Take a look behind the scenes at the start of Vitor Matos' tenure as Swansea City head coach.

From training to matchdays, from media duties to meeting supporters, it's all here.

The start of the 2025-26 season marked 20 years since Swansea City moved into our Swansea.com Stadium home.

To mark the anniversary, club historian Gwyn Rees is profiling members of the first Swans squad to grace the stadium during the 2005-06 campaign. This time, he looks at the career of Adebayo Akinfenwa, a true cult hero beloved throughout the game.

Not many players can say that they have a cult following in the professional game, but one Adebayo Akinfenwa can certainly claim that distinction, as his fame off the pitch with his ‘strongest footballer in the world’ tag in a video game helping make him a global star. 

Known affectionately as ‘the Beast’, Bayo is beloved by supporters of many clubs, while his clothing range ‘Beast Mode On’ has been sold all around the world.

A much travelled player, Adebayo was born in London in May 1982, and as a teenager he moved to Lithuanian club FK Atlantas. His time at the club saw him score the winning goal in the 2001 Lithuanian Cup Final and that led to him playing in the Uefa Cup qualifying rounds for his club. 

Although his time at the club was successful, he found the racial abuse that he received in some quarters to understandably be unacceptable and, after two seasons, he returned to the UK and signed for Welsh Premier champions Barry Town. 

In his short time at Jenner Park he helped his side retain the Welsh title and win the Welsh Cup. However, all soon came crashing down, with the club facing a financial crisis and having to release all its playing staff.

This was the beginning of a nomadic period for the player that saw him turn out for five different clubs in one season. Beginning at Boston United, then on to Leyton Orient, then for a few weeks at Rushden and Diamonds, and joining Doncaster Rovers in February 2004; he eventually moved to Torquay United. 

It was at Plainmoor that he first played a full settled regular season, scoring 14 goals for the Gulls, but turning down a contract at the end of the season.

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Formed in 1864, Wrexham are the oldest football club in Wales, founded by members of Wrexham Cricket Club who were seeking a winter sport. 

They won the inaugural Welsh Cup in 1878 with victory over Druids, and went on to lift the trophy a record 23 times before changes to the competition in 1995 meant clubs playing in the English system were no longer eligible.

Aside from two seasons in the Welsh League, Wrexham have spent the vast majority of their history competing in the English football pyramid. They were founding members of the Third Division North in 1921 and remained part of the Football League continuously until relegation to the National League in 2008.

The club returned to the EFL in 2023 after a 15-year absence, following their takeover by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Since then, Wrexham have enjoyed a remarkable rise, securing back-to-back-to-back promotions to return to the second tier for the first time since 1982.
 

RACECOURSE GROUND

Built: 1807

Location: Mold Road, Wrexham, LL11 2AH

Capacity: 12,600

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Wales international Kieffer Moore joined Wrexham in the summer after a year with Sheffield United, and is currently the club's top goal scorer with eight Championship goals to his name.

Moore started his career in non-league before joining Yeovil in 2013. The striker spent two years with the Glovers before moving to Norway, where he had a spell with Viking FK.

Moore had something of a nomadic existence as he went on to have stints with Forest Green Rovers, Torquay United, Ipswich, Rotherham United, Barnsley and Wigan Athletic before moving to Cardiff City for £2 million in August 2020. 

Twenty-five goals in 64 league appearances for Cardiff attracted the interest of Bournemouth, for whom he netted nine goals in 39 league appearances. 

There was then a loan spell at Ipswich Town as they claimed promotion to the Premier League before signing a three-year contract to join the Blades last summer, where he made 27 appearances and scored five goals as they suffered play-off final heartache against Sunderland.

He has also scored 15 times in 52 appearances for Wales, most recently in the 1-0 win over Kazakhstan in September. 
 

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Tonight’s match may not be the famed south Wales derby, but personally I’m more excited than if we were playing Cardiff City.

Swansea and Wrexham may be separated by more than 132 miles and one of western Europe’s most challenging transport networks – but it still feels like a genuine derby match to me.

It’s North v South, The Gogs v The Hwntws, Moore and Broadhead v Cabango and Cullen, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney v Snoop Dog and Luca Modric.

It’s Wrexham Lager v Gower Gold, Rownd a Rownd v Pobol Y Cwm, The Turf v The Swansea Jack.

And for all the Welsh speakers out there it’s llefrith v llaeth, nain v mamgu and rwan v nawr. 

Talking of Welsh speakers, older readers may remember the popular 1970s sit-com Fo a Fe which emphasised the differences between north and south Wales through its two lead characters.

Fo (the north Wales word for him) was a chapel-going, Eisteddfod-loving, strait-laced Gog called Ephraim Hughes, played by proud north-Walian Guto Roberts.

While Fe (the south Wales word for him) was a beer-swilling Hwntw, called Twm Twm, who loved nothing more than a trip to the bookies.

Twm Twm was played by the much-loved Ryan Davies, who was born in the Amman Valley and lived much of his life in Swansea.

The city had its own big star called Ryan, long before Wrexham did!

The hugely versatile entertainer, one half of the comedy duo Ryan and Ronnie (we even had our own version of Ryan and Rob before Wrexham!), was also famed for his annual pantomimes at Swansea’s Grand Theatre. 

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Brwydr Gymreig yn y Bencampwriaeth

Am y tro cyntaf ers dros 20 mlynedd fe fydd yr Elyrch yn croesawu’r Dreigiau i Stadiwm Swansea.com wrth i Wrecsam teithio o’r gogledd i SA1. 0-0 oedd y sgôr yn yr ornest yn yr hen Adran 3, ac yn y blynyddoedd cynnar wedi hynny roedd y clybiau yn mynd i gyfeiriadau gwbl wahanol yn y pyramid. I Abertawe, hedfan i Uwch Gynghrair Lloegr ac o ganlyniad i hynny, ennill Cwpan yr EFL a chwarae yng Nghynghrair Europa. Tra bod Wrecsam wedi disgyn i’r Gynghrair Genedlaethol a cholli pan oedd cyfleoedd i godi i Adran Dau.

Ond bellach mae’r clybiau yn chwarae yn y Bencampwriaeth, Abertawe am sawl blwyddyn bellach tra bod Wrecsam y newydd ddyfodiaid yn chwarae yn y gynghrair am y tro cyntaf ers 2004 wedi iddyn nhw fod y tîm proffesiynol sicrhau dyrchafiad mewn tri thymor yn olynol. Erbyn heddiw mae gan y ddau glwb perchnogion Americanaidd sydd yn eu cefnogi.

Mae’r ornest hon wedi bod yn un fyddai cefnogwyr wedi chwilio amdano pan gafodd gemau’r tymor eu cyhoeddi yn yr haf, a nawr mae’r diwrnod rydym wedi aros yn hir amdano wedi dod. Wrecsam sydd yn uwch yn y gynghrair yn yr 15fed safle, tra bod yr Elyrch pum pwynt y tu ôl iddynt yn safle rhif 19. Fydd ambell i wyneb cyfarwydd yn siŵr o chwarae ddydd Gwener hefyd, gyda Lewis O’Brien yn un o hoelion wyth Wrecsam erbyn hyn ar ôl treulio cyfnod ar fenthyg gydag Abertawe diwedd tymor diwethaf. Ymosodwr Cymru a chyn-chwaraewr Caerdydd Kieffer Moore fydd wyneb arall fydd cefnogwyr yr Elyrch yn sicr yn gwybod am ei allu ef yn yr awyr ac ar y llawr.

Er gwaethaf colled yn erbyn Stoke penwythnos diwethaf bydd yr Elyrch yn teimlo’n hyderus ar gyfer yr ornest. Roedd buddugoliaethau yn erbyn Oxford a Portsmouth yn hwb mawr iddynt ac yn sail gref i Vitor Matos adeiladu arni.

Efallai un peth oddi ar y cae sydd yn amlwg am y clybiau yma yw eu defnydd o’r Gymraeg. Wedi ei lleoli yng ngogledd Cymru lle mae’r Gymraeg yn fwy amlwg, mae Wrecsam wedi gwneud yn dda i hybu’r Gymraeg trwy eu rhaglen Welcome to Wrexham, gan ddefnyddio enwogion fel Maxine Hughes i drafod yr iaith a’i phwysigrwydd i Gymru - gyda Rob McElhenney hyd yn oed yn dysgu’r iaith. Yn Abertawe, ardal sydd gyda llai na 10% o’i phoblogaeth yn meddu’r iaith, mae’r Elyrch yn gwneud yn wych i hyrwyddo’r Gymraeg. Fel cefnogwr sydd yn byw a bod yn y Gymraeg mae’n gwneud i fi deimlo mor falch i gael y clwb yn cyhoeddi graffegau yn y Gymraeg, yn ei ddefnyddio ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol ac mae cyfarchion yn y stadiwm gan gyhoeddwyr yn y Gymraeg pob tro.

Er ei fod yn ymddangos yn beth bach, mae gan y clybiau yma presenoldeb mawr ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol ac mae hybu a dangos y Gymraeg i gymunedau ledled y byd ond yn gwneud lles i’r iaith. Felly efallai nid darbi Cymru, ond darbi Cymraeg fydd yn cael eu chwarae yn Stadiwm Swansea.Com nos Wener. Felly hir oes i’r Gymraeg!

ALED LLOYD BISTON

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Swansea City captain Ben Cabango admits there will be an extra edge to proceedings when he and his teammates take on Wrexham under the Friday night lights at the Swansea.com Stadium.

It has been nearly 20 years since the sides last met in any competition; with the 2006 FAW Premier Cup final being the most recent competitive clash.

A year prior to that, in May 2005, was the last meeting in Swansea as the home side bade farewell to their old Vetch Field home with a 2-1 victory, again in the final of the FAW Premier Cup.

When it comes to all-Welsh fixtures, Cabango has enjoyed some stand-out moments.

The 25-year-old is already assured of his place in Swans folklore having scored in consecutive double-clinching victories over Cardiff City.

The second of those, in the 99th-minute to secure a 3-2 win, is already an iconic Swans moment.

While acknowledging that the feeling will be different when he and his teammates face Wrexham for the first time, Cabango expects the clash to carry an additional edge particularly with a number of Wales national squad members facing off against each other.

And he is looking forward to the two Welsh sides sitting highest in the football pyramid locking horns in front of a sold-out home crowd.

“I think everyone is excited for the game, there is a lot of buzz around it,” he said.

“It is sold-out so I am sure the atmosphere is going to be buzzing. It’s definitely got a different edge to it, I think you can feel that among the supporters and the amount of attention there is on the game.

“You are up for every game, but that buzz does add something and we cannot wait for it to come round and get going.

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Swansea City Under-21s suffered late heartbreak as they conceded in added time to fall to defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League Cup.

Daniel Angel fired Wolves ahead inside the opening minute, before second-half goals from Thomas Woodward and Morgan Bates put the Swans in front with 20 minutes remaining.

Luke Rawlings later drew Wolves level before captain Caden Voice struck the winner in added time to deny the home side a share of the spoils.

It marked the second PL Cup game in a row in which the Swans have conceded a crucial stoppage-time goal, after Nottingham Forest also scored a stoppage-time winner.

The visitors had taken the lead inside the opening minute when a through ball down the left from Voice sent Angel racing clear of the Swans defence, and he finished smartly into the top corner.

The Swans responded well to the early setback, with their first chance falling to Woodward, whose volley from inside the area flashed wide of the right-hand post.

Woodward went close again on 25 minutes, as neat link-up play with Bates sent him one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his low effort across goal struck the far post.

The Swans trailed at the break but started the second half strongly, with Caleb Demery forcing Welsh youth international Lewys Benjamin into his first save of the game, as the goalkeeper dived low to his left to keep out a curling effort from outside the area.

The equaliser arrived minutes later when Bates won the ball high up the pitch and slipped Woodward through, with the forward making no mistake as he slotted past Benjamin.

Momentum was firmly in the Swans’ favour, and they nearly added a spectacular second when the second phase of a set-piece fell to captain Arthur Parker, whose 30-yard strike flew narrowly over the bar.

Swansea continued to threaten as the hour mark approached, with Demery showing superb footwork to evade several Wolves defenders in the area before firing narrowly wide of the far post.

And the Swans took a deserved lead with 20 minutes remaining after a superb team move that began with goalkeeper Evan Anderson. The ball was worked to Josh Pescatore, whose effort from inside the box was initially saved by Benjamin, but Bates reacted quickest to poke home from close range for Swansea’s second.

The hosts showed no signs of letting up after taking the lead and nearly added a third when Woodward picked up a loose ball and played Pescatore into space on the edge of the area, but his curling effort struck the post as the Swans were denied by the woodwork again.

The missed opportunity proved costly as Wolves found an equaliser with 10 minutes remaining. Rawlings drove forward, weaving past several defenders, before unleashing a powerful strike at the near post that beat Anderson.

The Swans almost regained the lead straight from kick-off as Pescatore drove up the pitch and unleashed a long-range effort that bounced in front of Benjamin, who managed to parry the ball away from goal.

But it was the visitors who found the winner through Voice, who sent a ball into the area from the left-hand side. What looked more like a cross took a deflection and found its way past Andersen to seal the victory.

Swansea City Under 21s: Evan Anderson, Zach Jeanes (Josh Pescatore 46), Blair Mckenzie (Carter Heywood 92), Dan Watts, Arthur Parker, Iestyn Jones, Sam Parker, Thomas Woodward, Morgan Bates, Yori Griffith (Callum Deacon 49), Caleb Demery (Kai Rhodes 75). 

Unused Substitutes: Tom Wright. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Lewys Benjamin, Myles Dayman (Hayden Carson 64), Ethan Sutherland, Caden Voice, Sebastian Lochhead, Mackenzie Bradbury (Ty Barnett 64), Leonardo Lopes (Josh Esen 78), Luke Rawlings, Daniel Angel, Fletcher Holman, Finn Ashworth. 

Unused Substitutes: Alfie Brooks.

So often we see football as a game that divides us. We talk about it in combative language and we get fixated by results – winning matters above all else.

But in truth, so much about the beautiful game unites us and that’s because football goes beyond club and country and offers opportunities for friendships, relationships and partnerships on and off the pitch.

This week the former Wrexham striking duo of our very own Lee Trundle and Andy Morrell joined the Rob and Blakey Commentary Box podcast and what a cracking example they were of two former teammates demonstrating how football can be the catalyst for bringing people together – and keeping them together.

If you don’t know, Trunds started his professional career at Wrexham.  Like him, Morrell was a late starter when it came to getting a pro contract and the pair formed a tight partnership – often referred to as the ‘dynamic duo’. They were striking partners on the pitch and firm friends off it – a friendship that has remained to this day, despite them not playing together since 2003.

Their manager at Wrexham at the time was Denis Smith, who maintained that both men were ‘hero worshipped’ by the fans.

Trundle explained the dynamics of the working relationship which became a solid friendship: “I think with the partnership with me and Andy, Andy’s strengths and my strengths worked together. Andy loved going in behind, he’d chase lost balls and for me I like dropping into that number 10 role … He was the perfect partner for me.

“We got on really well back then and we still do to this day, so it was never about who scores or who does the most. For us, I understood my role and what worked out well for Andy, and Andy understood what worked well for me as well, and I think as a partnership we never had a cross word with each other, we always enjoyed playing together and you could see that on the pitch.”

But tonight, the friends are on opposing sides. Their careers took different turns when they left Wrexham. Trunds is an adopted Jack, having two playing spells with the Swans spanning five years. He continued as a pro until 2013 when he took up his role as a club ambassador and continued to play semi-professionally.

Morrell went on to manage Wrexham from 2011-14 after returning for his second spell as a player in 2010 and becoming player-manager the following year.

Naturally, they are both hoping their respective clubs steal the spoils tonight.

“I think with the home advantage and with it being a big occasion I think we have got to try and go and win that game, and I do think we’ll sneak a win on Friday night,” said Trundle.

Morrell countered: “We’re just hard to beat at the moment or have been for the past 10 games. We’ve drawn a lot of games, so if my money is going down anywhere I would have gone for a draw, but now Lee said that I’m going to go for an away win!”

Nothing surprising in either of those predictions, because club loyalty will always reign supreme. And when the final whistle goes Trunds has already agreed to host Andy for a drink, and the gesture promised in return when the two sides meet again in March.

The reality is that football helped them forge a solid friendship, which transcends colours, proximity and external noise, and the bond they developed gave them a reason to maintain it long after their playing partnership ended.

It struck me as I was watching the two men talk about each other with such fondness, that focusing on what unites rather than divides us was an important thing for us all to remember, especially at this time of year.

Let’s hope both our clubs can kick on and reflect Wales well in the Championship as we enter the next stage of the season.  Although, obviously, for 90 minutes this evening, winning is what matters most.

Compliments of the Christmas season to one and all.

JULIE KISSICK

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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.

REPORT IT – IN THE STADIUM

Supporters are encouraged to report instances of abusive and discriminatory language within the stadium by using the anonymous text and Whatsapp number (07886 276015) providing details of the incident and your location in the stadium.

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.

Supporters can also use support@swanseacity.com to report instances of discrimination. 

Head Coach Vitor Matos

1 Andy Fisher

2 Josh Key

4 Jay Fulton

5 Ben Cabango (c)

6 Marko Stamenić

7 Melker Widell

8 Malick Yalcouye

9 Žan Vipotnik

10 Jisung Eom

14 Josh Tymon

15 Cameron Burgess

16 Ishé Samuels-Smith

17 Gonçalo Franco

20 Liam Cullen

21 Manuel Benson

22 Lawrence Vigouroux

23 Ricardo Santos

24 Bobby Wales

26 Kaelan Casey

27 Zeidane Inoussa

29 Paul Farman

30 Ethan Galbraith

33 Adam Idah

35 Ronald

40 NUMBER RETIRED IN MEMORY OF BESIAN IDRIZAJ

41 Sam Parker

46 Arthur Parker

47 Sebastian Dabrowski

54 Iestyn Jones