yn camu lan i sgorio. Nid yw Leon Britton yn adnabyddus am ei goliau ond roedd hwn yn sicr yn ergyd i’w gofio. Ar ochr y cwrt 18 llath, ar ei droed chwith ac roedd yr ergyd trwy’r holl gyrff i gefn y rhwyd yn ffordd wych o ddechrau’r gêm yn erbyn Forest. Fi’n credu roedd pawb wedi synnu wrth weld Leon o bawb yn sgorio- ond roedd yn cwbl haeddiannol yn dilyn tymor gwych ganddo.
Darren Pratley v Nottingham Forest Mai 1 2011
Yr un êem ond y tro hwn roedd y dathliadau hyd yn oed yn fwy gwyllt. Gyda Forest yn gwthio i unioni’r sgôr roedd pob un o’u chwaraewyr yn ein bocs ar gyfer cornel. Dyma’r bêl yn dod allan a chwaraewr Forest yn llithro, a Pratley yn dechrau ar ei ffordd. Wedi iddo gyrraedd y llinell hanner ffordd a bloeddion ‘shooooot’ gan y dorf mae Pratley yn ergydio a dechreuodd y dathlu cyn i’r bel hyd yn oed cyrraedd y rhwyd. Brendan Rodgers yn rhedeg lawr y llinell yn dathlu, Pratley yn cymryd ei grys oddi tano i ddathlu a’r Elyrch yn y play-off final.
Jonjo Shelvey v Aston Villa - Ebrill 26 2014
Mae’n ddigon posib mai dyma yw’r gôl gorau sydd wedi cael ei sgorio yn Stadiwm Swanea.com. Cliriad blêr gan Ron Vlaar ond roedd y cyffyrddiad gan Shelvey gyda’i frest i gymryd y bel i ffwrdd o Ashley Westwood mor bwysig i roi le i’w hun- a wedyn yr ergyd. Perffaith, crymanu i ffwrdd o Brad Guzan i gornel y rhwyd- dim gobaith i’r golwr. 45 llath a wnaeth Shelvey ergydio hi petai ei fod yn gol mae’n sgorio wythnos ar ôl wythnos, anhygoel.
Wayne Routledge v West Bromwich Albion Awst 30 2014
Roedd Routledge wedi dweud hwn oedd un o’i goliau gorau wnaeth e sgorio i’r Elyrch, ac mae’n anodd anghytuno. Croesiad mewn gan Nathon Dyer a gafodd ei benio allan ac yna roedd Routledge wedi rhwydo gyda thechneg o’n i erioed wedi gweld o’r blaen. Wrth i’r bel godi roedd Routledge wedi ergydio mewn ffordd mor unigryw lle’r oedd ei gorff bron yn llorweddol yn yr awyr a’r bel wedyn yn crymanu i gefn y rhwyd. Roedd Routledge ei hun methu credu’r peth ac roedd hynny’n amlwg wrth iddo ddathlu, ac roedd pawb yn y stadiwm yn ymateb yr un peth.
Jonathan de Guzman v Stoke Ionawr 19 2013
De Guzman sgoriodd dau gol yn y gêm ma gydag un ohonynt yn dod ym munudau ola’r gem ond roedd y llall yn gol i’w gofio. Ben Davies wnaeth sgorio’r cyntaf yn y gem ‘ma ond gol De Guzman oedd yr uchafbwynt. Wedi 57 munud roedd De Guzman wedi crymanu ergyd gwych i gefn y rhwyd heibio Asmir Begovic oedd gyda dim gobaith o’i arbed. Sgoriodd ei ail gyda 10 munud yn weddill yn dilyn gwaith da gan Graham ac roedd hynny wedi gorffen perfformiad da.
Jonjo Shelvey v Liverpool Chwefror 23 2014
Gêm llawn goliau, sydd yn wych i’r cefnogwr niwtral ond nid cweit i’r Elyrch wrth i ni golli 4-3. Ond un positif oedd gol gwych Jonjo Shelvey o jyst tu allan i’r bocs. Fe ddaeth y bel nol iddo ac fe grymanodd hi i gornel ucha’r rhwyd heibio Simon Mignolet. Ergydiodd y bel first time yn dilyn pas Nathan Dyer ac fe wnaeth hi hedfan i gefn y rhwyd, oddi ar y bar. Dim gobaith i Mignolet.
Gylfi Sigurdsson v Arsenal Tachwedd 9 2014
Pwy all anghofio’r gêm yma. Jefferson Montero gydag un o’r perfformiadau gorau dwi erioed wedi gweld. Roedd Callum Chambers yn cael hunllefau wrth feddwl am y gêm hon achos roedd Montero yn wych. Mae rhaid cofio am Mo Barrow fyd, wnaeth ennill y gic rydd oedd wedi galluogi i Sigurdsson rhwydo o 30 llath. Er bod Per Mertesacker yn y wal roedd Gylfi wedi crymanu’r bel yn wych dros y wal ac i gornel ucha’r rhwyd. Un o nifer y goliau gwych mae Sigurdsson wedi sgorio dros y blynyddoedd. Gomis yn sgorio 3 munud yn ddiweddarach a’r Elyrch yn ennill (eto) yn erbyn Arsenal.
Jordan Ayew v Wolves Ionawr 17 2018
Os ydych chi’n chwilio am ddiffiniad ‘individual effort’, hwn yw e. Chwarae yn erbyn Wolves yng Nghwpan yr FA a dyma Jordan Ayew yn camu lan ac yn sgorio gôl unigol gwych. Wedi i Roque Mesa ennill y bel o dafliad roedd Fer wedi pasio i Ayew tua 25 llath allan. Cariodd y bel heibio 5 amdiffynnwr gan droi tua 3 ohonyn nhw cyn esgus ergydio i fynd heibio’r amddiffynnwr olaf ac yna saethu i gefn y rhwyd. Er bod 8,000 yn unig yn y dorf roedd pob un ar eu traed yn gymeradwyo gôl oedd yn haeddu cymeradwyaeth o’r radd uchaf.
Daniel James v Brentford Chwefror 17 2019
Mae pawb yn gwybod bod Daniel James yn gloi, ond roedd hwn yn dangos faint o gloi oedd e. Blocio’r bel ar ochr bocs ein hun ac o fewn 10 eiliad roedd e wedi ergydio heibio golwr Brentford ac yn dathlu. O’dd y cyflymder yn anodd i gredu ac roedd tri amddiffynnwr Brentford yn sprintio tu ôl iddo tra bod James ddim yn edrych fel ei fod wedi symud i’r ail ger. Pace, power and precision o’r foment enillodd y bêl.
Bersant Celina v Man City Mawrth 16 2019
Mae’r gôl yma mor anhygoel bydde fe’n drosedd i beidio siarad amdani o’r cychwyn tan y diwedd. Mae Kristoffer Nordfelt yn taflu’r bêl allan i Cameron Carter-Vickers sydd tua hanner ffordd rhwng terfyn y bocs a’r llinell hanner ffordd, mae’n pasio nôl i Matt Grimes sydd wedyn yn pasio i van der Hoorn. Mae e dan bwysau felly mae’r bêl nôl gyda Nordfeldt. Mae e’n darganfod Byers yng nghanol y cae sydd yn pasio i Celina. Mae’n troi ac yn darganfod Dan James ar yr asgell chwith. Torrodd e mewn i’r canol ac yn darganfod Nathan Dyer sydd yn neud yn wych i basio yn syth i Celina sydd newydd redeg mewn i’r bocs. Heb hyd yn oed edrych lan mae Celina yn crymanu’r bêl heibio Edersen ac mae cefnogwyr City tu ôl y gol yn ddisymud. Symudiad anhygoel, 8 chwaraewr yn rhan ohono a 20 cyffyrddiad rhyngddynt. S’dim geiriau i ddisgrifio gôl o safon mor uchel.
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Swansea City’s first trip to Wembley for the Autoglass Trophy final in 1994. To mark it, our club historian Gwyn Rees takes us back through the story of that campaign and some of the key figures involved. Here, he profiles winger John Hodge.
Born and brought up in Skelmersdale Lancashire, John Hodge played for Skelmersdale and Lancashire schoolboy sides, while also being on the books at Everton as a teenager.
When he was 18 years of age Hodge went to live in Newquay in Cornwall, working in a sports store, and playing football in the South Western League for Newquay.
It proved a very successful time for the player on the pitch, winning league and cup honours with Newquay, and being selected for a Cornwall County Representative XI. He did also spend two months on trial at Manchester United from November 1989, although a full-time move to Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils did not materialise.
Hodge then had a short spell at Falmouth Town, playing in three games and scoring four times, before his obvious ability saw him join the ranks of the full-time professionals at Exeter City.
At Exeter his manager, the former Everton and England midfielder Alan Ball, encouraged him to take on the opposition defenders, and this he did with relish. He made his debut for the club against Hartlepool United in September 1991, and went on to make a further 22 appearances in his maiden season in the pro ranks.
The second season saw him really establish himself as a first-team regular, and he would finish the season as top goal scorer with nine league goals from 42 games.
His performances alerted a host of clubs, and manager Frank Burrows brought the player to south Wales in July 1993 in a deal that saw the Swans pay Exeter a £20,000 fee, with Russell Coughlin moving to Exeter as part of the deal.
Hodge was well known to the astute Burrows, as he had impressed the Swans manager with his displays against his side in FA Cup and Autoglas Trophy games the previous season.
He played out on the right flank as something of an old-fashioned winger, and his ability to beat his man put in tantalising crosses for his teammates to attack made him popular with players and supporters alike.
Short and stocky, his ability to go past players was invaluable to the team, and his displays on the wing were a major factor in Swansea reaching and winning the 1994 Autoglass Trophy final against Huddersfield Town at Wembley. His form saw him named the club’s player of the year at the end of the campaign.
For the next three seasons he was a regular on the team sheet but, in the summer of 1996, and after over 130 appearances for the club, Hodge found he was unable to agree a new contract at the Vetch Field, and he was allowed to join Walsall on a free transfer.
He quickly became a regular at his new club, spending two seasons there before moving once more.
This time he joined Gillingham, where he made a substitute appearance at Wembley against Manchester City in a dramatic Second Division play-off final in 1999.
The Gills had led 2-0 with three minutes of normal time remaining, but conceded twice and ended up losing 3-1 on penalties, with Hodge their only player to score in the shootout.
A switch to a Northampton side on its way to automatic promotion out of the Third Division in March 2000, and he remained at Sixfields until the end 2003.
He briefly joined Kidderminster Harriers but elected to retire without kicking a ball for the club.
After hanging up his boots, Hodge launched a coaching programme for children aged between five and 15 in the Worcester area, passing on his considerable knowhow and experience to the next generation.
I guess I’m preaching to the converted when I say that football is a wonderful sport.
Why would you be reading an article in the Swans’ matchday programme if you didn’t like the game?!
But I just thought it was worth reminding everyone what a great sport we have all chosen to follow.
Especially with some of the negative headlines currently surrounding football.
Just look at some of the issues that have dominated the football headlines recently:
- The raging debate over VAR, which some people claim it is killing the game at the highest level.
- Joey Barton seemingly intent on sparking a divisive battle of the sexes within the game.
- Violence rearing its ugly head once again – on and off the field with top-flight football being played behind closed doors in Greece and suspended completely in Turkey
These kinds of issues and the publicity they are attracting can give the impression of a sport that is being torn apart by controversies.
Fair enough, there is plenty that is wrong with the game at many levels.
But at its very simplest form, football is still a sport that brings people together.
What other single event in Swansea would tempt between 10,000 and 15,000 people to brave the worst of the winter weather and chronic traffic jams on the last Saturday afternoon before Christmas?
And that’s not just for this fixture, but on multiple Saturdays and midweek evenings throughout the season when there are dozens of other competing attractions.
And not just to turn up here at the Swansea.com Stadium, but to travel in numbers the length and breadth of the country following the Swans.
There have been a few particular occasions in recent weeks which have reinforced my faith in football’s power to unite people amidst some of the gloomier stories that have dominated headline, and particularly social media, debate.
The first was the Wales Women’s international match against former world champions Germany at the Swansea.com Stadium.
I don’t think I’ve seen such a high percentage of smiling faces in a football crowd after watching a 0-0 draw in the whole of my life!
The final whistle had long sounded but, despite the plummeting temperatures, the home players were still lining the touchline.
Most were still in their playing kit, happily braving the weather rather than seeking the shelter of the changing rooms.
Hundreds of excited young fans had spilled down from the stadium’s packed East Stand to the advertising hoardings at the edge of the pitch.
They were eager to meet their heroines, who had just recorded one of the best results in the national team’s history against the former global champions.
Red, yellow and green bucket hats were enthusiastically being thrust forward, along with shirts, flags and hastily smoothed-out scraps of paper.
Dozens of mobile phones were also happily being handed over to the players in the hope of a treasured photographic keepsake.
Each fan’s request was met with equal enthusiasm by players who were wearing smiles as wide as those of their fans.
They could barely have been more open or accommodating to the requests of their supporters.
Only when many attendees eventually started to turn and head for the stadium exits did the players begin to drift back across the pitch and head down the tunnel.
It was a genuinely heartwarming scene on a cold night.
The second occasion which raised my footballing spirits, perhaps surprisingly, was the funeral of a much loved and respected woman who helped run the village football team I played for years ago.
She was the wife of one of my teammates and the mum of another. And yes, Joey, she knew a fair bit about football!
The funeral was a fitting tribute and drew a large turnout of family, friends and many of us former players, whose ages ranged from their 30s to their 80s.
Many of us hadn’t seen each other for some time, but as soon as we had got over the shock of how much we had aged, we were soon swapping stories about football, friendships and the enjoyment they had brought us.
It was wonderful to see a group of individuals, some separated by more than half-a-century in terms of age, instantly transported back to their playing days and the friendships that were forged by being involved in the club.
That’s what football can do. It unites people and, although some of the headlines haven’t been the best recently, it will continue to unite people.
We played in the notoriously physical Neath League where opponents may have kicked each other, occasionally punched each other - I even remember the odd flying headbutt being landed with all the accuracy of a perfectly-executed diving header!
But we never, ever laid a hand on a referee – unlike a certain Turkish club president!
Yes, there’s rivalry in football and yes, that can spill over into totally unacceptable incidents like the one we saw in Ankara.
Hopefully serious action will be taken to make sure that never happens again. If it does, perhaps a referee’s strike would make people think twice about laying a hand on a referee again. Remember: no refs, no game.
However, overall, the good in the game far outweighs the bad.
Last Saturday was an example of this. The footballing world was shocked when Wales defender Tom Lockyer collapsed having suffered a cardiac arrest during the Bournemouth v Luton Town Premier League match.
The outpouring of concern and support for Lockyer, who also collapsed during last season’s Championship play-off final, was instantaneous and united.
All rivalries were put to one side as goodwill messages flooded in from around the country and beyond.
Football unites people. Just take a look around the stadium this afternoon and you will see friends, families and even compete strangers coming together to support their team.
What better way to spend the last Saturday before Christmas?
C’mon you Swans!
Swansea City Under-21s were held to a goalless draw in their final fixture of 2023 against league leaders Queens Park Rangers, with a number of senior players returning to action following injury at Landore.
In a hard-fought contest, the Swans had the better of the chances with Mykola Kuharevich going close, while Cameron Congreve and Sam Parker were denied by the keeper and woodwork respectively.
Nevertheless, the result means the development side have gone through 2023 unbeaten on home soil in the Professional Development League, although there will be frustration they did not emerge with all three points against a visiting side who been unbeaten in five games coming into this fixture.
Of the senior players involved, Kristian Pedersen played an hour, while Nathan Wood and Mykola Kuharevich got 70 minutes in the tank. Nathanael Ogbeta and Nathan Broome played the full game.
The Swans had included Broome, Wood, Pedersen and Kuharevich in the starting line-up as they made their returns from injury.
Kuharevich was involved early, a lovely flick seeing the Ukrainian combine with Congreve and get into the area, but his final pass was cut out by a defensive block.
Kuharevich then turned over a Parker pull-back a few moments later, and was also close to converting a drive cross from Ogbeta as the hosts posed all the questions in the opening exchanges.
Harry Murphy had the first opportunity of note for the visitors in the 17th minute, seeing his shot deflected inches wide of the far post, with defender Henry Hawkins heading the resulting corner over from close range.
Broome held a curling effort from former Swans Kieran Petrie after a swift counter from the R’s, before Swansea swept up the other end with Congreve’s lovely cross and Lincoln McFayden’s lay-off unable to find a white shirt to convert.
It remained goalless at the break but the Swans had a good spell of pressure early in the second half as they looked to find an opener.
Congreve flashed a free-kick wide before QPR keeper Harry Cant made an incredible stop to deny the midfielder.
Cant had been unable to hold a Nathan Tjoe-A-On cross, but he recovered quickly to bravely throw himself in the way as Congreve fired the loose ball goalward.
Parker then rattled the post with a volley after a cross had skipped its way through to him on the right side of the area, before Joe Thomas volleyed wide after fellow substitute Kyrell Wilson had been denied by Cant.
Swansea City U21s: Nathan Broome, Sam Parker, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Mitchell Bates (captain), Nathan Wood (Richard Faakye 71), Kristian Pedersen 60 (Filip Lissah 60), Dan Watts, Mykola Kuharevich (Kyrell Wilson 71), Lincoln McFayden (Joe Thomas 78), Nathanael Ogbeta.
Unused Substitutes: Archie Matthews.
Name
Ben Lloyd
DOB
14/03/2003
Position
Midfielder
Left Footed / Right Footed
Left
Nationality (according to UEFA)
Welsh
Signed for the Swans
2017
What is your best memory in a Swans shirt?
Scoring for the first team away at Forest Green Rovers.
What is your favourite thing about Swansea?
The people and it’s home for me.
Who is your football idol?
Lionel Messi or Michu.
What is your favourite film?
Star Wars
Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake
What is your cheat meal?
Five Guys
What subject were you best at in school?
P.E.
Football bucket list
To score in the south Wales derby and win promotion to the Premier League.
A stadium you’d love to visit (as player or fan)
Nou Camp.
Your first football memory
Swansea 0-3 Middlesbrough in 2009, Leroy Lita scored two goals for Boro.
First football shirt you owned
It was a black Swans away kit with Borini on the back.
Other football position you played
Left wing-back
Any other sports
Rugby and cricket
Preferred shirt number
10
Your room-mate for away games
Joel Cotterill, we get on.
Favourite computer game
EAFC
Aim for the season
Make my senior debut.
Who is the most famous person you’ve met?
Gareth Bale
An interesting fact about you
I broke my nose doing a front flip on a trampoline.
Goals from Rohan Davies, Jacob Cook and Thomas Woodward ensured Swansea City Under-18s finished 2023 on a high by sealing victory over AFC Bournemouth at Landore.
The Swans were 1-0 inside three minutes with Davies converting from the spot after Woodward was fouled in the area.
The visitors netted an equaliser when Josh Salmon drilled the ball into an open net.
But Cook would put the Swans back in front before the hour-mark after sending a wonderful strike into the top corner, with Woodward sealing all three points by turning in Aimar Govea's cross in the final quarter.
There had been just the two changes to the starting XI that faced Bristol City last time out. Brogan Popham made his first start for the under-18s as he came in for Jack Fanning, who misses out due to illness.
Meanwhile, Thomas Searle returned to the starting line-up following injury, replacing Josh Pescatore - who was named on the bench.
It was a lively start from the hosts, and with just two over minutes on the clock, the Swans found themselves in the lead.
Lovely interplay from Harlan Perry and Govea worked Woodward into space, before the referee awarded the Swans a penalty for a foul on the forward.
And it was in-form Davies who stepped up to convert from the spot for his 10th goal of the season.
The duo of Perry and Govea were key in soon setting up another Swans attack, this time Govea sending in a dangerous ball in from the left, but Searle slid in just too late to connect.
Moments later, Iestyn Jones made a crucial block as Salmon took aim from a Jonny Stuttle cutback.
Swansea continued to look sharper. Searle met Davies’ slide-rule ball before seeing his deflected shot ruffle the side netting, with Woodward heading the resulting corner straight into the hands of Mack Allan.
Yori Griffith then had a low shot saved from distance after Arthur Parker’s solo run in the middle of the park, with the Swans firmly on the front foot.
The chances kept coming for the young Swans. Woodward twice had shots blocked before sending one over the bar after Griffith picked him out in the six-yard box.
But, instead, the Cherries would find an equaliser not long before the break. Salmon capitalising on a defensive mistake before drilling home into an empty net.
Perry then made a crucial sliding tackle in the box to prevent Charlie Osborne from snatching the lead for the visitors going into half-time.
It was an even start to the second period with the sides exchanging half-chances, but the Swans would soon get themselves on the front foot again.
Perry appealed for another penalty in the area, but the referee waved play on, which allowed Cook to work space and fire the ball into the top corner.
The afternoon got even better for the Swans. Govea racing down to the byline before sending a delivery in across goal, where Woodward was on hand to turn in and give the hosts some breathing space.
Kit Margetson did well to hold Ashley Clarke's powerful free-kick from distance, before denying the Cherries' striker once again from close range moments later.
The combination of Parker and Jones at the back kept the Cherries at bay in the closing stages, with the latter twice clearing away danger twice to deny Clarke.
Govea looked to get on the scoresheet in stoppage time after a mazy run through a sea of red and black shirts, but his chipped effort was palmed away by the Bournemouth stopper as the Swans ended the calendar year with a three-point haul.
Swansea City Under-18s: Kit Margetson, Iestyn Jones, Arthur Parker, Jacob Cook, Brogan Popham (Teo Minchev 85), Harlan Perry (Cameron Llewellyn 67), Thomas Searle (Josh Pescatore 46), Yori Griffith, Rohan Davies, Thomas Woodward, Aimar Govea.
Substitutes: Ewan Griffiths, Milo Robinson.
Swansea City Women continued their fine run of form to round off 2023 with three points as they beat Barry Town United Women in the Genero Adran Premier.
Stacey John-Davis put the Swans ahead after just four minutes, a cool finish from close range extending her scoring run.
The visitors doubled their lead when Nia Davies headed a cross into her own a goal after a great ball into the box.
Katy Hosford would seal the win with 10 minutes remaining, slotting home at the near post, before turning provider nine minutes later to set up Robyn Pinder for the fourth and final goal.
The Swans had entered the game on the back of seven wins from eight games in all competitions, and they wasted no time asserting themselves as they surged into the lead with the first attack of the game.
A great ball from Steph Turner send John-Davis through to slide home her fifth goal in three games.
Just a minute later the Swans made it 2-0, John-Davis’ cross seeing Davies head into her own net.
Rachel Cullen came close to further extending the lead 10 minutes later, powering a volley just over the bar after picking a loose ball up on the edge of the box.
Barry began sitting players behind the ball from that point, forcing the Swans to be patient and wait for further openings.
Sophie Brisland-Hancocks tested the Barry goalkeeper with a strike from the edge of the box, but it was saved well as it headed for the bottom-right corner.
The Swans remained in control and started the second half positively, with corner deliveries from Hosford and Chloe Chivers testing the Barry defence.
John-Davis came close to her second after a great ball from Hosford found her in the box, but her glancing header went just wide of the post.
However, the Swans would add to their tally with 10 minutes to go, Hosford slotting home at the near post after a great ball from Sammy Wynne put the skipper clean through on goal.
Pinder added a fourth late on. Chivers sent Hosford into space down the wing, and her cross allowed Pinder to tap home and round off the victory.
Swansea City Women: Chelsea Herbert, Lucy Finch, Steph Turner, Ellie Lake (Monet Legall 72), Rachel Cullen (Kelsey Thomas 82), Robyn Pinder, Katy Hosford (captain), Stacey John-Davis, Sophie Brisland-Hancocks (Sammy Wynne 72), Emily Thomas (Chloe Chivers 46), Jess Williams.
Unused subs: Opal Rayner.
Your date of birth
14/03/2002
Your nationality
Welsh
What position do you play?
Centre midfield
Which is your preferred foot?
Right footed
Which clubs did you play for before joining Swansea City?
Dunvant & Three Crosses, Llangyfelach, Bristol City (academy and club), Oxford United.
When did you sign for the Swans?
Summer of 2023.
What is your favourite thing about playing for Swansea City?
Representing my hometown team and the club I’ve loved since I was a kid.
Who is your football idol?
Steven Gerrard
What is the first position you played in football?
Centre midfield.
What is your first memory of football?
Playing in the garden with my brother and cousins, but I also remember going down to watch the Swans.
What is the first football shirt you owned?
A Swans away shirt from the 2007-08 season.
Do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions?
I have a couple of headbands I wear when playing football, but I always make sure I wear my grey one on matchdays!
What is your full-time occupation?
I work for Swansea City AFC Foundation.
What is an interesting fact about you?
I’ve scored in the FA Cup!
Who is the most famous person you've met?
Ian Rush! I had a photo with him at the ceremony awarding us with our Wales Under-15 caps.
Do you play any other sports?
Not anymore, but I used to play hockey and cricket.
What is something that is on your bucket list?
I’d love to visit Barcelona.
What is your favourite film?
Cars
Who is your favourite music artist?
Adele
What is the best TV series you've watched?
Happy Valley
What was your favourite subject in school?
P.E.
Swansea City 4 - 0 Preston North End
Championship – August 14, 2010
Brendan Rodgers' enjoyed a dream home league debut as Swansea City manager with this thumping home win.
Rodgers’ team had been beaten on the opening day at Hull, but they saw off Barnet in the League Cup and then thumped North End.
Scott Sinclair made his debut and quickly showed he would give the Swans an added dimension in attack.
Alan Tate claimed an assist for the opener as he teed up Stephen Dobbie, before Darren Pratley bundled home the second and Nathan Dyer made it 3-0 by half-time.
David Cotterill then completed the scoring from the penalty spot after Dyer was fouled.
Nadolig Llawen, pawb!
Welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium!
We are just FOUR SLEEPS from Christmas and we cannot wait to see Santa again!
It’s such a busy time for him, but we love catching up for a mince pie and a glass of milk when he pops into Swansea to drop off the gifts for all the children in the city.
We hope you’re looking forward to Christmas too! School is done until the New Year and now it’s time to look forward to seeing friends and family.
We’ve been watching lots of our favourite Christmas films: Home Alone, The Grinch and a Christmas Cyril.
It’s been great to see some of you over the Christmas period. We really enjoyed the Matthew’s House Christmas Funfair last week, and we got to say hi to lots of children at the Phil Lake Christmas Party.
We’ll see you all in the New Year when we host West Brom.
Cyril and Cybil
Your age
5
What was the first Swansea City game you attended?
My first game was Swans v Preston when I was 4 months old.
What is your favourite memory of watching the Swans?
Meeting Lee Trundle and Ben Cabango in the hospitality lounge.
Who is your favourite Swans player and why?
Ben Cabango, because he has number 5 on his shirt like me.
What do you like most about supporting Swansea City?
Spending time with my dad!
Why did you start supporting Swansea City?
Because it’s where I live, it’s my hometown team.
Do you play football? If yes, what position do you play?
Yes, I play for Port Tennant Colts Under-5s. We don’t have positions yet, I’ll play anywhere!
Do you play any other sports? What are they?
Swimming
What is your favourite subject in school and why?
P.E! It’s lots of fun and I can play football.
An audio commentary service is available for blind and partially sighted fans – provided by Radio City, the Swansea University Health Board Hospital Radio Service.
Radio City has a long association with the football club dating back to the days when the club was known as Swansea Town.
Since moving to the Swansea.com Stadium, the broadcaster has provided a live descriptive commentary service for free at all Swansea home matches, meaning that blind and partially-sighted supporters in both the home and away ends can follow the action.
In order to book a headset for the match, supporters can contact the accessibility team in advance by emailing accessibility@swanseacity.com, or contacting the ticket office from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm by calling 01792 616629 and selecting option one.
Supporters can also book headsets in person in advance at the ticket office, or on the day by speaking to a Disability Liaison Steward on the day.
To learn more about Radio City, visit www.radiocity1386am.co.uk. To learn more about accessible facilities at the stadium, please click here.
The inclusion room at the Swansea.com Stadium is open every matchday for supporters who may require a quiet space during games.
Supporters will be able to attend live matches at the Swansea.com Stadium with the comfort of knowing there is a designated area should they need it. The room is available to any supporter that may require a quiet space.
The space will be monitored by a designated disability liaison steward and provides a safe space with a disabled toilet, a projector to watch the live game, and dignity packs for those who need it.
While some supporters who require a time away from the crowds may prefer to use this room as a quiet space, it will also be possible to watch the match live on a screen projected onto the wall meaning supporters who require the space for any reason don’t have to miss a moment of the match action.
The room is located in the West Stand and, while supporters who feel they may benefit from the use of the space will be recommended to sit in that stand, it will be accessible for anyone in any part of the stadium.
Any supporter who feels overwhelmed by the matchday environment for any reason can gain access to the room by making themselves known to a steward or disability liaison steward.
We are all Jacks is Swansea City’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion both within the club and throughout the local community.
Working with international and local charities, as well as supporter groups, Swansea City strives to ensure that a visit to the Swansea.com Stadium is a welcoming experience for everyone regardless of sex, sexuality, gender identity, religion, race, disability, or age.
The club takes a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment, victimisation, bullying and abuse.
Supporters are encouraged to report instances of abusive and discriminatory language within the stadium by using the anonymous safe text number 88440, starting the message with the word SWANS and providing details of the incident.
Messages will be charged at the standard rate for your network provider.
The details from the message will be received at the match control room, where any necessary investigation and/or action will be taken. The club will also record the mobile number of the individual reporting an incident to aid with any inquiries.
Caretaker Head Coach Alan Sheehan
1 Andy Fisher
2 Josh Key
3 Kristian Pedersen
4 Jay Fulton
5 Ben Cabango
6 Harry Darling
7 Joe Allen
8 Matt Grimes (c)
9 Jerry Yates
10 Jamal Lowe
11 Josh Ginnelly
12 Jamie Paterson
14 Josh Tymon
15 Nathanael Ogbeta
17 Yannick Bolasie
18 Charlie Patino
19 Mykola Kuharevich
20 Liam Cullen
21 Nathan Tjoe-A-On
22 Carl Rushworth
23 Nathan Wood
26 Kyle Naughton
28 Liam Walsh
29 Nathan Broome
30 Harrison Ashby
31 Ollie Cooper
33 Bashir Humphreys
36 Ben Lloyd
40 NUMBER RETIRED
45 Cameron Congreve
46 Ben Hughes
47 Azeem Abdulai
Manager Ryan Lowe
1 Freddie Woodman
3 Greg Cunningham
4 Ben Whiteman
5 Patrick Bauer
6 Liam Lindsay
7 Will Keane
8 Alan Browne ©
9 Ched Evans
10 Mads Frokjaer-Jensen
11 Robbie Brady
13 Ali McCann
14 Jordan Storey
16 Andrew Hughes
17 Layton Stewart
18 Ryan Ledson
19 Emil Riis
20 Ben Woodburn
21 Dai Cornell
22 Calvin Ramsay
23 Liam Miller
24 Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile
25 Duane Holmes
26 Jack Whatmough
28 Milutin Osmajic
30 Kian Taylor
33 Kian Best
35 Noah Mawene
36 Josh Seary
37 Kaedyn Kamara
44 Brad Potts
Referee - Robert Madley
Assistant Referee 1 - Craig Taylor
Assistant Referee 2 - Blake Antrobus
Fourth Official - Josh Smith
Chairman - Andy Coleman
Honorary Club President - Alan Curtis MBE
Directors
Jason Levien, Andy Coleman, Nigel Morris, Brett Cravatt, Jake Silverstein, Sam Porter, Martin Morgan, Paul Meller (supporter director), Romie Chaudhari, Bobby Hernreich, Todd Marcelle, Gareth Davies.
Director of Business and Legal Affairs: Sam Porter.
Associate Directors: Adam Lewis.
FIRST-TEAM STAFF
Caretaker Head Coach – Alan Sheehan
Head of Goalkeeping – Martyn Margetson
First Team Coach - Kris O'Leary
Head of Medical - Dr Jez McCluskey
Staff: Anthony Wright, Gavin Levey, Ailsa Jones, Bethany Chaddock, Matt Murray, Thomas Gittoes, Michael Eames, Shaun Baggridge, Shaun Howl, Jonathan Jones, Jono Aveston, Jake Dayus, Patrick Orme, Lewis Binns, Chris Watkins.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP
Paul Watson (Sporting Director); Andrew Davies (Head of Commercial, Operations, & Facilities);
Gareth Davies (CFO);
Josh Marsh (Head of Football Operations).
CLUB STAFF
Club Secretary: Ben Greenwood
Football Operations &
Administration Manager: Rebecca Gigg
Head of Retail: Andrea Morris
Head of Hospitality, Events & Fan Engagement: Catherine Thomas
Head of Safeguarding: Rebeca Storer
HR Manager: Nicola Butt
Senior Commercial Sponsorship Manager: Lee Merrells
Head of Commercial:
Richard Morris
Head of Media & Communications:
Ben Donovan
Ticket Office Manager: Lewis Bullen
Head of Facilities: Gordon David
Grounds Manager: Evan Davies
Disability Access Officer: Catherine Thomas
Head of Swansea City AFC Foundation: Paul France
Club Ambassador: Lee Trundle
PROGRAMME PRODUCTION
Contributors: Andrew Gwilym, Hayley Ford, Sophie Davis, Rachael Tucker, Cerith White, Rhys Kemish, Dom Hynes, Sammy Wynne, Fraser Dickson, Ben Donovan, Owen Morgan, Julie Kissick, Gwyn Rees, Ian Mitchelmore.
Designers: Callum Rothwell,
Jordan Morcom, Lewis Ward
Photography: Athena Picture Agency,
Natalie John-Davis, Alamy.
