Swansea City v Derby County – 20-21 – Issue 25

Cadwch yn ddiogel Jacks

Issue 25 - Digital Copy

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Swansea City v Derby County Saturday, May 1 - Kick-off 3pm

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CONTENTS Page 11 - Matt Grimes’ Notes

Page 14 - Meet the Opposition

Page 19 - Match Reports

Page 28 - Steve Cooper – 100 Matches in Charge of Swansea City

Page 42 - Century of League Football

Polite Warning: The British courts have now imposed a standard minimum three-year ban from all football grounds for football-related arrests – both inside and outside the ground. CCTV is currently in operation inside and outside the stadium, while police are also using handheld video cameras.

Offences include: obscene or racist chanting or gesturing; consuming alcohol in seated areas; continual standing in seated areas; aggressive behaviour; going onto the pitch; throwing of items; drunk and disorderly behaviour or under the influence of drugs. Please note there is also a no-smoking policy within the stadium. If broken, you could be ejected. Sales of goods inside and outside the stadium is prohibited unless via official registered sellers. The club badge is a registered trademark and unauthorised use of it will not be permitted. High-quality cameras are not permitted inside the stadium.

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Chief Executive Julian Winter Board Of Directors Directors: Romie Chaudhari, Bobby Hernreich, Huw Jenkins, Jason Levien, Stuart McDonald, Martin Morgan, Gareth Davies, Julian Winter, Jake Silverstein, Sam Porter Honorary Club President: Alan Curtis; Associate Directors: David Morgan, Cath Dyer Team Management Head Coach: Steve Cooper Assistant Coach: Mike Marsh Behind the Team Goalkeeping Coach: Martyn Margetson Head of Medicine: Dr Jez McCluskey Head of Performance Analysis: Steve Rands Head of Recruitment: Andy Scott Academy Director: Mark Allen Staff: David Tivey, Ritson Lloyd, Alan Tate, Ailsa Jones, Matthew Murray, Adele Callaghan, Daniel Morris, Lee Watkins, Chris Watkins, Tom Jenkinson, Daniel Nisbett, Michael Eames, Shaun Baggridge, Huw Lake, Ashley Gill, Steffan Popham

Senior Management Group Andrew Davies (Head of Operations, Facilities & Development); Gareth Davies (CFO); Rebecca Edwards-Symmons (Head of Commercial) Club Staff Club Secretary: Ben Greenwood Assistant Football Secretary: Rebecca Gigg Head of Retail: Andrea Morris Head of Hospitality & Customer Services: Catherine Thomas Legal Counsel, Head of Safeguarding: Rebeca Storer HR Manager: Nicola Butt Senior Commercial Sponsorship Manager: Lee Merrells Commercial Marketing Manager: Katie Hughes Head of Media & Communications: Ben Donovan Media Manager: Chris Wilson-Barney Ticket Office Manager: Luke Hughes Operations & Events Manager: Matthew Daniel Facilities Manager: Gordon David Grounds Manager: Anthony Harry Disability Access Officer: Mark Phillips Community Trust Manager: Helen Elton Club Ambassador: Lee Trundle

Programme Production Contributors: Alex Bennett, Ben Donovan, Chris Wilson-Barney, Andrew Gwilym, Jonathan Davies, Sophie Davis, Julie Kissick, Alun Rhys Chivers, Adam Evans, Gwyn Rees, Ben Jones, Dylan James, Luke Evans, Rachael Tucker, Adam Lewis Designers: Callum Rothwell, Jordan Morcom Photography: Athena Picture Agency, Natalie Davis, PA, REX Print: DWJ Group Ltd Swansea City AFC Liberty Stadium, Landore, Swansea, SA10 2FA CP-D Dinas Abertawe Stadiwm Liberty, Landore, Abertawe, SA1 2FA Telephone/Ffôn: 01792 616400 Web/Gwe: swanseacity.com Email/E-bost: info@swanseacity.com

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Chief Executive’s Notes

JULIAN WINTER G

ood afternoon and welcome back to the Liberty Stadium for today’s Championship game against Derby County.

It’s incredibly pleasing to come into this fixture having already secured a place in the play-offs.

Last Sunday’s game at Reading was a little different to our trip to the Madejski Stadium last July when we secured a play-off spot in dramatic fashion, so to do this with two league games still to play is very pleasing.

The game in Berkshire also marked Steve’s 100th competitive game in charge, which is a great achievement.

Steve, his staff, and the playing squad have worked incredibly hard in what has been a tough season for all clubs in terms of scheduling following the extension of 2019-20 last summer.

The short turnaround from last season’s play-off campaign and the start of a new season was a matter of weeks and with more midweek games than ever before it has been a test for everyone, so for us to be in the play-offs for a second successive year is fantastic.

Yesterday (April 30) saw football take a strong stance against abuse and discrimination online with a social media boycott that will last until 11.59pm on Monday (May 3).

As a club we have been directly affected by this with Yan, Ben and Jamal all suffering such despicable and abhorrent abuse via social media and we fully support any campaigns that make a strong stance against this.

communicated that the general sale window remains open for purchases until midnight on Saturday, May 8, which is the final day of the regular season.

We are all acutely aware of how much work is still to be done on these issues, but we hope that such a stance will have a wider effect and bring about change from the social media companies to put measures in place to prevent such horrendous abuse.

Tomorrow (May 2) also marks 40 years since Swansea City were promoted to the First Division for the first time – which was a hugely proud period in this club’s history. The club’s media department have been working hard behind the scenes here in recent months to mark this milestone and we will have more news about that very soon.

Last week we filed our annual accounts with Companies House for the year ending July 31, 2020. It saw the club report a pre-tax profit of £2.7m which was very pleasing.

Finally, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the management, players, staff and directors from Derby who have made the trip to Wales for today’s game.

Naturally, the club is still adapting to relegation from the Premier League, balancing the tricky conundrum of being competitive on the pitch and financially prudent off it. But an overall profit on the back of a loss the previous year shows a great deal of progress on the road to our overall business model of being financially stable.

As always, we thank you for your continued support and we hope you are proud of what the club has done so far this season. There is still so much to play for and we hope that there is an exciting and historic end to the campaign.

Enjoy the game,

As I have mentioned previously in my programme notes, season ticket sales for 2021-22 have been hugely encouraging and this week the club

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Head Coach’s Notes

STEVE COOPER G

o od afternoon everyone as we look ahead to our latest Championship fixture with Derby County.

We go into the game having secured our place in the playoffs thanks to last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Reading.

T h e m e n t a l i t y of t h i s t e a m is always to go out and win matches, but , in the end, a draw was enough to guarantee our place in the play-offs for another year.

While it was disappointing to concede late on and be denied victory, I was happy with the way the player s re ac t ed t o Reading’s opener, and we were full of energy and attacking threat all game.

We now have two games left of the season before going into the play-offs, but we’re not easing up.

Although we have booked our play-off place, there is a lot of hard work to be done against Derby and Watford, and the players and staff are well aware of that.

There are things we can look at and work on, which hopefully will benefit us later on in the play-offs.

But, as ever, we place full focus on today’s game.

We are a proud football club, and we know just how privileged we are to represent the fans and the city.

Hopefully you’ve felt proud of the players this season, but within the group we know nothing has been achieved yet.

Swansea City is a football club that has achieved great things in recent years, with a seven-year stretch in the Premier League along with winning the EFL Cup and enjoying a run in the Europa League. So we won’t be looking at booking a place in the play-offs as an achievement, it is more of an opportunity.

We’ ve c ome so far battling against clubs who have invested a lot of money in their squad.

We’ve not had the same level playing field in that respect, but you won’t find us moaning about that as we have spirit, style and pride in abundance.

Finally, a number of organisations and clubs, including ourselves, are in the middle of a social media boycott in an effort to combat abuse and discrimination on various platforms.

We were the first club in world football to take this stance with a week-long boycott on our channels, and again we deliver that same message.

Enough is enough.

Enjoy the game,

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MATT GRIMES Captain’s Notes

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ood afternoon and welcome to everyone joining us from around the world for this afternoon’s Championship fixture against Derby County at the Liberty.

We go into the game on the b ack of S unday ’s 2-2 draw away to Reading where we secured our spot in the Championship play-offs.

It was disappointing to go 1-0 down, but we showed great character in the second half to get back into it.

We went 2-1 up, and we were left a little disappointed that we didn’t get all three points.

Having said that, it’s job done in terms of getting into the play-offs, and now we have to finish the season strongly before going into that.

We knew Andre coming on, along with Morgan and Connor, would make a difference. They had

fre sh legs , pinned R e ading back a bit and thankfully it worked. We got two goals and that was enough to get us over the line.

Momentum is important. If we can get two good results in the two remaining games, then that stands us in good stead for the play-offs.

We were disappointed to lose out in the play-off semi-finals last season, but we’ll look to go one step further this time.

Our performances and results h ave n’ t b e e n c o n s i s t e n t of late, so we need to get to the levels we know we c an produce and see where it takes us.

We’re also taking part in another boycott of social media platforms this weekend to take a stand against discrimination of all kinds on social media along with The FA, Premier League, EFL, FA Women’s Super League, FA Women’s Championship, PFA, LMA, PGMOL, Kick It Out, Women in Football and the FSA. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank supporters for their continued support on this and we will continue to fight against injustice collectively and push for positive change.

Enjoy the game today!

We know Derby will be fighting for their lives and it will be a tough test but we will be focussed and as prepared as we can be.

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hat a time to be a Swans and football supporter, Terry Sinnett writes… Sunday saw us secure our place in the Championship play-offs and we join all our fans in congratulating the players, Steve Cooper, his coaches and all the staff behind the scenes on this fine achievement.

Our performances this season have fluctuated but it’s impossible not to recognise the tremendous job done given our club’s circumstances. We have reached the play-offs for the second year running despite having one of the smallest squads in the league and working within a budget still reflecting the effects of our relegation from the Premier League. In this regard, we were pleased to see the latest accounts reporting a pre-tax profit of £2.7m.

Up to today’s game we have won more games, conceded fewer goals and amassed more points than we achieved in total last season. That is some progress and is despite enduring injuries to the likes of Liam Cullen, Wayne Routledge, Morgan GibbsWhite, Jordan Morris and Paul Arriola – the last two resulting in their return to their parent clubs, further depleting the squad. This is a great achievement and one that we hope will see us make a return to the Premier League. For sure, the Jack Army will be right behind the boys until the final whistle blows on the season.

Over the years, the power of the fans has led to many changes to our beloved game. We know full well here how the Jack Army saved this club and led to the foundation of the trust, who continue to be the voice

of the fans within our club. Last week saw a move by six of the big Premier League clubs to try to force through the introduction of the so called European Super League. Once again, the fans and the whole football family came together to thwart these plans which would undoubtedly have been detrimental to the game as a whole. The trust continues to work in conjunction with the FSA to push for the governance of football to be properly scrutinised. To achieve this, we need a strong trust and ask you to renew your annual membership in due course or join us for the first time. For more information on joining visit our website: www.swanstrust.co.uk This weekend sees a total social media blackout by the football family following the continued racial abuse suffered by footballers and within our wider society. We are proud that our club led the way with their #EnoughIsEnough campaign, and the trust proudly stand right behind them. We must all hope that this concerted action will show football coming together to emphasise that social media companies must do more to eradicate online hate. They must act now. The trust will be part of the boycott.

Today we welcome Derby County to the Liberty.

They are in a scramble to retain their place in the Championship and no doubt we can look forward to a tough game. Oh, how we wish we, as fans, could be there!

Enjoy the game, YJB!

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DERBY COUNTY

FACT FILE OWNER

NICKNAME

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

@dcfcofficial

STADIUM Pride Park

The Rams

1884

@DerbyCountyOfficial

1997

33,597

OPENED

THE GAFFER

The former Everton, Manchester United and England forward has been in charge since the dismissal of Phillip Cocu in November.

Rooney came through the academy ranks at Everton, making his first-team bow as a 16-year-old, before a trophy-laden 13 years with United over the course of which he became the club’s record scorer.

His 53 goals in 120 caps also made him England’s record goalscorer, and he had a second spell at Everton before moving on to DC United and Derby.

CLUB CAPTAIN

The Scotland international goalkeeper joined the Rams last summer and his experience will be key for a largely youthful squad.

The 36-year-old started his career with Celtic before stints with Norwich, Cardiff, Hull and Wigan before making the move to Pride Park.

He was handed the captaincy when Rooney was named fulltime boss in January.

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FOUNDED

@dcfcofficial

WAYNE ROONEY

Mel Morris

DAVID MARSHALL

CLUB DETAILS SOCIAL MEDIA FACILITIES

CAPACITY

STADIUM MEET THE OPPOSITION

The Rams have been in the Championship since a record-low Premier League points tally of 11 saw them fall into the second tier at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.

They have made four play-off appearances since, with their most recent seeing them miss out on promotion to the top-flight in May 2019 as they lost the Wembey final to Aston Villa.

The East Midlands side have two First Division titles to their name, with successes in 1971-72 and 197475 coming with Brian Clough and Dave Mackay at the helm respectively.

DERBY COUNTY’S FORM

The Rams have lost their last five Championship fixtures to leave them battling to retain their place in the division as the season enters the final stages.

They have won just one of their previous 13 games, which has seen them slide to within striking distance of those looking to haul themselves out of the drop zone.

THE KEY MEN

Colin Kazim-Richards has led the line for Derby and banged in eight goals to top their goalscoring charts.

Youngsters like Jason Knight, Louie Sibley and Max Bird have shown glimpses of their undoubted talents.

On-loan Brighton defender Matt Clarke and Craig Forsyth have important tasks during this final run-in.

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ONES TO WATCH

GRAEME SHINNIE

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A versatile player who started his career at leftback but is now an adapted midfielder, Shinnie is in his second year with the Rams. Spent six years in his homeland with Inverness, where he became a S c ott i s h C u p w i n n e r i n 2015. His performances there caught the attention of Aberdeen, and he left having made close to 200 appearances at Pittodrie.

Has three league goals in 38 appearances this term.

POSITION

DF

NATION

AGE

POSITION

24 MF

The towering centre-back is currently in his second loan spell with the Rams following his move to Graham Potter’s Brighton in June 2019. He has actually spent more time with his loan club than he has at the Seagulls, having made his initial move two months after completing his transfer from Portsmouth to the Amex Stadium. Named the Rams’ Player of the Season last term, and has missed just four league games this year.

MATTHEW CLARKE

NATION

AGE

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MARTYN WAGHORN The striker joined Derby in August 2018 - the ninth club of his career. Born in South Shields, Waghorn started his career with Sunderland where he picked up some Premier League experience. Joined Charlton and Leicester on loan, before making his switch to the Foxes on a permanent basis. More loan stints at Hull, Millwall and Wigan followed, joining the Latics on a free transfer soon after. Won the Scottish Championship and Challenge Cup with Rangers before a season with Ipswich.

POSITION

MF

NATION

AGE

POSITION

20 FW

The exciting talent is in his second season of senior football, and is a former team-mate of Morgan Whittaker within the Rams’ academy. Burst onto the scene with six league goals last season, and has two to his name this time around. Born in Dublin, Knight has five international caps, and has become a prominent figure of Rooney’s midfield. His brother Kevin was part of Leicester City’s youth set up, and he hit the headlines after the CPR skills he learned with the Foxes helped save his father’s life in March.

JASON KNIGHT

NATION

AGE

POSITION

31 FW

NATION

AGE

34

The London-born Turkey international shot to fame when his £250,000 transfer from Bury to Brighton was funded after a fan won a competition run by Coca-Cola - hence, his Coca-Cola Kid nickname was born. Has played for 17 clubs in eight different countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Greece and Turkey. Played five times as Turkey reached the semifinals at the 2008 European Championships, and is Derby’s top scorer this term with eight – one coming in the 2-0 win over the Swans in December.

COLIN KAZIM-RICHARDS 17

Ministry

Group

Ministry

Graphics

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SWANSEA CITY 0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1 MATCH DETAILS LINEUPS DATE: TUESDAY, APRIL 20 VENUE: LIBERTY STADIUM REFEREE: JARRED GILLETT

Swans: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton, Ryan Bennett, Marc Guehi, Jake Bidwell; Jay Fulton (Yan Dhanda, 75), Korey Smith, Matt Grimes (captain); Connor Roberts, Wayne Routledge (Liam Cullen, 71), Jamal Lowe (Morgan Whittaker, 86).

MATCH REPORT L

Subs not used: Ben Hamer, Ryan Manning, Conor Hourihane, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ollie Cooper, Ben Cabango.

yndon Dykes struck in the 90th minute to condemn Swansea City to a last-gasp defeat at the hands of Queens Park Rangers.

Automatic promotion hopes were all but over for Steve Cooper’s side after Dykes landed the killer blow in the dying seconds at the Liberty Stadium.

Earlier in the contest, both sides were denied by the woodwork with Wayne Routledge’s deflected strike crashing against the upright, which also kept out QPR’s Ilias Chair on two occasions.

The game appeared to be heading for a stalemate until Dykes controlled in the box, before drilling a low shot past a helpless Freddie Woodman.

Following Watford’s 1-0 win at promoted Norwich, the Swans trailed the Hornets by nine points with just three games remaining and the Vicarage Road side had a healthy advantage in terms of goal difference.

Queens Park Rangers: Joe Lumley; Rob Dickie, Dominic Ball, Yoann Barbet (captain); Osman Kakay (Albert Adomah, 74), George Thomas (Charlie Austin, 67), Stefan Johansen, Niko Hamalainen; Ilias Chair (Sam Field, 79); Lyndon Dykes, Chris Willock.

Subs not used: Joe Walsh, Todd Kane, Macauley Bonne, Faysal Bettache, Stephen Duke-McKenna.

QUOTE OF THE GAME “WE CREATED CHANCES BUT WE DIDN’T TAKE THEM, AND THAT HAS PROVED COSTLY IN THE END.”

STEVE COOPER

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READING 2 SWANSEA CITY 2

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MATCH DETAILS DATE: SUNDAY, APRIL 25 VENUE: MADEJSKI STADIUM REFEREE: SIMON HOOPER

MATCH REPORT S

wansea City c onc eded a stoppage-time equaliser but goals from Jamal Lowe and Andre Ayew still secured a plac e in the p l ay - off s i n S t eve C o o p e r ’ s 1 0 0 t h g a m e i n charge at Reading.

The Swans had trailed at the Madejski S t adium as Yakou Meit e he aded in a 30thminute opener for a Royals side needing a win to keep their top-six hopes alive.

The visitors, meanwhile, needed a point and L owe put them on course for that when h e k n o c ke d i n h i s 1 4 t h g o a l of t h e s e a s o n from close range.

Substitute Andre Ayew had helped to create t h e e q u a l i s e r, a n d t h e G h a n a i a n t h e n p u t h i s s i d e a h e a d w h e n h e c a l m l y f i re d h o m e from a J ake B idwell pull-b ack for his 16th goal this term.

Lowe hit the post last on as the Swans looked to wrap up the three points, and Reading made the most of the fortune as they levelled through Tomas Esteves in time added on.

B ut it was not enough t o prevent Swans e a ensuring they will finish in the top six , with the result leaving the Swans fifth in the table on 77 points with two games remaining.

LINEUPS Reading: Rafael Cabral; Andy Yiadom (Tomas Esteves 82), Tom Holmes, Liam Moore (captain), Omar Richards (Sone Aluko 90); Andy Rinomhota, Josh Laurent; Yakou Meite (Alfa Semedo 65), John Swift (Michael Olise 65), Ovie Ejaria (George Puscas 81; Lucas Joao.

Subs not used: Luke Southwood, Sam Baldock, Lewis Gibson, Dejan Tetek.

Swans: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton (Connor Roberts 65), Ben Cabango, Marc Guehi, Jake Bidwell; Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Conor Hourihane (Korey Smith 86); Wayne Routledge (Morgan Whittaker 65), Liam Cullen (Andre Ayew 65), Jamal Lowe.

Subs not used: Ben Hamer, Ryan Bennett, Yan Dhanda, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ollie Cooper.

QUOTE OF THE GAME “WE ARE SATISFIED BUT I DON’T WANT US TO THINK OF IT AS AN ACHIEVEMENT, I WANT OUR AMBITION AS A CLUB TO BE GREATER THAN THAT” STEVE COOPER

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2018 GlobalData UK Market Analyzer (released Aug 2019)

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STILETTOS & STUDS

BY JULIE KISSICK

F

orty years. Gosh, that can’t be true, surely?!

It is four decades since we made the climb of all climbs from the then Second Division to the dizzy heights of the First Division, the equivalent of the Premier League.

They really don’t get much better than that.

No-one who follows this club can be in any doubt of our desire to play in the top flight and isn’t it remarkable that 40 years on, we now know that we’re in with a chance of doing it all again?

Just writing those words makes my spine tingle.

The third ‘par’ as we call the third paragraph in journalistic parlance, read: “No club in the history of the game has swept from the Fourth Division to the First with such speed and style.”

I remember reading that and thinking to myself that one day I wanted to be writing stories about the Swans for that very newspaper.

The fifth par read: “Three survivors from that low point in the club’s history, Wyndham Evans, Alan Curtis and Robbie James, were still around today for the climax of a remarkable rags to riches transformation.”

I guess to some extent we’re play-off pros now, getting here for two seasons on the bounce.

And of course, Wyndham, who is making quite a name for himself as a co-commentator on Swans TV these days, and our lovely honorary president, King Curt, are still with us.

In 1981 on May 2, a Saturday afternoon, Preston North End’s Deepdale ground was the scene of some serious celebrations as John Toshack’s black and white army sealed the deal on promotion and made history in the process.

The fact that Robbie isn’t and hasn’t been for such a long time is desperately sad, especially because those of us who knew him know how elated he would be to see the club within sight of a return to the Premier League.

The South Wales Evening Post’s Swansea City reporter, John B urgum, secured the muchcoveted front page lead that day.

Times like this are special and sharing them with people who understand their significance makes you cherish them even more.

They are also unbelievably nerve wracking. Cast your minds back a season ago, Jacks. Here we go again!

It feels strange to think that the last two league games are ‘meaningless’ when it comes to promotion considerations, but in that sense they are.

They are still significant of course, as they will give Steve Cooper and his coaching staff an opportunity to look at tactics, formation, selection etc, without the pressure of having to win games and keep one eye on the teams behind us.

There are 18 teams in the league desperately disappointed not to be where we are now, so let’s be grateful and buckle up for the ride.

The headline read: “Preston 1 . . . Swansea City 3” and the words ‘FIRST DIVISION’ were emblazoned across the page in capital letters.

Let’s hope it’s second time lucky and we get to the desired destination.

Come on you Swans!

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ERTHYGLAU CYMRAEG

BY ALUN RHYS CHIVERS, GOLWG

M

ae’n hynod briodol fod yr Elyrch wedi cadarnhau eu lle yn y gemau ail gyfle yng nghanfed gêm Steve Cooper wrth y llyw.

Flwyddyn yn ôl, y Cymro o Bontypridd oedd y rheolwr cyntaf ers Brendan Rodgers i arwain y tîm i’r chwech uchaf a fe, bellach, yw’r rheolwr cyntaf yn hanes y clwb i’w harwain nhw i’r gemau ail gyfle ddau dymor yn olynol.

Fe hefyd, gyda llaw, yw’r rheolwr cyntaf ers Roberto Martinez i fod wrth y llyw am 100 o gemau. Rodgers yw’r nesa’ ato fe gyda 96, gyda Michael Laudrup ar 84 a Garry Monk ar 77. Fel roedd Angel Rangel yn sôn wrtha’ i mewn cyfweliad yn ddiweddar, roedd newid cyfeiriad ar ôl i Laudrup fynd dan gwmwl, a digon cymysg fu tymhorau’r Elyrch ers hynny cyn i Graham Potter a Cooper droi’n ôl at “ffordd Abertawe” o chwarae.

Yn ystod tymor Potter yn 2018-19 y cafodd yr hadau eu plannu, serch hynny. Ond fel yn achos Rodgers, cafodd ei ddenu o’r Liberty at Brighton yn yr Uwch Gynghrair. Os oedd penodiad Potter yn Abertawe’n achosi i rai godi’u haeliau, doedd hynny’n ddim byd o’i gymharu â’r ymateb pan ddaeth Cooper i’w ddilyn.

Am ffordd o dawelu’r ofnau… efallai…

Mae efelychu’r gamp eto y tymor hwn yn dangos pa mor graff yw Cooper wrth ddenu’r to ifanc i’r Liberty. Mae Marc Guehi a Freddie Woodman yma ers dau dymor yn aelodau blaenllaw o’r garfan, ac roedd Conor Gallagher a Rhian Brewster yn flaenllaw y tymor diwethaf. Efallai bod Cooper yn ei swydd gynta’n hyfforddi oedolion, ond mae e’n gwybod sut i ychwanegu profiad at y garfan hefyd, gan ddenu Conor Hourihane, Korey Smith, Ryan Bennett, Jamal Lowe a Ryan Manning.

“Dw i’n credu bod ei dymor cynta’ fe’n wych,” meddai Rangel am Cooper. “Fe wnaeth e barhau â ‘ffordd Abertawe’, y dull o basio, cyrraedd y gemau ail gyfle ac wedyn roedden nhw’n anlwcus, ond dyna bêl-droed i chi. Mae’r gemau ail gyfle’n loteri. Y tymor hwn, maen nhw wedi addasu pethau ychydig bach eto.”

Mae Cooper wedi dangos fod modd newid y tactegau – ac eilyddio ar yr adegau cywir – er mwyn sicrhau’r canlyniadau. Roedd peth o’r feirniadaeth yn ystod y rhediad o bedair colled o’r bron yn ddiweddar yn annheg – roedd hynny ar ôl rhediad o 10 gêm mewn 30 diwrnod. Bydd hynny’n wers iddyn nhw am ofynion di-drugaredd y byd pêl-droed. Oni bai am y cyfnod anodd hwnnw, fe fydden ni wedi bod yn dathlu dyrchafiad awtomatig – ond mae cyrraedd y gemau ail gyfle’n dal yn gamp. Mae’n debyg mai’r rhai oedd ond yn mynd i dderbyn dyrchafiad awtomatig – yn gam neu’n gymwys – yw’r rhai mwyaf llafar eu beirniadaeth o hyd.

Tybed a fydd y boen o golli yn erbyn Brentford flwyddyn yn ôl yn eu sbarduno nhw dros yr wythnosau i ddod? Mae’n ddigon posib mai’r ‘Bees’ fydd y gwrthwynebwyr eto. Ond byddai Barnsley neu Bournemouth yn gemau anodd hefyd. Does dim gemau hawdd ar y lefel yma, wedi’r cyfan.

Roedd pwynt yn erbyn Reading – eu gwrthwynebwyr yn Wembley yn 2011 – yn ddigon. Er y byddan nhw’n awyddus i orffen y tymor yn gryf, gall eu traed ddod oddi ar y sbardun ychydig bach yn erbyn Derby heddiw cyn gêm anodd yn erbyn Watford i orffen. Wn i ddim amdanoch chi ond ro’n i’n nerfus yr adeg yma y llynedd – dwi am fwynhau eleni!

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A

JACK THE LAD

ngel Rangel always seemed to be blessed with excellent timing during his playing career.

Whether it was a timely defensive intervention, or popping up at the other end of the field to grab a rare but vital goal – as he did against Crystal Palace back in 2017.

So it was hardly surprising the Spaniard chose to retire at a t i m e w h e n fo ot b a l l n e e d e d reminding about some of the va l u e s t h at m a ke i t s u c h a great sport.

With the sport in the middle of the European Super League controversy, we could at least look back at the career of one of the most decent individuals to grace the game.

And he even managed to time the announcement on the day his two British clubs met in a Championship match!

Ye s , i t w a s s a d t o h e a r o f Angel’s retirement, but it gave us a chance to reflect on his incredible story, which was the perfe c t antidot e t o the ESL debacle.

His rise from an unknown semi-professional player in the Spanish third tier to one of the most respected players in the Premier League is everything that great sport should be about.

26

Angel’s career illustrates the importance of the opportunity to make the most of your talents and chances to be the very best you can possibly be through hard work, open competition, skill and possibly a little bit of luck.

It’s the exact opposite to what Europe’s so-called elite clubs wanted to create in their new competition where the founder members bought their place through power and wealth and would keep their status despite what happened on the field of play.

Angel’s story shows that you don’t have to start from a position of power or privilege to become one of the best in your chosen sport.

When the Swans went to scout a match in Spain back in 2007, they hadn’t even gone there to watch the man who would become a fixture at right-back for the club!

It was only because the scouting team’s plane home was delayed that they had the opportunity to go and watch another player turning out against Angel’s Terrassa club.

But his sheer talent shone through and that’s what convinced the Swans to take a chance on him... not his name or his reputation.

Of course, once at the Swans, his rise in the game mirrored the club’s own climb through the divisions.

At the end of his first season in south Wales, he was named along with four other Swans players in the League One team of the year as the Swans gained promotion.

By November 2011, he was being hailed as the best defender in the Premier League after the Swans had gained promotion to the top flight.

It’s stories and achievements like this that make football - and any other sport which thrives on open competition – the exciting spectacle that we love so much.

Not every player or team will make it to the very top, but the possibility and opportunity – even if in reality it is just a dream – is what keeps us hooked on sport.

Imagine if today’s visitors Derby County and the other founding members of the EFL had decided to form a closed shop from which they could never be removed and only the occasional lucky few could gain temporary entry?

I think football in this country would be a very different and much poorer sport in terms of excitement, history and entertainment had that been the case.

Football isn’t perfect by any means. The chances of success are still weighted in favour of the haves rather than the have nots.

B u t t h e u n k n ow n s a n d t h e m i n n ow s at l e a s t h a ve t h e opportunity of not just making it to the big time, but also being a success.

Nottingham Forest twice being champions of Europe; “unfashionable clubs” like the Swans, Watford and Bournemouth making it from the fourth tier to the first in short order; Wimbledon climbing from nonleague to the pinnacle of English football; Leicester City winning the Premier L eague against all the odds.

These are the stories that make football, along with players like Rangel, who not only made a name for himself for his skill on the pitch, but for his decency and humanity off it.

The actions of Angel and h i s w i fe i n h e l p i n g t o fe e d homeless people in Swansea are well documented.

But he carried on working with the community when he transferred to Queens P ark Rangers after his long Swans career - enhancing his reputation on and off the pitch at the London club.

M y o n l y p e r s o n a l disappointment as far as Angel’s career is that football doesn’t have the same residency laws as rugby union.

I would have loved to have seen him wearing the red of Wales.

Any arguments that he wasn’t “Welsh enough” wouldn’t have held any water with me.

If Vinnie Jones was considered Welsh enough to pull on the captain’s armband, then a man who has set up his home here for so many years and did so much for the community off the field would have been more than welcome to pull on the red shirt.

You never know, we may yet see him with the famous red dragon badge on his chest as he moves into a coaching career. Hopefully we will also see him back at the Liberty Stadium.

Thank you Angel, not just for your fantastic service on the pitch and your community spirit off it, but for also reminding us just how decent and wonderful this sport can be, just when we needed most in recent weeks.

C’mon you Swans!

27

STEVE COOPER’S

100 GAMES IN CHARGE AT SWANSEA CITY Age: 41 Role: Head Coach Nationality: Welsh Teams: England U16, 8 Games England U17, 66 Games Swansea City, 100 Games

28

SUNDAY’S GAME AGAINST READING FIRST GAME 2 Hull City 1 BROUGHT UP A LANDMARK FOR SWANSEA Swans Championship – August 3 2019 CITY HEAD COACH STEVE COOPER. Steve Cooper got off to a winning start as Swansea The Madejski Stadium contest was the 41-yearold’s 100th game in charge of the Swans following his appointment in June of 2019.

The result in Berkshire ensured the former Liverpool academy boss has led the club to a playoff place in each of his two Championship seasons at the helm.

He also becomes the first Swans boss since Roberto Martinez to rack up a century of games in charge, with Paulo Sousa, Brendan Rodgers, Michael Laudrup, Garry Monk, Francesco Guidolin, Bob Bradley, Paul Clement, Carlos Carvalhal and Graham Potter all having had stints at the helm in the intervening period.

Here, we look back at a handful of notable and important results that have been among the highlights of Cooper’s tenure to date.

CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE...

City head coach as two second-half goals in the space of two minutes secured three points against Hull.

The Swans had trailed at the interval as Kamil Grosicki’s deflected strike gave the T igers an early lead.

But it all changed in the first four minutes of the second period as Borja Baston’s first Swansea goal in 1,022 days levelled matters, before Mike van der Hoorn nodded in what proved to be the winner.

It gave Swansea a first win in seven attempts against the team from East Yorkshire and a second successive opening-day triumph having seen off Sheffield United by the same scoreline 12 months previously.

Cooper had handed debuts to keeper Freddie Woodman and full-back Jake Bidwell, with Borja making a first league start in Swansea colours in 950 days as he led the line following the sale of Oli McBurnie.

29

HISTORY MAKERS

Leeds United 0 Swans 1 Championship – August 31, 2019 Wayne Routledge grabbed a 90th minute winner to give Swansea City a first victory at Elland Road in 70 years and extend their unbeaten start to life under Steve Cooper.

Substitute Routledge swept home a deflected Matt Grimes cross via the inside of the post to send the Swans top of the Championship table.

The visitors were under the cosh for long spells of the afternoon but, in truth, keeper Freddie Woodman did not have too many saves to make as those in front of him made block after block and clearance after clearance to ensure a third clean sheet of the season.

Homegrown products Connor Roberts and Joe Rodon were among those to stand out, while the Swans also had cause to feel they could have made more from a handful of promising attacks, with Bersant Celina and substitute Sam Surridge unable to convert the best of them.

But it did not matter as Routledge converted to give the visitors just their second ever win at the home of the Yorkshire club, and extend what was the best start to the reign of any Swans boss in the club’s history.

DERBY DELIGHT

Swans 1 Cardiff City 0 Championship – October 27, 2019 Ben Wilmot wrote his name into South Wales derby folklore as he marked his first league start for Swansea City by scoring the winner at a jubilant Liberty Stadium.

The on-loan centre-half – playing with Joe Rodon out injured – timed his run perfectly to glance home Wayne Routledge’s cross in the 24th minute.

In truth the margin of victory could – and perhaps should – have been far greater, as Swansea spurned a number of chances to put the game to bed.

But no-one seemed to mind too much when the final whistle went to spark the celebrations.

It was the Swans’ first win in five attempts at the Liberty as Steve Cooper marked his first derby day with three points.

The result meant the Swans’ had secured back-to-back league victories over their rivals for the first time in 23 years.

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A NIGHT OF DRAMA BRINGS UP THE HALF CENTURY Reading 1 Swans 4 Championship – July 22, 2020

Wayne Routledge’s last-gasp header saw Swansea City secure a play-off spot with a handsome victory over 10-man Reading on a dramatic night.

Steve Cooper’s side knew they had to win at the Madejski Stadium to have any hope of a top-six finish, and Rhian Brewster’s 10th goal of the season gave them an ideal start.

The sending off of Yakou Meite then gave the Swans a man advantage, but the Royals equalised before the break through a George Puscas penalty.

The Swans restored their lead through a classy finish from substitute Routledge, before Liam Cullen showed great composure to steer in his first goal for the club.

And when Routledge popped up at the death to complete his brace it put the Swans into the top six as Nottingham Forest suffered a 4-1 defeat at home to Stoke, meaning Swansea got into the play-offs on goal difference.

It was some way to mark the head coach’s 50th game at the helm.

PLAY-OFF BATTLE

Swans 1 Brentford 0 Championship play-off semi-final, first leg – July 26, 2020 Swansea City secured the first leg victory in their play-off semi-final against Brentford, thanks to Andre Ayew’s late winner at the Liberty Stadium.

With the Swans having been involved in a night of huge drama at Reading just four days earlier, there was no shortage of incident to be found in this first leg either.

Ayew was denied from the penalty spot in the second half after Pontus Jansson had fouled Rhian Brewster.

Moments later Brentford had Rico Henry sent off, and Steve Cooper’s side made the most of the opportunity when Ayew dispatched his 18th goal of the season high into the net with his left foot.

It settled an entertaining and intriguing contest on the night and, while the Swans would lose the second leg 3-1, this was a Liberty performance and result of considerable substance and quality.

CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE...

31

DERBY DELIGHT 2

Cardiff City 0 Swans 2 Championship – December 12, 2020 Jamal Lowe secured the South Wales derby bragging rights for Swansea City as the striker’s brace settled matters at Cardiff City Stadium.

Lowe opened the scoring in the sixth minute, firing home from close range to give the Swans the ideal start.

And he went on to seal the win with 18 minutes to go with a fantastic slaloming run through the Cardiff defence.

The result meant Swansea were unbeaten in four South Wales derbies, and had not conceded a goal in any of that quartet of fixtures.

This was also a 10th clean sheet of the season as the Swans ended Cardiff’s run of four Championship wins in a row, with the home side ending with 10 men after Joe Ralls was dismissed in the second half.

And a dominant performance delivered on the promise from Steve Cooper and his players to give the Jack Army a showing to be proud of, despite them not being able to cheer on their side in person.

SWANS STING THE HORNETS Swans 2 Watford 1 Championship – January 2, 2021

Jamal Lowe struck a superb double as Swansea City came from behind to start 2021 with victory over Watford, and climb to second in the Championship table.

Tom Cleverley had given the Hornets the lead, but the Swans took control of the contest and levelled with a lovely strike from the in-form Lowe.

And the striker completed the turnaround in the second half as he headed home his eighth goal of the season.

After the frustration of the previous game – a draw with Reading - this was a performance that got its deserved reward with three points as the season reaches its halfway point.

The Swans were forced into a late change as Joel Latibeaudiere – who had been set to start in place of Ryan Bennett – was injured in the warm-up.

32

Ryan Manning came in, with Jake Bidwell moving to centre-half and Ollie Cooper being promoted to the bench, but the hosts shook off the reshuffle to claim a win against a side boasting a squad loaded with players who had featured in the Premier League last term.

The result meant the Swans were unbeaten in a dozen games in SA1, and had taken seven points from a possible nine against the three Championship teams who had dropped down from the top-flight.

RAMPANT SWANS RUN RIOT

Millwall 0 Swans 3 Championship – April 10, 2021

Swans 5 Nottingham Forest 1 FA Cup – January 23, 2021

Matt Grimes and Liam Cullen scored a brace apiece as Swansea City marched through to the FA Cup fifth round with a thumping victory over Nottingham Forest at the Liberty Stadium.

Ollie Cooper was also on target, with his first senior goal helping Steve Cooper’s side book their place in round five of the competition for the third time in four years.

Cullen opened the scoring with a neat volley after just seven minutes, while a 25-yard thunderbolt from Grimes doubled the lead on the half-hour mark.

Although Anthony Knockaert pulled one back for the visitors after the break, the skipper grabbed his second from the penalty spot before Cullen completed his double with another brilliant first-time finish from close range.

And substitute Cooper put the icing on the cake when he drilled home six minutes from time as Swansea set up a glamour fifth-round tie against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

THE SWANS BOUNCE BACK Swansea City returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as goals from Andre Ayew and Jamal Lowe sealed a dominant victory at Millwall.

Steve Cooper’s side had entered the game on the back of a run of four straight defeats without scoring, having only previously suffered consecutive league losses once in the head coach’s near two seasons in charge.

But, once they settled into this contest, that run always looked like coming to an end.

They took the lead right on half-time as Ayew superbly curled home his 15th goal of the season from just inside the area.

And Lowe then netted his 10th goal of the campaign with a sweet finish after running on to a pass from the excellent Wayne Routledge, who showcased all his skill and nous in his first league start of the current term.

That ended Lowe’s wait for a goal, and another was not long in coming as he rifled the ball into the top corner with five minutes to go.

CANARIES DOWNED

Swans 2 Norwich City 0 Championship – February 5, 2021 Goals from Andre Ayew and Conor Hourihane saw Swansea City return to second in the Championship table and beat another opponent fresh from a season in the Premier League.

At the end of an even first-half Ayew netted his ninth goal of the season as he turned and coolly finished from close range after Norwich had failed to deal with a set-piece.

Hourihane then scored for the third game in a row with a superb strike early in the second half, with the Swans then defending resolutely to collect a 15th clean sheet of the Championship season.

33

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SWANS ACADEMY

BY MARK ALLEN

G

ood afternoon. As we approach the latter stage of the season for both the under-18 and under-23 squads, it has been pleasing to see the performances in both teams.

until the end of June, with the players then taking a minimal break before returning for next season given the extended break that we were forced to take this season due to Covid.

The under-18 squad has been fielding very young teams with several under-16 and current under-15 players being involved. Against Hull recently, under-15s player Iwan Morgan grabbed the headlines by scoring two goals and performing really well whist giving away two, and in some cases three, years to opposition players.

One thing the break allowed us to do at the academy was to have a proper view and assessment of the coaching curriculum and schedule and we have made some adjustments and undergone some fine tuning in readiness for implementation next year.

Coach Byron Anthony has got the team working really hard and has prepared the squad well for what lies ahead next season.

The under-23s have also delivered some pleasing performances and in the latest game against Wigan we were able to integrate a few trialists into the game to have a look at with a view towards next season and the squad formation for that.

We are hopeful that next season will allow us to move forward from the restrictions of this and that time with the players and training hours will be greater and more focussed.

All that remains is for me to wish the lads the very best today!

I am pleased to see our younger programme now back up and running fully with both training and games. The intention is continue this programme

37

FOLLOWING IN DAD’S FOOTSTEPS HARD, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE

S

wansea City Under-18s forward Geoff Bony says that following in the footsteps of father Wilfried will be difficult, but not impossible with the right determination and will to succeed.

Bony Sr left an indelible mark at the Liberty after arriving for a club-record fee of £12million in the summer of 2013.

The Ivorian top-scored during his maiden campaign with 25 goals in all competitions, while he added a further nine the following term before departing for Manchester City in January 2015.

He returned to SA1 for a second spell in August 2017; scoring a further four times before leaving once more in June 2019.

Now, Bony Jr is hopeful that he can follow suit in a few short years’ time.

Also in his second stint with the Swans, the 16-yearold has regularly appeared for the under-18s in recent weeks, scoring two goals along the way.

And it is clear that he has inherited the sheer strength and power that his father would regularly demonstrate at the spearhead of Swansea’s attack.

Possessing one of the most recognisable surnames in this part of the world, the teenager is well aware of the pressure that places on his young shoulders.

But following important words of wisdom from his father, he believes the task of eventually following in his footsteps is achievable.

“He gives me advice about being strong on the ball, pinning the defenders and making the right runs.

“Also, he taught me that your attitude and respect off the pitch is really important.

“Even if you’re at the top, you need to be humble because if not, it will break you down and it will be tough for you to come back.

“Following in his footsteps will definitely be hard with everything he’s done in his life, but it’s not impossible.

“If I have determination and put the hard work in, I can get there.”

Bony will be hoping for more opportunities to lead the line as the under-18s head into the final stages of the campaign. He made an immediate impact from the bench during the recent draw with Nottingham Forest, scoring the second equaliser within two minutes of his introduction.

The future appears bright for the youngster, who is grateful for the support he has received during his journey with the club.

“It was a good feeling to come off the bench and score against Forest,” he added.

“As a striker, you’re identified by goals.

“Even if you get two minutes, you must try to make an impact on the game.

“I’ve needed a bit of time to adjust to this level, but the coaches have helped me a lot.

“There’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders,” he said.

“I’ve had so much support from everybody in the academy and the club during my time here.

“My dad has told me not to look at him or worry about being like him, but just to do my own thing.

“I thank them for that because without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

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DATE: FRIDAY, APRIL 23 VENUE: USW SPORT PARK

CYNCOED LADIES 0 SWANS LADIES 3 MATCH REPORT S

Swans Ladies: Claire Skinner, Ellie Lake, Alicia Powe (captain), Shaunna Jenkins (Jess Williams 71), Ria Hughes, Tija Richardson (Nieve Jenkins 63), Emma Beynon, Laura Davies (Mel Sartain 83), Kelly Adams, Katy Hosford, Stacey John-Davis.

Subs not used: Gemma Border, Chloe Chivers.

Stacey John-Davis forced Cyncoed keeper Maisie Jones into action as the striker managed to get a stabbed shot off whilst being heavily pressured by Holly Broad.

wansea City Ladies returned to the top of the Welsh Premier Women’s League table after a fine victory against Cyncoed at the USW Sport Park.

The Swans went into the break with a narrow lead thanks to a deflected goal by Ellie Lake, and the finishing touches were then applied to a professional performance by Emma Beynon and Jess Williams in the second half.

The Swans moved three points clear at the top of the table and they dominated possession in the early stages, applying plenty of pressure on the Cyncoed defence, who stood firm against the initial onslaught.

But Swansea then had to be alert defensively as a dangerous run from Rhianne Oakley got her into a strong attacking position to square it to former Swan Alison Witts, but keeper Claire Skinner came off her line promptly to eliminate the danger.

From then on, the Swans continued to dominate, and they extended their advantage after the interval as Beynon’s in-swinging cross found its way into the back of the net.

Beynon nearly sealed the three points with just over 20 minutes remaining, but Jones was able to parry the shot away; John-Davis followed up for the rebound but was unable to apply the finishing touch.

Tija Richardson looked to make an early impact by feeding in Katy Hosford, but her final pass - slotted in between the Cyncoed defenders - had too much on it.

Cyncoed broke away quickly as they searched for a goal to get them back into the game, however Oakley’s effort from the edge of the box was gathered comfortably by Skinner.

But the pressure soon paid off as Hosford’s cross picked out Lake, whose shot took a deflection off Ellie Gunney on its way in.

And Williams made sure of the three points for the Swans with a looping long-distance free-kick which founds its way into the top right corner.

41

A CENTURY OF LEAGUE FOOTBALL Historian Gwyn Rees looks at the club’s campaigns throughout its 100-year involvement in the Football League divisions and Premier League.

2016-2017 PREMIER LEAGUE

The summer saw the completion of the takeover at the club by American majority shareholders Jason Levien and Stephen Kaplan, as well as notable departures as Ashley Williams departed for Everton and West Ham paid a club-record fee for Andre Ayew.

The man chosen to replace Bradley was Englishman P aul Clement , who had worked alongside Carlo Ancelotti with great success at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich amongst others.

In came Leroy Fer (following a loan the previous season), Mike van der Hoorn, Fernando Llorente and record signing Borja Baston, and Fer helped the season get off to a solid start with the winner at Burnley.

A win at Crystal P alac e, with Alan Curtis in charge as Clement watched on, started a revival.

But this result was something that the team couldn’t repeat as one point was taken from the next 24, leading to Francesco Guidolin being sacked by the club, with Bob Bradley immediately named as his successor.

Bradley was the first American to manage in the Premier League, but his tenure would last just 85 days.

While results left club chiefs with little choice but to find a replacement, there was also no mistaking an underlying snobbery and cruelty from those in some quarters outside of the club who lampooned Bradley simply because of his accent and phrasings.

42

(FINISHED 15TH)

A stunning performance at Anfield secured a historic first league win at Liverpool, and home wins over Leicester City, Burnley and Everton meant that the side could avoid relegation away at Sunderland with a positive result.

A 2-0 win, allied to Hull’s defeat to Crystal Palace the following day, meant Swansea had retained Premier League status, and the manager could bask in an extraordinary turnaround and great escape.

2017-2018 PREMIER LEAGUE (FINISHED 18TH)

Manager Clement used his contacts to bring Portuguese star Renato Sanches to the club on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, while Tammy Abraham, Sam Clucas, Roque Mesa and the return of Wilfried Bony were also among the high-profile summer recruits.

However, Gylfi Sigurdsson departed for Everton for a club-record fee after a protracted transfer saga, while Jack Cork and Fernando Llorente were also among those to leave.

Without Llorente’s goals and Sigurdsson’s set-piece expertise the team struggled, and the likes of Mesa and Sanches made little impact in their new surroundings.

Another relegation battle looked a certainty and, for the third December in a row, the club dismissed a manager as Clement left after a defeat at Everton.

Leon Britton stepped in as caretaker boss and had to endure the misery of a fearful 5-0 defeat at Liverpool before Carlos Carvalhal was appointed shortly after leaving his post at Sheffield Wednesday.

The Portuguese was a charismatic figure, and a reporter’s dream with his colourful quotes.

Home wins over Liverpool and Arsenal lifted hopes of another escape, with Ayew returning to the club and Andy King joining on loan.

A big win over West Ham looked to have the Swans on their way to safety as they climbed to 13th in the table, and the side reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. But the home defeat to Tottenham in the last eight hinted at the start of a sudden downturn that would drag Swansea back towards the bottom three.

It came down to the penultimate home game of the season against Southampton, and a 1-0 defeat allbut confirmed the worst before Huddersfield’s draw at Chelsea put another nail in the coffin.

A disappointing season finished with another defeat, this time to another relegated side in Stoke City, and also saw tears of sadness and frustration as Britton and Angel Rangel – two men who had been such a big part of the club’s rise to the Premier League – said their farewells after 537 and 374 appearances respectively.

There was no doubt a fresh start was needed, and the question was who would lead that process with Carvalhal and the club parting ways following the end of his contract shortly after the end of the campaign.

43

HELPING FAMILIES ENJOY FOOTBALL AT HOME The ‘homemade waste pipe goal’. Waste pipes, push-fit knuckle bends and some barrier fencing. It doesn’t seem like much, but sometimes it’s all you need to transform your garden into a proper footy pitch.

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SEASON 2020-21 FIXTURE

52

Match Statistics

Key

Goal =

Sub = 2 (number denotes player replaced)

Captain =

DATE

TEAM

Newport County (CC R2) A L 2-0

Sat, Sep 5, 3pm

Woodman

Routledge 3

Naughton

Rodon

Fulton

Bidwell 1

Grimes

Preston North End A W 0-1

Sat, Sep 12, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Rodon

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Birmingham City H D 0-0

Sat, Sep 19, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Rodon

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Waycombe Wanderers A W 0-2

Sat, Sep 26, 12.30pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Rodon

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Millwall H W 2-1

Sat, Oct 3, 3pm

Benda

Roberts

Cabango

Rodon

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Huddersfield Town H L 1-2

Sat, Oct 17, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Naughton 3

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Coventry City A D 1-1

Tue, Oct 20, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Bristol City A D 1-1

Sat, Oct 24, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Stoke City H W 2-0

Tue, Oct 27, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett 3

Guehi

Manning 1

Grimes

Blackburn Rovers H W 2-0

Sat, Oct 31, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Naughton

Guehi

Bidwell

Smith

Brentford A D 1-1

Tue, Nov 3, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Smith

Norwich City A L 1-0

Sat, Nov 7, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Rotherham United H W 1-0

Sat, Nov 21, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Sheffield Wednesday H D 1-1

Wed, Nov 25, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Naughton 2

Bidwell 4

Grimes

Nottingham Forest A W 0-1

Sun, Nov 29, 12pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes Smith 5

1

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Smith

Bennett

Naughton

Bidwell

Grimes

Middlesbrough A L 2-1

Wed, Dec 2, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango 2

Bennett

Guehi

Manning

Luton Town H W 2-0

Sat, Dec 5, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Cabango

Guehi 3

Bidwell

Grimes

A.F.C. Bournemouth H D 0-0

Tue, Dec 8, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Latibeaudiere

Cabango

Naughton

Bidwell

Grimes

Cardiff City A W 0-2

Sat, Dec 12, 12.30pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Derby County A L 2-0

Wed, Dec 16, 5.30pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton 2

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell 3

Grimes

Barnsley H W 2-0

Sat, Dec 19, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Queens Park Rangers A W 0-2

Sat, Dec 26, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Reading H D 0-0

Wed, Dec 30, 8pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Watford H W 2-1

Sat, Jan 2, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Guehi

Cabango

Bidwell

Manning 1

Grimes

Stevenage A (FA R3) W 0-2

Sat, Jan 9, 3pm

Woodman

Garrick 4

Naughton

Cabango

Evans

Barnsley A W 0-2

Sat, Jan 16, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Cabango

Nottingham Forest H (FA R4) W 5-1

Sat, Jan 23, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts 5

Latibeaudiere

Brentford H D 1-1

Weds, Jan 27, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Rotherham United A W 1-3

Sat, Jan 30, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

1

3

Manning

Byers

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Bennett

Guehi 4

Manning

Hourihane 3

Cabango

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Cabango

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Norwich City H W 2-0

Fri, Feb 5, 8.15pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Manchester City H (FA R5) L 1-3

Wed, Feb 10, 5.30pm

Woodman

Roberts 3

Latibeaudiere

Cabango

Guehi

Manning 4

Grimes

Nottingham Forest H W 1-0

Wed, Feb 17, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton 1

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Huddersfield Town A L 4-1

Sat, Feb 20, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton 3

Bennett 1

Guehi

Bidwell 5

Grimes

Coventry City H W 1-0

Wed, Feb 24, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Naughton 3

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Bristol City H 1

Sat, Feb 27, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Latibeaudiere 3

Cabango

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Stoke City A W 1-2

Wed, Mar 3, 8.15pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Cabango

Guehi

Manning

Middlesbrough H W 2-1

Sat, Mar 6, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Cabango

Guehi

Manning

Blackburn Rovers A D 1-1

Tue, March 9, 6pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Cabango

Guehi 1

Bidwell

Grimes

Luton Town A W 0-1

Sat, Mar 13, 12.15pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Latibeadiere

Manning

Grimes

A.F.C. Bournemouth A L 3-0

Tues, Mar 16, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Latibeadiere 1

Manning

Grimes

Cardiff City H L 0-1

Sat, Mar 20, 5.30pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton 2

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell 3

Grimes

Birmingham City A L 1-0

Fri, Apr 2, 8pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton 3

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Preston North End H L 0-1

Mon, Apr 5, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Guehi

Manning

Fulton

Grimes

Millwall A W 0-3

Sat, Apr 10, 12.30pm

Woodman

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Manning

Fulton

Grimes

Grimes 2

Grimes

Sheffield Wednesday A W 0-2

Tues, Apr 13, 6pm

Woodman

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Manning 2

Fulton

Grimes

Wycombe Wanderers H D 2-2

Sat, Apr 17, 12.30pm

Woodman

Naughton 2

Bennett

Guehi

Manning

Fulton 4

Grimes

Queens Park Rangers H L 0-1

Tues, Apr 20, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Reading A D 2-2

Sun, Apr 25, 12pm

Woodman

Naughton 1

Cabango

Guehi

Bidwell

Fulton

Grimes

Derby County H

Sat, May 1, 3pm

Watford A

Sat, May 8, 12.30pm

Booked =

Sent off =

Carabao Cup = CC

FA Cup = FA

Correct as of April 29, 2021

SUBSTITUTES Smith 2

Gibbs-White

Smith

Gibbs-White

Smith

Gibbs-White

Lowe 1

Smith

Gibbs-White 1

Lowe

Smith

Gibbs-White 2

Smith Smith

1

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Rushesha, Evans, Williams, Dhanda 2, Peterson 3, Asoro 1

Lowe 2

Ayew

Benda, Naughton, Fulton 1, Dhanda, Routledge 2, Peterson, Cullen

Ayew

Benda, Naughton, Fulton, Dhanda, Routledge, Peterson, Cullen 1

Ayew

Benda, Naughton, Fulton 1, Dhanda, Routledge, Peterson, Cullen 2

Lowe 1

Ayew

Webb, Naughton, Fulton 2, Routledge, Garrick, Cullen, Gyokeres 1

Gyokeres 1

Lowe 2

Ayew

Benda, Evans, Fulton, Dhanda, Palmer 1, Garrick 3, Cullen 2

Gyokeres 1

Lowe 2

Ayew

Benda, Manning, Fulton 1, Dhanda, Palmer, Garrick, Cullen 2

Smith

Fulton

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Naughton, Manning, Dhanda, Routledge, Cullen, Gyokeres 1

Fulton

Dhanda 2

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Cabango 3, Bidwell 1, Smith, Palmer 2

Fulton

Dhanda

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Bennett, Manning, Grimes, Routledge, Palmer 2, Gyokeres 1

Dhanda 2

Lowe 3

Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Grimes 1, Routledge, Palmer 2, Gyokeres 3

Palmer 3

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Grimes 1, Dhanda 3, Routledge, Gyokeres 2

Fulton

Dhanda 2

Lowe 3

Cullen 1

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Rushesha, Williams, Smith 3, Cooper, Routledge 1, Palmer 2

Smith

Dhanda

Lowe 3

Cullen 1

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Manning 4, Rushesha, Fulton, O.Cooper, Routledge 3, Palmer 2, Ayew 1

Smith

Fulton

Lowe 1

Ayew

Benda, Cabango, Manning, Dhanda, Routledge 1, Palmer, Garrick, Cullen, Gyokeres

Palmer 4

Lowe 3

Ayew

Benda, Naughton, Bidwell, Grimes 1 , Dhanda 4

Dhanda 2

Cullen 2

Ayew

Fulton 1 Fulton

Fulton

2

1

Smith Smith

Dhanda 2

Lowe 1

Smith

Fulton

Lowe

Smith 5

Fulton 1

Fulton

Dhanda

Fulton

Dhanda

Fulton Fulton Fulton 1

Routledge

Fulton

Smith

Dhanda

Grimes

Fulton

2

1

, Cullen, Gyokeres

, Routledge 2, Garrick 5, Cullen, Gyokeres 3

Benda, Latibeaudiere 3, Manning, Fulton, Routledge, Palmer 2, Garrick, Lowe 1, Gyokeres 4

4

Benda, Evans, Manning, Fulton, Routledge, Palmer 2, Garrick, Cullen, Gyokeres 1

Ayew Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Cabango, Manning, Routledge 1, Palmer, Dhanda, Cullen, Gyokeres

Lowe 4

Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Cabango, Manning 3, Garrick 4, Palmer 3, Dhanda 1, Cullen 5, Gyokeres

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Smith, Routledge, Palmer, O.Cooper, Cullen, Gyokeres

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Smith 1, Routledge, Palmer, Garrick, Cullen, Gyokeres

Smith 2

Lowe 3

Ayew

Benda, Latibeaudiere 1, Manning, Routledge, Palmer 2, Dhanda, O.Cooper, Garrick, Gyokeres 3

Smith

Lowe

Ayew

Benda, Evans, Routledge, Palmer, Dhanda, Gibbs-White 1, O.Cooper, Garrick, Gyokeres

Dhanda

Gyokeres

Webb, Guehi, Bidwell 3, Grimes, Smith 1, Williams, O.Cooper 4, Cullen 2, Lowe

1

2

1

Lowe

Ayew

Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Routledge, Byers, Dhanda, O.Cooper, Garrick, Cullen

Routledge 1

Cullen

Webb, Cabango, Naughton, Bidwell 4, Fulton 2, Cooper 3

Hourihane

Lowe 1

Ayew

Hamer, Bennett, Latibeaudiere, Manning 1, Williams, Dhanda, O.Cooper, Garrick, Morris

Dhanda 1

Hourihane

Lowe 2

Ayew

Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Evans, Manning, Williams, Fulton 1

Fulton

Hourihane

Lowe 1

Ayew

Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Cabango, Manning, Freeman, Dhanda, O.Cooper, Morris 1, Whittaker

Fulton

Dhanda

5

Lowe 1

Morris 2

Webb, Naughton, Freeman 3, Bennett, Bidwell 4, Hourihane 5, Arriola 1, Whittaker 2

Fulton

Hourihane 3

Lowe 2

Ayew

Hamer, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Smith 3, Dhanda, Arriola 2, Morris 1, Whittaker

Fulton 4

Hourihane

Lowe 1

Ayew

Hamer, Cabango 1, Latibeaudiere, Manning 5, Smith, Dhanda 4, Arriola, Morris 2, Whittaker 3

Dhanda 1

Hourihane 2

Lowe

Ayew

Hamer, Latibeaudiere 3, Manning, Freeman, Smith 1, Fulton 2, Arriola, O.Cooper, Whittaker

Dhanda 1

Hourihane 2

Lowe

Ayew

Hamer, Naughton, B.Cooper, Manning, Smith, Fulton 1, Arriola 2, O.Cooper, Whittaker 3

Fulton

Smith

Lowe 1

Ayew

Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Bidwell, Freeman, Hourihane 1, Dhanda, Arriola, O.Cooper, Whittaker

Fulton

Smith 1

Hourihane

Ayew

Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Bidwell 2, Bennett, Dhanda, Arriola, O.Cooper, Arriola, Lowe 1, Whittaker

Fulton 2

Hourihane 3

Smith

Hourihane

Smith 2 Fulton 4

2

, Garrick 5, Ayew, Lowe 1

, O.Cooper, Garrick, Morris 2

Lowe 4

Ayew

Hamer, Bennett, Latibeaudiere 1, Manning, Smith 3, Dhanda 2, O.Cooper, Routledge 4, Whittaker

Dhanda 1

Ayew

Hamer, Cabango, Bidwell, Freeman, Fulton 2, O.Cooper, Routledge, Lowe 1, Whittaker

Hourihane 3

Lowe

Ayew

Hamer, Cabango, Bidwell, Freeman, Fulton, Dhanda 2, O.Cooper, Routledge 3, Whittaker 1

Hourihane 1

Ayew

Whittaker

Hamer, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Manning 3, Smith 1, Dhanda 4, Routledge, Lowe 2

Smith 1

Fulton

Lowe 2

Ayew

Hamer, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Hourihane, Dhanda 1, Routledge 2, O.Cooper, Whittaker 3

Hourihane 1

Whittaker 2

Lowe

Ayew

Hourihane

Ayew

Routledge 1

Lowe

Hourihane 3

Ayew

Routledge 1

Lowe

Hourihane 3

Roberts

Smith

Fulton

Hourihane 4

Routledge 2

3

2

2

Hamer, Bennett, Latibeaudiere, Naughton, Bidwell, Smith, Dhanda 1, Routledge 2, O.Cooper 2

Hamer, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Roberts 1, Bidwell, Smith, Dhanda, O.Cooper 2, Whittaker 3 Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Freeman, Roberts 1, Bidwell 2, Smith 3, Dhanda, O.Cooper, Whittaker

Lowe

Ayew 1

Hamer, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Bidwell, Smith 3, Dhanda 4, Routledge 1, 5, Whittaker 2, Cullen 5

Routledge 1

Lowe 3

Hamer, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Manning, Hourihane, Dhanda 2, O.Cooper, Whittaker 3, Cullen 1

Lowe

Cullen 3

Hamer, Bennett, Latibeaudiere, Roberts 1, Smith 4, Dhanda, O.Cooper, Ayew 3

, Whittaker 2

53

CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE 20-21 POS TEAM

54

P

*Sheffield Wednesday deducted 6 points. P = Promoted.

W D L

F

A

GD PTS

1

Norwich City P

44

28

9

7

69

33

36

93

2

Watford P

44

26

10

8

61

28

33

88

3

Brentford

44

22

15

7

74

41

33

81

4

Bournemouth

44

22

11

11

73

43

30

77

5

Swansea City

44

22

11

11

54

36

18

77

6

Barnsley

44

23

8

13

56

46

10

77

7

Reading

44

19

12

13

59

48

11

69

8

Cardiff City

44

17

13

14

61

48

13

64

9

Middlesbrough

44

18

9

17

54

49

5

63

10

Queens Park Rangers

44

17

11

16

52

54

-2

62

11

Luton Town

43

17

9

17

39

48

-9

60

12

Millwall

44

14

17

13

42

45

-3

59

13

Stoke City

44

14

15

15

48

50

-2

57

14

Preston North End

44

16

7

21

45

55

-10

55

15

Blackburn Rovers

44

14

11

19

59

51

8

53

16

Birmingham City

44

13

13

18

35

52

-17

52

17

Nottingham Forest

44

12

15

17

36

43

-7

51

18

Bristol City

44

15

6

23

44

61

-17

51

19

Coventry City

44

13

12

19

42

59

-17

51

20

Huddersfield Town

44

12

11

21

47

68

-21

47

21

Derby County

44

11

10

23

32

53

-21

43

22

Rotherham United

43

11

6

26

42

58

-16

39

23

Sheffield Wednesday*

44

12

9

23

37

58

-21

39

24

Wycombe Wanderers

44

9

10

25

35

69

-34

37

UPCOMING FIXTURES WATFORD (A)

Saturday, May 8, 12.30pm

CHAMPIONSHIP A - 1ST LEG

Monday, May 17, 6pm

CHAMPIONSHIP B - 1ST LEG Monday, May 17, 8.15pm

CHAMPIONSHIP A - 2ND LEG

Saturday, May 22, 12.30pm

CHAMPIONSHIP B - 2ND LEG Saturday, May 22, 5.30pm

Correct as of April 26, 2021

55

SQUAD LIST V

HEAD COACH: STEVE COOPER Freddie Woodman Ryan Bennett Ryan Manning Marc Guéhi Jay Fulton Korey Smith Matt Grimes Jamal Lowe André Ayew Jordan Morris Steven Benda Conor Hourihane Wayne Routledge Morgan Whittaker Ben Hamer Paul Arriola Liam Cullen Yan Dhanda Joel Latibeaudiere Connor Roberts Jake Bidwell Kyle Naughton Tivonge Rushesha Ollie Cooper Kieron Freeman Brandon Cooper Daniel Williams Lewis Webb Ben Cabango

1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 30 31 34 36 37 42 44

MANAGER: WAYNE ROONEY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 19 21 23 26 30 33 34 35 38 39 40

David Marshall Andre Wisdom Craig Forsyth Graeme Shinnie Krystian Bielik George Edmundson Kamil Jozwiak Max Bird Martyn Waghorn Tom Lawrence Jordan Ibe Nathan Byrne Colin Kazim-Richards Teden Mengi Matt Clarke Louie Sibley Lee Gregory Kelle Roos Patrick Roberts Lee Buchanan Emmanuel Idem Curtis Davies Beni Baningime Kornell McDonald Jason Knight Jack Stretton Louie Watson

MATCH OFFICIALS REFEREE: DARREN BOND ASSISTANT REFEREES: PHILIP DERMOTT AND ROBERT HYDE FOURTH OFFICIAL: DEAN WHITESTONE