A CENTURY OF LEAGUE FOOTBALL Swansea City had just completed their Southern League Division One season when the Football League opted to form Division Three. This meant the Swans were now full members of the Football League and were part of an exciting new set-up.
1921-1922 FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH (FINISHED 10TH)
Here, historian Gwyn Rees looks at the club’s campaigns throughout its 100-year involvement in the Football League divisions and Premier League.
1920-1921 FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH (FINISHED FIFTH)
With the prospect of playing in the Football League, manager Joe Bradshaw wasted no time in strengthening his squad. He brought in Jimmy Edmundson from Sheffield Wednesday, and a full-back that would go on to play in more league games than anyone else in the club’s history - Wilf Milne. The first game was played at Portsmouth, where the Swans were soundly beaten 3-0. But just five days later, the club would register its first points in the league when they defeated Watford 2-1 at Vetch Field. By October, the Swans had failed to win an away game or even register a goal on their travels, and the club were near the foot of the table. But, as so often happens in football, the team went on an unbeaten run for nearly four months, and at the season’s end the club would finish its first season a creditable fifth in the division. The season also saw the first full International game played at the Vetch, with Swansea’s Billy Hole scoring the first goal in Wales’ 2-1 win over Ireland, making him the first Swansea-born player to represent his country.
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Once again the Swans began the season with mixed results, with only two wins in their opening 10 fixtures. Although the team were being applauded for their style of play by many, the cutting edge to kill off teams in games was missing. It was the FA Cup that saw the Swans capture the headlines, when after defeating Bournemouth and Bristol Rovers in the qualifying rounds, they were drawn at home against West Ham United. A record crowd of 26,000 saw an entertaining 0-0 draw, then four days later the sides fought out another draw, with Ivor Jones scoring early for the Swans. It took a third game at Ashton Gate, and a Joe Spottiswood goal after 110 minutes to see the Swans finally progress to the second round for an away trip to Southend United. A hard-fought 1-0 win in Essex saw the Swans progress to round three, but a 4-0 defeat at Millwall saw the cup dream ended, and though they would enjoy a record 8-1 win over Bristol Rovers in April, it was the cup run that most supporters would remember the season for.
