Swansea City v Nottingham Forest - FA Cup – 20-21 – Issue 13

Cadwch yn ddiogel Jacks

Issue 13 - Digital Copy

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Swansea City v Nottingham Forest Saturday, January 23 - Kick-off 3pm

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CONTENTS Page 9 - Steve Cooper’s Notes

Page 14 - Meet the Opposition

Page 19 - Match Report

Page 28 - Q&A with Jay Fulton

Page 34 - Classic FA Cup Encounters

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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CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES VISIT SWANSEACITY.COM

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 Manager: Nigel Rees Staff: David Tivey, Ritson Lloyd, Ailsa Jones, Matthew Murray, Adele Callaghan, Daniel Morris, Lee Watkins, Chris Watkins, Tom Jenkinson, Tom Goodall, 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, Julie Kissick, Chris Wilson-Barney, Andrew Gwilym, Jonathan Davies, Sophie Davis, Adam Evans, Gwyn Rees, Ben Jones, Dylan James 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/FfĂ´n: 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 FA Cup fourth round tie against Nottingham Forest.

It has been a really positive start to the calendar year following league victories over Watford and Barnsley, as well as the win over Stevenage in the cup.

We had hoped to follow those results up with another positive showing at Blackburn in midweek, but unfortunately the game was postponed due to the inclement weather.

It has been a very positive lead up to today’s game, with two new arrivals joining Steve’s squad.

We were delighted to be able to bring in Conor Hourihane on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season – an experienced player with great pedigree in both the Championship and Premier League, as well as on the international stage.

The squad was also bolstered with the arrival of goalkeeper Ben Hamer from Huddersfield, another player with huge experience that will benefit us going forward.

Unfortunately we lost Steven Benda to injury, and we wish him a speedy recovery along with Brandon Cooper who is also sidelined.

Steven also signed a new contract with the club recently, together with youngster Lewis Webb, and our goalkeeping options are now looking very strong.

As well as those arrivals, we have also seen several players leave the club recently. Kasey Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White and Viktor Gyokeres were all recalled by their parent clubs and I’d like to thank them for their efforts during their time with us and wish them every success for the future.

Jack Evans saw his 14-year association with Swansea City came to end as he completed a move to Newport County. Jack has been an inspiration to many following his successful fight against cancer and everyone at the club wishes him well.

Another departure came as Declan John signed for Bolton and we wish Declan every success in his time with Wanderers.

us as we head into the second half of the campaign. This is Jay’s seventh year at Swansea City following his move from Falkirk in 2014 and we hope his success continues with the club both this season and beyond.

As well as the comings and goings in the playing squad, we were delighted to welcome Mark Allen to the club earlier this month as our new academy director. Mark has an impressive CV and vast experience as director of academy at Manchester City and, most recently, as director of football at Rangers.

We believe Mark is someone who can continue to take the academy forward and help the development of our players and staff, and he has a proven track record of working with young, talented footballers.

Our attention now turns to the FA Cup with a short break from league action, as we hope to book our place in the fifth round of this season’s competition.

Enjoy the game.

This week also saw Jay Fulton sign a new contract, which will keep him at the club until 2024, and that was another boost for

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Head Coach’s Notes

STEVE COOPER G

ood afternoon everyone as we look forward to our FA Cup fixture with Nottingham Forest at the Liberty.

tough encounter. We won 1-0 at the City Ground thanks to Connor Roberts’ header, and that was a big away win for us.

Quite a lot has gone on since my last notes – victories over Watford and Barnsley in the league came either side of a win at Stevenage in the last round of the FA Cup.

We go into this game with a new face in the squad after Conor Hourihane joined us on loan from Aston Villa.

And, of course, we had been due to play Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night only for the game to be called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

That was frustrating in one way, but understandable given the conditions. Our focus immediately turned to today’s game against Forest, and I must say the attitude of the players has been excellent.

The team is playing well and w e’ v e b u i l t u p s o m e g o o d results, which in turn adds to the confidence of the group.

But that all counts for nothing if you don’t back it up with a result in your next game, and that’s the challenge for the lads.

We know from our league game against Forest earlier in the season that it will be a really

We were delighted to be able to add Conor to our squad because he’s a talented player and will give us extra options in midfield.

With Morgan Gibbs-White and Kasey Palmer being recalled by Wolves and Bristol City, we needed to bring in a player in that position, and Conor’s arrival is a great addition given his experience and quality at this level.

We’ve also signed Ben Hamer on a permanent deal from Huddersfield Town. This was another important signing given the injury suffered

by Steven Benda, and again it adds quality and experience in the goalkeeping department.

and continue to build on our performances and results.

As mentioned, the injury to Steven was really unfortunate, but he’ll come back stronger as he has a great attitude. He had some good news recently, though, in the form of a new contract, which is a big boost for him.

We’ve also lost Brandon Cooper to injury following his return from a loan spell at Newport, and he is another member of the squad that will come back fit and raring to go.

He was joined by Jay Fulton in signing a new deal, and I’m really happy for him because he’s the ultimate team player. His contract will bring his service to Swansea City to 10 years, and I’m sure he can play an important role in the next three years.

Enjoy the game.

At the time of writing, that has been our news in the transfer market, but obviously things can change quickly. Hopefully, we can keep the squad together

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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 Emirates FA Cup fourth-round tie against Nottingham Forest at the Liberty.

There were plenty of positives to take from the win, including s e n i o r d e b u t s fo r C a m e r o n Evans and Oli Cooper. They’re great lads and I was chuffed to bits for the both of them.

We started 2021 off on a brilliant note with a 2-1 home victory over Watford. It was a fantastic team performance and we showed great character and spirit to get the win after going a goal down.

It was also a fitting tribute to Nick Eames who had passed away earlier in the week. Nick was a much-loved member of the Swansea family and we wanted to do something for Nick and the whole Eames family, so we came up with the idea of holding up the shirt when we scored.

Jamal netted another two goals which took his tally to six in as many games, it’s great to see him in such good form. The resilience of the team was also illustrated when Joel (Latibeaudiere) picked up a calf injury at the very end of the warm-up.

With just a couple of minutes’ notice, Ryan Manning slotted in at left wing-back while Jake (Bidwell) shuffled inside to centreback and they both did brilliantly.

It further proved that everyone is ready to help the team and can do the job when called upon.

Following a week of preparation, we headed to Stevenage for our FA Cup third-round meeting.

We were back on the road last weekend as we faced Barnsley at Oakwell. It proved another important win that took our unbeaten run to six games in all c ompetitions . T he clean sheet was also our 14th in the league which is definitely a record that we’re proud of and are keen to continue.

It was obviously frustrating for Tuesday evening’s match at Blackburn to be called off on the day of the game, but it was beyond anyone’s control and we took it in our stride. We’re getting to the point of the season where matches are being called off due to weather conditions as well as those called off for Covid reasons but we’ll be ready to adapt to whatever comes our way.

T h e FA C u p i s a b r i l l i a nt competition and one we enjoy being part of so we’re really looking forward to this afternoon’s match. It not only presents an opportunity to progress to the fifth round but, also a chance to continue our momentum. We’ll be focused and ready for the challenge ahead as always, and hope to put a smile on the faces of everyone watching from home.

Enjoy the game today!

Barnsley didn’t make it easy for us and we faced further challenges with the weather conditions and the pitch but we dug deep and produced another battling performance.

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C

eri Stone gives an update from the Supporters Trust, and writes his future wishes for the New Year for Swansea City.

Happy New Year Jacks.

When should we stop wishing everyone a Happy New Year? I was always told after one week, but given these are only our second programme notes for the year it should be fair to stretch the good wishes a little further.

We entered 2021 with another lockdown and the prospect of watching the Swans live looking remote. No sooner had the year started and we lost some players in quick succession. Readers of these notes will know of my admiration for Kasey Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White and it was a blow to see them depart so soon. Then followed the sad news of injuries to Brandon Cooper and Steven Benda. We wish them all well.

January is a time to look forward to an eventful year and it is a perfect opportunity to share some wishes for the 12 months ahead.

1. We want this current lockdown to end and life to return to normal. That would mean we get to watch our Swans live once again. I miss the sound of Hymns and Arias in the East Stand and I want to catch up with many of you at the Trust pod on a matchday and extol the benefits of membership of our great association.

2. We want to gain automatic promotion to the Premier League.

3. This means the side probably needs some quality new recruits to bolster the already fine squad that has been built. At the time of writing, Ben Hamer has just come on board and we welcome him to the Swansea family. We have faith in Steve Cooper and Andy Scott, as they continue their excellent work in recruiting exciting talents to support our push to the promised land.

4. We are aiming for involvement with the Trust to continue increasing as it did so positively in 2020.

Membership is up 40 per cent compared to this stage last year, which will have been reported at the Trust AGM earlier this week. Terry will update you on that meeting in his next notes.

5. Finally, it would be great to start the year with a long run in the FA Cup and for our success to be reported on Final Score, given we are the only Welsh side left in the tournament.

For that to happen we need a positive result against Nottingham Fore st t oday. I have a particular affiliation with our East Midlands rivals having lived there not so long ago. We had some interesting banter in our League One days, and I remember dining out on a 2-1 away win in 2006, when Lee Trundle curled one into the top corner to seal the victory. I was in the Forest end and was politely asked to leave the ground for being the only happy face in that stand.

Here’s wishing for more of the same today. If only we were there to see it.

I hope you enjoy the game today.

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NOTTINGHAM FOREST

FACT FILE THE GAFFER

OWNER

NICKNAME

1865

@NFFC

@officialnffc

@officialnffc

City Ground

1898

30,446

TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK STADIUM OPENED CAPACITY

Chris Hughton is the man in charge at the City Ground after taking over from Sabri Lamouchi at the beginning of October last year. The 62-year-old played the majority of his career for Tottenham Hotspur as a left back, before spells with West Ham United and Brentford. He represented the Republic of Ireland 53 times, becoming the first mixed race player to do so. Hughton has also managed Spurs, Newcastle United, Birmingham, Norwich and Brighton.

CLUB CAPTAIN

Michael Dawson dons the captain’s armband for Forest, where he has done since resigning for the club in May 2018. The centreback began his professional career in the Midlands, making his debut in a 3-2 defeat to Walsall back in 2002. His performances earned him a move to Spurs in 2005 where he spent over nine years at White Hart Lane. From there, he moved to Hull City where he captained the Tigers in the Premier League before moving back to Forest.

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FOUNDED

Evangelos Marinakis Forest

MICHAEL DAWSON CHRIS HUGHTON

CLUB DETAILS SOCIAL MEDIA FACILITIES

STADIUM MEET THE OPPOSITION Forest are most known for their European success back in 1979 and 1980, where they won the European Cup in back-to-back years under the famous Brian Clough. In his last decade in charge, Clough led Forest to two League Cups in as many years, as well as an FA Cup Final. The Reds have not been in the PL since relegation in 1999, but came agonisingly close to making the playoffs last term, only to be edged out by the Swans.

FOREST’S FORM Since losing three on the bounce, including their most recent loss being 3-1 at home to Brentford in mid-December, Forest have gone seven games unbeaten. Four wins – with one over Cardiff City in the third round of the FA Cup – and three draws sees the Reds sit 20th in the Championship, just above the relegation spots and East Midlands rivals, Derby County.

THE KEY MEN Strike duo Lewis Grabban and Lyle Taylor lead the line for Forest, and both have an eye for goal with Taylor being the top scorer with five goals. Talented Frenchman Anthony Knockaert is a player to keep an eye on, plying his trade at Forest now after productive stints with Leicester, Brighton and Fulham. Midfield general Samba Sow directs the traffic in the middle of the park, whilst Cafu is also a danger with his creativity.

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CYRUS CHRISTIE

ONES TO WATCH

Right-back Christie is on loan at Forest from Premier League side Fulham, and has made 22 appearances in the Championship this season.

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Despite his deeper role, Christie can prove to be a menace coming down the right flank, having secured three assists this season. The Republic of Ireland international has been defensively solid, with 38 interceptions and 46 clearances this campaign.

POSITION

CB

NATION

AGE

POSITION

26 RB

After signing from Sporting Lisbon on loan in January 2018, the defender made his move permanent just months later on July 1st.

The 26-year-old has a wealth of experience in top flight football, in the Europa L eague and Champions League.

Standing at 6�2, Figueiredo has started 18 games out of a possible 23 this season, making a big impact on the Forest defence.

TOBIAS FIGUEIREDO

NATION

AGE

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JOE LOLLEY Signing in 2018 from Huddersfield Town, Lolley penned a four-year deal at the City Ground.

Lolley enjoyed a successful 2019/2020 campaign, with ten goals and nine assists in all competitions.

This season the 28-yearold has made 17 key passes this season, in 21 appearances for the Tricky Trees, and boasts a 74% pass success rate.

POSITION

MF

NATION

AGE

27 ATT

Signing from Olympiacos on deadline day in October, Cafu has made 11 appearances for Forest this season. The Portgual man’s best performance to date came up against Millwall in January, where he received huge praise from the Forest faithful for his efforts.

The 27-year-old has flourished under Reds boss Chris Hughton, putting in consistent performances wherever he’s been asked to play.

CAFÚ

POSITION

NATION

AGE

POSITION

28 ST

NATION

AGE

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Taylor bagged 11 goals in the 2019/2020 campaign and has started brightly already this season with five in all competitions.

The Montserrat international has featured in 24 games this season, starting just 13 times, showing he can make an impact off the bench.

With 122 league goals in his career, across nine English clubs and two Scottish sides, Taylor has bags of experience and a knack for finding the net.

LYLE TAYLOR 17

Ministry

Group

Ministry

Graphics

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MATCH DETAILS

SWANSEA CITY 2 WATFORD 1 MATCH REPORT J

DATE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 2 VENUE: LIBERTY STADIUM REFEREE: DARREN BOND

LINEUPS

a m a l L owe s t r u c k a s u p e r b d o u b l e a s Swansea City came from behind to start 2021 with victory over Watford, and climb to second in the Championship table.

Swans: Freddie Woodman; Ben Cabango, Marc Guehi, Jake Bidwell; Connor Roberts, Korey Smith, Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Ryan Manning (Morgan Gibbs-White 84); Jamal Lowe, Andre Ayew.

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.

Subs not used: Steven Benda, Viktor Gyokeres, Wayne Routledge, Yan Dhanda, Cameron Evans, Jordon Garrick, Kasey Palmer, Oli Cooper.

And the striker completed the turnaround in the second half as he headed home his eighth goal of the season, taking his recent tally to six in six games.

Watford: Ben Foster; Kiko Femenia, Francisco Sierralta, Ben Wilmot, Jeremy Ngakia (Adam Masina 46); Tom Cleverley (Will Hughes 90), Nathanial Chalobah (James Garner 60); Ismaila Sarr, Andre Gray, Ken Sema; Troy Deeney (captain).

After the frustration of the midweek draw with Reading, this was a performance that got its deserved reward with three points as the season reached its halfway point.

This was despite the Swans being forced into a late reshuffle as Joel Latibeaudiere was injured in the warm-up, with Ryan Manning coming into the side and Jake Bidwell moving to centre-back.

They also fell behind when Cleverley drove a low shot into the bottom former via a small deflection off Matt Grimes.

But the Swans responded as Lowe – shortly after Ben Foster had denied Andre Ayew and Korey Smith – curled a brilliant effort in off the inside of the post.

And they kept pressing into the second half with Smith producing an excellent deep cross that left Foster unsure whether to come to claim it, and Lowe snuck in at the far post to nod in the winner.

Subs not used: Daniel Bachmann, William Troost Ekong, Marc Navarro, Sam Dalby, Joseph Hungbo, Kane Crichlow.

QUOTE OF THE GAME “I THINK IT WAS THE RIGHT RESULT AND IT WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OF A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE, I THOUGHT WE WERE BY FAR THE SUPERIOR TEAM.”

STEVE COOPER 19

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MATCH DETAILS

STEVENAGE 0 SWANSEA CITY 2 MATCH REPORT S

eaded goals from Wayne Routledge and Viktor Gyokeres helped Swansea City overcome League Two Stevenage and book their place in the FA Cup fourth round.

Paired up front in a much-changed side by Steve Cooper, the duo struck at the start of each half as the Swans comfortably progressed at the Lamex Stadium.

Wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Matt Grimes, Routledge opened the scoring after seven minutes when he nodded home Yan Dhanda’s cross.

Gyokeres doubled the lead with his first Swansea goal just six minutes into the second half; heading past Stevenage keeper Jamie Cumming after a delicious cross from Jordon Garrick.

Cooper’s men survived a scare later on as Freddie Woodman saved from Luke Norris’ penalty to preserve a seventh clean sheet from nine games.

Just seven minutes were on the clock when Routledge marked his first start since September by heading in Dhanda’s cross from close range, and dedicated his maiden goal of this season to former kitman Nick Eames, who recently passed away.

DATE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 VENUE: LAMEX STADIUM REFEREE: MICHAEL SALISBURY

LINEUPS Stevenage: Jamie Cumming, Luther JamesWildin, Ben Coker, Scott Cuthbert (captain), Charlie Carter, Danny Newton (Jack Aitchison 63), Terence Vanccoten, Arthur Read, Jack Smith (Romain Vincelot 76), Tom Pett (Luke Norris 46), Chris Lines (Aramide Oteh 63).

Subs not used: Billy Johnson, Luke Prosser, Tyrone Marsh, Elliott List, Ross Marshall.

Swans: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton, Ben Cabango, Cameron Evans (Jake Bidwell 72); Jordon Garrick (Oli Cooper 84), George Byers, Jay Fulton (Korey Smith 46), Ryan Manning; Yan Dhanda; Wayne Routledge (captain; Liam Cullen 65), Viktor Gyokeres.

Subs not used: Lewis Webb, Marc Guehi, Matt Grimes, Jamal Lowe, Daniel Williams.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

After the break Garrick – making his first start of the campaign – demonstrated tremendous pace to get away down the right, before his delicious cross was glanced in by Gyokeres.

“TO THINK WE HAVE WON 2-0 AWAY FROM HOME IS POSITIVE, AND THERE WERE LOTS OF POSITIVES TO TAKE FROM THE GAME. WE SHOWED A GOOD ATTITUDE.”

And Woodman made sure there were no late worries as he denied Norris from the spot after Gyokeres had handled.

STEVE COOPER 21

BARNSLEY 0 SWANSEA CITY 2

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MATCH DETAILS DATE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 VENUE: OAKWELL REFEREE: JEREMY SIMPSON

MATCH REPORT S

wansea City stretched their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions as goals from Ben Cabango and Jamal Lowe saw them beat Barnsley and tighten their grip on second place in the Championship table.

At the end of a scrappy opening half Cabango netted the opener with a glancing header to register his third goal of the season.

And in-form striker Lowe took his tally to nine this campaign, with seven coming in his last seven appearances, when he calmly capitalised on a slip-up in the Barnsley defence.

The result ensures the Swans remain second in the table, four points behind leaders Norwich and four points clear of the teams in the playoff places.

They also racked up a 14th league clean sheet – and 15th in all competitions – with this latest s h u t- o u t , a n d f u r t h e r e x t e n d e d a 1 5 - y e a r unbeaten streak against the Tykes.

It proved a disjointed game on a sticky pitch, but the Swans were the ones to make the most of their openings.

And they led in first-half stoppage time as Connor Roberts’ long throw found the head of Cabango, whose header looped into the far corner.

And they then struck the crucial blow when Mads Andersen and Michal Helik got themselves in a muddle dealing with a Grimes header, and Lowe ran on to calmly slot the ball beyond Jack Walton.

LINEUPS Barnsley: Jack Walton; Michal Helik, Mads Andersen, Michael Sollbauer (Toby Sibbick 84); Callum Brittain, Herbie Kane (Carlton Morris 62), Alex Mowatt (captain), Callum Styles; Conor Chaplin (Romal Palmer 63); Cauley Woodrow, Victor Adeboyejo (Luke Thomas 84).

Subs not used: Patrick Schmidt, Clarke Oduor, Dominik Frieser, Jasper Moon, Ben Collins.

Swans: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton, Ben Cabango, Marc Guehi; Connor Roberts, Korey Smith, Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Jake Bidwell; Jamal Lowe, Andre Ayew.

Subs not used: Ben Hamer, Ryan Manning, Wayne Routledge, Liam Cullen, Yan Dhanda, Joel Latibeaudiere, George Byers, Oli Cooper, Jordon Garrick.

QUOTE OF THE GAME “WE SHOWED A DIFFERENT SIDE TO US TODAY, AND CREDIT TO THE LADS BECAUSE THEY DID IT REALLY WELL. IT PROBABLY WASN’T A PRETTY AFFAIR, BUT IT WAS A FAIRLY COMFORTABLE WIN” STEVE COOPER 23

EVERY GOAL EVERY CELEBRATION EVERY MOMENT EVERY TEAM FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE ON 24

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STILETTOS & STUDS

BY JULIE KISSICK

“T

he prospect of facing Premier League giants Manchester City in the fifth-round” were the words booming out of my speaker as the news of the fourth and fifth round draws were summed up.

Let’s face it, we don’t have a great deal to look forward to, given the current lockdown restrictions, so anything which offers even the chance of an additional morsel of excitement is not to be sniffed at.

Yes, we have to jump the hurdle in front of us in the shape of Nottingham Forest before we can think about potentially facing Pep’s big guns in the next round, but we did it in the league last November and we can do it again today.

And that’s not to take anything away from Cheltenham Town, who will be looking to produce a giant-killing when they face City this evening.

Stranger things have happened, as we know, because there is magic in the FA Cup, the kind of magic that produces the unexpected and makes heroes out of those who were previously unknown.

I love the FA Cup. It brings back such great memories for me, sitting in front of the television watching the final as a kid and being blown away by the access we got, from the teams in their hotels, to watching the players getting onto the coaches, the journey to Wembley with the adoring crowds lining the streets - it was so unique back then.

But the best bit was watching the two sides step onto the perfect Wembley pitch. The weather was always good, the sun shone, the skies were blue - and the grass looked nothing like the pitch at the Vetch!

The FA Cup offered a real sense of escapism, something we could all do with a rather large dose of in our current circumstances.

I’m not old enough to remember our most successful exploits in the competition, the semi-final in 19634, but I can imagine for fans who do it was a game where the levels of expectation and anticipation were high and the disappointment on the final whistle resulted in a real low.

Swansea Town had beaten Bill Shankly’s Liverpool 2-1 in the sixth round before getting drawn against Preston North End in the semis. The match ended with the same scoreline as the previous one, but this time, after going 1-0 up before half-time, two goals in the second half were our undoing and a crowd of around 68,000, including 30,000 Jacks, witnessed our exit from the competition at Villa Park in Birmingham.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if 2021 was our time to shine in the FA Cup? I know lots of fans are more concerned with the league and making sure our focus is fully on trying to achieve promotion, and I get that, but it would be even better if this was the season we did both, and do you know what, I don’t see any reason why we can’t.

I watch our side and I have a sense that there is a real togetherness in this squad. It excites me. It makes me believe and let’s be fair, we all need something to believe in at the moment.

C an S t eve C ooper ’s men make our dre ams come true?

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BY IAN MITCHELMORE, WALES ONLINE

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r ôl gemau oddi cartref yn erbyn Stevenage, Barnsley a Blackburn Rovers, mae Abertawe yn croesawu Nottingham Forest i’r Stadiwm Liberty heddiw, tair wythnos ar ôl yr 2-1 buddugoliaeth yn erbyn Watford.

Mae tîm Steve Cooper wedi cael llwydiant dros tîm Chris Hughton yn barod y tymor yma, gyda peniad Connor Roberts yn sicrhau y pwyntia i’r Elyrch yn yr gêm olaf ym Mis Tachwedd.

Ar ôl chwarae yn erbyn Blackburn ar nos Fawrth, mae disgwyl i Cooper rhoi cyfle i’r chwaraewyr sydd heb ‘di cael llawer o gyfleoedd y tymor yma.

Chwaraeodd Wayne Routledge, George Byers, Cameron Evans, George Byers a Ryan Manning yn erbyn Stevenage, ac mi fydd y criw yma yn gobeithio troi allan yn erbyn Forest.

Yn anfodus, mi fydd Steven Benda yn methu allan ar ôl anafu ei ffêr. Ac hefyd, mae Brandon Cooper yn gwella ar ôl dioddef yr un anaf i Benda. Roedd Cooper wedi chwarae i Gasnewydd yn yr Cwpan FA yn barod, ac mi fydd Ben Hamer - pwy ymunodd yr Elyrch o Huddersfield wythnos yn ôl - yn methu allan heddiw ar ôl chwarae i dîm Carlos Corberán yn erbyn Plymouth Argyle.

Gyda’r Elyrch mewn safle cryf yn y Gynghrair, mi fydd Steve Cooper yn awyddus cyn yr gêm yn erbyn Brentford ar nos Fercher.

Ond, ar ôl gweld pwy yw’r gwrthwynebwyr yn y bumed rownd, efallai fydd pethau wedi newid i Steve Cooper.

Mae penbleth wedi datblygu i reolwr Abertawe. Ydi o’n dewis tîm cryf yn erbyn Forest i sichrau mae o’n cael y cyfle i chwarae yn erbyn Manchester City pwy fydd yn ffefrynau mawr yn erbyn Cheltenham. Neu, ydi o’n cadw’r prif chwaraewyr yn ffres yn barod i chwarae yn erbyn Brentford?

Mi fydd cefnogwyr yn cofio’r gêm cyffrous yn erbyn tîm Pep Guardiola ym Mis Mawrth 2018. Ac mae yna teimlad o busnes anorffenedig gyda Manchester City.

Ar yr un pryd, mae’r Elyrch yn eistedd yn yr ail safle yn yr Gynghrair cyn yr gêm enfawr yn erbyn Brentford.

Mi fydd cefnogwyr yn gorfod aros tan Mis Mai i weld os yw penderfyniad Steve Cooper heddiw yn un da neu ddim.

Ond, mae angen dweud, mae’n problem gwych i gael ar y funud!

27

Q&A WITH JAY FULTON Age: 26 Position: Midfielder Nationality: Scottish Former Clubs: Oldham Athletic (Loan), 12 Apps Wigan Athletic (Loan), 5 Apps, 1 Goal

28

WHEN SWANSEA CITY SUPPORTERS ARE ASKED TO THINK OF LONG-SERVING MEMBERS OF THE CURRENT SQUAD THEY WILL INEVITABLY THINK OF WAYNE ROUTLEDGE, AND THE ACADEMY PRODUCTS SUCH AS CONNOR ROBERTS. BUT A FEW MAY BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT JAY FULTON IS UP NEAR THE TOP OF THAT LIST, AND HIS RECENT SIGNING OF A NEW CONTRACT MEANS HE IS ON COURSE TO BRING UP A DECADE OF SERVICE AT THE SWANS. HERE, THE SCOTTISH MIDFIELDER REFLECTS ON HIS TIME IN SA1, AND WHY HE WAS SO KEEN TO FURTHER EXTEND HIS TIME IN SOUTH WALES.

When we entered contract talks I was very keen to get to 10 years because that’s a big achievement and would mean a lot to me.

Jay, it’s been a busy period for you with some fantastic news. First of all, you’ve just signed a new contract?

It’s difficult living in a hotel, and my family went back to Scotland when I was out on loan, but, again, those experiences are ones that you learn from.

Yes, it was great news. I was coming to the end of my existing contract and I was really hoping a new deal would come. For me and my family, we wanted to stay here – we’ve been here so long it’s home for us.

If anything, it probably made me even more determined to make sure I was in the manager’s plans when I returned to Swansea.

So, it’s great to know that our future is secure for the next three years and I can continue working hard and trying to help the team in the meantime.

The city and the club is great. We love it. My mind has always been focused on staying here. Swansea means a lot to me and my family.

That contract will see you remain at the Liberty until 2024, which will clock up a decade of service. Would you have envisaged that when you arrived here from Falkirk in January 2014?

It takes me to 10 years at the club, which means a lot to me. The first few years were difficult in terms of game-time because we were in the Premier League and we had high-calibre players.

But when I came down and signed for the under-23s’ squad I was quickly promoted into the first team and made a few appearances.

Since then there have been a few ups and downs, but I wouldn’t have changed anything.

CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE...

Being at a club for 10 years doesn’t tend to happen much these days.

So much has happened in that time. You’ve played in the Premier League and Championship, along with going out on loan at Oldham and Wigan, where you won promotion from League One. How do you look back on that time?

It’s a bit like anyone’s career - there are lots of ups and downs. I arrived from Falkirk and joined a big club in Swansea, and we were obviously in the Premier League then.

I struggled for game-time so I went out on loan. It helps prepare you for first-team football. Just look at what it did for Connor Roberts and Matt Grimes.

In football, I think you have to take positives from any situation, and that’s how I’ve approached it. It sets you up for the rest of your career.

Your new contract means you are now the secondlongest serving first-team player in Steve Cooper’s squad – only Wayne Routledge has been here longer.

It really does mean a lot to me that I could reach 10 years’ service for the club. Not just for me, but for my family too, because this is home for us.

To be at a club for 10 years shows you must have done something right and, particularly in the last few years, I’ve played a lot, so I’m happy with that.

Of course, Wayne has been here since 2011 and has been a hugely important player for the club, plus he’s a great character too. He’s been there, done it, worn the t-shirt.

We’ve had the likes of Leon Britton, Angel Rangel, Nathan Dyer, Garry Monk, for example, who played at the club for 10 years and served the club so well, and they’re held in high regard by the fans.

If I can get up to 10 years of service then I’d be delighted with that.

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It took a while for you to get going here in terms of appearances. With the club in the Premier League, games were hard to come by. But making your debut in the home win over Aston Villa must have been a dream come true?

I’d signed three months before my debut, and I was quickly into the first-team squad. It probably happened a bit too quickly for me to realise what I’d done. I didn’t expect to start against Sunderland the following week, but that was incredible. It was the last game of the season at the Stadium of Light – a big stadium with a big crowd – and it was a great moment for me.

I can look back and say I’ve played in the Premier League, but we want to get back to that.

Fast forward to now, and you’ve been a key cog in the machine over the last three years. Steve Cooper recently said you were the ultimate team player. How do you assess your contribution to the team?

I am not the loudest on or off the pitch, but I set my standards every day to prove myself. At the end of the day only 11 can start, so everyone is in the same position.

We are a group who are looking to go into a game and win three points and move onto the next game. If you are in or out of the team, you must be ready and put the team first. That’s not a hard thing for me – it’s normal.

Where does that selflessness come from? Your dad Steve was obviously a professional footballer too, did he instil those qualities in you?

Some players are different and will feel they should play every single game, which is not a bad thing because you need confidence within yourself. But I’ve always been the way I’ve been. It’s about hard work and ensuring I’m ready. When I was coming through the youth teams at Falkirk, my dad was a youth coach there and took training. I speak to him every day pretty much, so he’s been a big influence.

As mentioned, you’ve had some fantastic news recently. There was the new contract, and a new arrival in the family too.

I’ve had another little boy, Jared, recently. He was born before Christmas in Singleton Hospital.

My wife Maxine and I are absolutely over the moon and our eldest son Jenson – who is four now – is loving being a big brother.

Being in Swansea is all he knows, so when we go back to Scotland it is a bit of a holiday for him.

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Having children here also highlights the fact you are settled here. Life in Swansea must be good for your family?

The beaches are lovely and everything is chilled. We are happy here. It was important to try and get the contract to ensure my family are settled, because that is such a key factor in things. At the end of the day, it’s not just about me.

We all love being here and wanted to continue to be here.

Life on the pitch has been great this season, with the team doing so well in the league. Everyone seems to be playing with so much confidence.

We have a young and honest group of players who have put a lot of hard work in, especially since returning from the first lockdown.

The change in formation has helped, and everyone to a man knows their role in the team. The work we’ve done on the training pitch has added to that.

We are the best in the league in defending so that says a lot, plus with the attacking threat we have in the team we are always capable of scoring a goal.

Attention turns to the FA Cup this weekend. How important is this competition to the players? Was it a competition you enjoyed watching as a kid?

Personally, it’s another game that we’re trying to win. That’s the attitude we have as a team. If we can do that, then that will help continue to build the confidence within the team.

There’s one more thing left in your career which I’m sure you’d love to accomplish. You’ve played for Scotland at youth level but are yet to earn a senior cap. Is that a burning ambition?

Everybody who plays football wants to play for their country. I’ve not really thought about it a great deal over the last few years because I’ve tried to make my mark at Swansea. If I do well here then I’ve got a greater chance of getting a national call-up. You’re always proud to represent your country, and I’d be the same if the opportunity were to come. But, first and foremost, I have to make sure I play well for Swansea.

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CLASSIC SWANS’ FA

IT’S A TOURNAMENT WHICH HAS PROVIDED THE SWANS AND T THE YEARS. HERE, WE LOOK BACK AT SOME OF SWANSEA CITY’S F

SHEFFIELD UNITED 0 - SWANS 3

THIRD ROUND - JANUARY 6, 2007

Kenny Jackett’s side had been without nine players through injury and suspension when they travelled to face Neil Warnock’s Premier League Blades at Bramall Lane.

But it proved no obstacle for the League One Swans as three goals in 14 second-half minutes sent them into round four in fine fashion.

Tom Butler was the hero on the day, the Irishman netting the first two goals before winning the penalty that allowed Leon Britton to score the third on a day when the visitors’ display received a warm reception from the home fans.

SWANS 2 PRESTON 1

THIRD ROUND JANUARY 6, 2007 On another wonderful afternoon at The Ve t c h , l a t e g o a l s f r o m A n d y R o b i n s o n a n d Lee Trundle saw Swansea City dump second-tier Preston out in the fourth round.

T he Swans had started superbly but failed to take early chances, and they looked to be heading out of the competition when Dickson Etuhu put North End a goal to the good.

B u t R o b i n s o n c u r l e d h o m e a b r i l l i a nt f r e e - k i c k w i t h 1 0 m i n u t e s r e m a i n i n g b e f o r e Tr u n d l e r e a d a k n o c k - d o w n superbly to arrive in the area and volley home what proved to be the winner.

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A CUP ENCOUNTERS

HEIR SUPPORTERS WITH SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS DOWN FINEST DAYS IN THE WORLD-FAMOUS KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION.

SWANS 1 - WEST HAM 0

THIRD-ROUND REPLAY - JANUARY 13, 1999 Swansea City had been within minutes of knocking the Premier League Hammers out in the original tie at Upton Park, only for a deflected Julian Dicks’ strike to set-up a replay back in South Wales.

On a memorable night at The Vetch, Martin Thomas got the only goal of the game just before the half-hour mark and John Hollins’ side then clung on grimly under severe pressure - with Roger Freestone excellent between the sticks - to help the Swans become the first Division Three team to knock a Premier League team out of the FA Cup.

SWANS 0 LIVERPOOL 0

THIRD ROUND JANUARY 6, 1990 Swans e a fac e d the FA C up holder s in t h e t h i r d r o u n d a t T h e Ve t c h a n d s t u n n e d their illustrious visitors by grinding out a g o a l l e s s d r a w.

Kenny Dalglish’s men were rapidly closing in on another l e a g u e t i t l e, b u t t h e y c o u l d n o t f i n d a wa y p a s t t h e s t e r n resist anc e of a brave Swansea rearguard effort .

However, the Swans would not be able to manage a repeat in the replay at Anfield as they suffered an 8-0 defeat .

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GAME CHANGER footballfoundation.org.uk 36

MARK ALLEN JOINS THE SWANS ACADEMY

H

e has helped nurture the current generation of English football’s rising stars, now Mark Allen is tasked with continuing Swansea City’s production line.

The Welshman is back on home soil following his appointment as the new academy director at the Swans.

He arrives with an impressive CV, having spent e i g h t ye a r s a s t h e d i r e c t o r o f a c a d e m y at Manchester City along with a two-year spell with Glasgow Rangers as director of football.

His time at City saw him play an instrumental part in the development of the likes of Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho, while current Swan Joel Latibeaudiere and former Liberty midfielder Bersant Celina were players that also came under his remit.

After a successful time in City’s academy he was tempted north by Scottish giants Rangers, where he became director of football.

His time at Ibrox saw him help the Gers make progress as they bid to end Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football, with Allen’s appointment of Steven Gerrard proving a shrewd appointment.

Now, Allen is based back in Llanharan and eager to get down to work in his new role.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity at a club I am really excited to have joined,” said Allen.

“I’m excited to meet the staff and get their views on how things are along with sharing my views.

“The academy has done exceptionally well over the years, and has been recognised in terms of its productivity and I want to keep this going in terms of producing players for the first team.

“The club now has category two status, but who says you can’t have excellence? I see it as a fantastic opportunity to show that we can have excellence irrespective of category status.

“Players get an opportunity here - that’s what is exciting and that’s what really appealed to me.

“It’s soul destroying for youngsters when they don’ t get oppor t unities when they are ready, but, as shown in the last few years in particular at Swansea, a number of success stories have emerged from the academy and into the first team. “ The aim is to make sure that continue to be the case.”

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SWANS ACADEMY

BY MARK ALLEN

F

irstly, I want to say a big thank you to everyone at the club for such a warm welcome and I am looking forward to the weeks and months ahead of keeping you updated on the progress and development at the academy.

Whilst the current situation with Covid is extremely frustrating , especially for our younger ages with regards to training and playing, our primary concern must rightly remain to be the safety and protection of everyone.

I’m looking forward to when we can return to some degree of normality and a chance to meet and see all the staff and players in a football environment.

My first couple of weeks have flown by and has given me the chance to meet and see the operation around the under-18 and under-23 programme.

I’m delighted to see so many of the latter crop training with the first team and getting their chance to impress the head coach.

The facility at the academy is first class and my overriding goal is to utilise this to foster the appropriate environment for the development of our players.

Over the coming months my time will be spent evaluating all of our areas and to set the necessary targets for all staff and players to ensure we continue to build on the success rate of players progressing through our system to our first-team squad and beyond.

We have managed two under-23s games since my arrival - the first a 0-0 draw against Millwall followed by a 2-1 defeat at Cardiff. The latter result was particularly disappointing and was the classic “game of two halves.” We were the better side in the first half and deservedly went into the break a goal up and possibly should have increased the lead. Unfortunately we did not continue our dominant first-half display after the interval and consequently the result went away from us; consistency and ruthlessness when ahead should serve as vital learnings for the boys and something I will be looking for in the weeks ahead.

Our FA Youth Cup campaign has also fallen victim to the current situation with the competition being suspended for the foreseeable future, and I will keep you all informed of when that is likely to resume.

Once things return to normal I hope my programme notes will bring you closer to the workings of all departments within the academy with particular focus some weeks to key areas as well as features on all age groups.

It only remains for me say how much I’m looking forward to the challenge and to wish the head coach, staff and players the very best for today’s game.

MARK ALLEN

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STEVEN BENDA SIGNS NEW SWANSEA CITY CONTRACT

S

teven Benda is looking forward to more progression and performances at Swansea City after the goalkeeper signed a new contract at the Liberty.

“I can’t wait to be back training with the squad and pushing for a place in the team again.”

Benda has penned a new two-year extension in SA1 which sees him remain with the Swans until the summer of 2024.

Since returning from a successful loan spell with Swindon Town last season, which saw the Robins win League Two, Benda has provided loan keeper Freddie Woodman with competition for the number one spot.

It comes as a timely boost for the young German stopper, who ruptured his ankle ligaments during a training session.

That competition, along with learning under the tutelage of goalkeeper coach Martyn Margetson, has helped Benda improve his game.

Benda, who made his Swans debut in the league win over Millwall in October, had been set to feature in the FA Cup win over Stevenage prior to his injury.

“Since I’ve come here I’ve progressed every year and the club has helped me a lot,” added the keeper.

But the new contract has given him a big lift during his injury setback, and the 22-year-old is looking forward to spending the next three years with the Swans.

“I’m very happy. It’s great to know that I’m here for the longer term. From the minute I came here, everyone has had faith in me,” said Benda, who joined the Swans from 1860 Munich in 2017.

“It’s great for me mentally to have some positive news and know the club has a lot of faith in me.

“It was really unfortunate to suffer the injury in training, but I had surgery in London recently and I’m looking forward now and concentrating on my recovery.

“From the moment I came back from my loan at Swindon, I’ve worked really hard with Marge. The experience Marge has training with the England goalkeepers - and Wales before that – is fantastic and I learn so much from him and his methods.

“I am not playing a lot, but I am pushing very hard.

Freddie is a really good keeper and we are learning all the time.

“I made my debut against Milwall earlier in the season and it was amazing. I want to play more and progress, and hopefully when I’m fit again I can play in front of the fans.

“So it’s a great place for me to be. With the future, I think the club has faith in me and that’s what I need.”

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T

JACK THE LAD he FA Cup has more lives than a whole litter of kittens.

Every season for the past couple of decades we’ ve been told that the grand old competition is dead. “ The cup’s lost its magic” we are regularly told.

Well, as far as I’m concerned, this season’s third round had more magic than the entire eight-film Harry Potter series.

For a start, the Swans enjoyed a n away w i n t o s e t u p t h i s afternoon’s fourth-round tie against Forest.

But even aside from that, the whole round was full of the kind of excitement and magic which has made the FA Cup the world’s greatest knock out tournament.

The tie between Marine and Spurs caught my imagination from the second it was drawn.

The gap between the Northern Premier L eague North/ West Division club and the high-flying Londoners was the biggest in the FA Cup’s history.

The 161 places between the two sides in the football ladder made it the biggest David v Goliath clash in the competition since its inception in 1871.

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Forget Yeading v Newcastle in 2005, Liverpool v Havant and Waterlooville in 2008 or Leicester City v Leatherhead in 1975 - this was the competition’s biggest ever mismatch.

Granted, there was no fairytale ending as the part-timers were put to the sword by the Premier League side.

They may have lost 5-0, but the cup-tie was overflowing with all the romance and magic which has become synonymous with the competition.

The eight-time cup winners were taking on the archetypal cup minnow collection of binmen, car plant workers, teachers, former Football League journeymen and young hopefuls.

But the thing that really made the tie for me was that it was being played at Marine’s Rossett Park ground.

Wedged between the houses and back gardens of Crosby on Merseyside, with only one stand to speak of - a modest construction at the Crosender Road end of the ground - it was the last place you would expect to find British football’s elite.

But there they were. Jose M o u r i n h o, o n e of t h e m o s t recognisable managers of the past 20 years, England’s 75-cap goalkeeper Joe Hart, our very

own former full-back and Wales Euro 2016 star Ben Davies along with Joe Rodon, and Brazilian international Lucas Moura, to name a few.

And then there was Gareth Bale - a genuine global superstar, recently the most expensive footballer on the planet, being watched playing a match from people’s back gardens.

It was brilliant seeing social media posts featuring p h ot o g ra p h s re s i d e nt s h a d taken of Bale from their bedrooms and living rooms as he made a second-half substitute appearance.

The only thing missing was that fans weren’t actually allowed in the ground due to COVID-19 restrictions, even though it was watched by plenty peering over their garden fences.

But even though the pandemic prohibited the presence of the paying public, it still managed to contribute to the romance of the occasion.

Although no fans were allowed in to the 3,100 capacity ground, Marine, with the help of Spurs, managed to sell some 30,000 virtual tickets at £10 a throw!

If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is!

But if it is upsets you wanted from the cup, well you didn’t have to look far.

Crawley’s 3-0 beating of Leeds United will go down as one of the competition’s greatest giant-killings - a result to rate alongside the Yorkshire club’s humbling by lowly Colchester in 1971 and their 1973 final defeat to Sunderland.

I know many of you will say the competition has been devalued by many clubs putting their league obligations ahead of their cup ambitions and fielding weakened line-ups.

Admittedly, Leeds weren’t at full strength when they travelled to the People’s Pension Stadium.

But I really don’t care.

This is L eeds United we are talking about. They are a Premier League outfit that should be able to field a side capable of beating a League Two club, even if they do rest some players.

Leeds took the decision to field the team they did and they lost.

The result won’t go down in the record books as Crawley Town First XI 3 Leeds United Second XI 0.

Crawley beat Leeds 3-0 in the FA Cup, and that’s all that matters.

Some of the gloss has gone from the old competition. Even I can’t argue that.

When I was growing up in the 1970s, the FA Cup final was the biggest domestic game of the season, bar none.

Cup final day was one of the most important dates in the entire sporting calendar with coverage starting in the morning and featuring some of the biggest names in the entire entertainment world - let alone the football world.

Back then, it was one of only a handful of matches to be shown live on television, so it was bound to be a big occasion, whoever you supported and whoever made the final.

You can’t expect it to still have the same kind of TV audience it attracted back then, in the same way Coronation Street doesn’t still attract the 25-million-plus audiences it did back when there were still only four TV channels.

The cup may be different these days, the marathon replay sagas are a thing of the past along

with the cup final day telethons, but it ’s certainly not dead especially when the Swans are still involved in the competition.

I don’t know what Steve Cooper’s ambitions and priorities are for the competition this season, but whatever team the manager puts out on Saturday, they will still be wearing the famous white shirt and wearing the black swan on their chests.

So, I for one will be tuning in on Saturday afternoon, with dreams of the gaffer leading out the Swans on a sunny May afternoon at Wembley in front of tens of thousands of Jacks.

Farfetched? In the current health crisis we find ourselves in, perhaps. But I think we could all do with something to dream about at the moment and the FA Cup is just the competition to provide a little magic that just might make those dreams come true.

J ust ask Crawley Town and the residents of Crosby, who watched Gareth Bale from their back gardens on a cold January evening.

C’mon you Swans!

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LIAM TODD NAMED BACK A JACK WINNER FOR DECEMBER

L

iam Todd has been named the December winner of Swansea City’s Back a Jack campaign, supported by Peter Lynn & Partners.

Liam, who hails from the Manselton area of the city, has been a regular fixture at the Liberty over the years, along with his two children.

He was nominated by his wife Michelle, who said: “Liam deserves this nomination because he is an amazing father to his four children; Charlie, Hollie, Kara-Mae and Danny.

“He works shifts at Tata Steel and he still somehow manages to find the time to do a huge amount of charity work. He doesn’t do it for recognition, but I saw the Back a Jack campaign and thought to myself that I had to nominate him.”

Liam regularly raises money for local families in need, particularly at Christmas. He takes pride in making sure families have the best Christmas possible.

The club were so impressed with his fundraising efforts within the community that it has promised Liam a bucket collection next November at a fixture to tie in with World Diabetes Day. Additionally, Liam has been sent a full squad signed shirt so he may display it proudly at his home, adding to his collection of many.

Congratulations Liam, your recognition is well deserved.

Nominations are now open for our February award, with a deadline of February 20. If you wish to nominate someone doing work within their local community, or has undertaken an act of kindness you feel deserves recognition, then please get in touch with us, giving their name and reason for your nomination at support@swanseacity.com.

He has worked tirelessly to fundraise, enabling him to purchase presents and deliver them, while dressed as Santa Claus no less.

Liam has raised over £25,000 for various charities such as Mind, Ty Olwyn hospice and - a charity particularly close to his heart - Candy Free Kids, which is a support group for children with Type 1 diabetes.

Liam’s daughter Hollie has Type 1 diabetes and he already has targets set for 2021 to help the Paediatric Diabetes team based at Morriston Hospital.

The Back a Jack campaign is open to all our supporters.

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MATCHDAY MASCOTS CALLUM WILLIAMS

AGE 16 FROM SWANSEA

OSIAN PIROTTE AGE 9 FROM SWANSEA

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PLAYER SPONSORS 20-21 STEVEN BENDA

FREDDIE WOODMAN

JOEL LATIBEAUDIERE

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RYAN MANNING

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SEASON 2020-21

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Match Statistics

Key

Goal =

Sub = 2 (number denotes player replaced)

Captain =

FIXTURE

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

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

Bennett

Naughton

Bidwell

Grimes

Sheffield Wednesday H D 1-1

Wed, Nov 25, 7.45pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Naughton 2

Bidwell 4

Grimes Grimes

1

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Smith

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Smith

Nottingham Forest A W 0-1

Sun, Nov 29, 12pm

Woodman

Roberts

Naughton

Bennett

Guehi

Bidwell

Middlesbrough A L 2-1

Wed, Dec 2, 7pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango 2

Bennett

Guehi

Manning

Smith 5

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

Reading H D 0-0

Wed, Dec 30, 8pm

Woodman

Roberts

Cabango

Bennett

Watford H W 2-1

Sat, Jan 2, 3pm

Woodman

Roberts

Guehi

Cabango

Bidwell

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

Guehi

Blackburn Rovers A Postponed

Tue, Jan 19, 7pm

Nottingham Forest H (FA R4)

Sat, Jan 23, 3pm

Brentford H

Weds, Jan 27, 7pm

Rotherham United A

Sat, Jan 30, 3pm

Norwich City H

Sat, Feb 6, 3pm

Sheffield Wednesday A

Sat, Feb 13, 3pm

Nottingham Forest H

Wed, Feb 17, 7.45pm

Huddersfield Town A

Sat, Feb 20, 3pm

Coventry City H

Wed, Feb 24, 7.45pm

Bristol City H

Sat, Feb 27, 3pm

Stoke City A

Wed, Mar 3, 8pm

Middlesbrough H

Sat, Mar 6, 3pm

Luton Town A

Sat, Mar 13, 3pm

A.F.C. Bournemouth A

Tues, Mar 16, 7.45pm

Cardiff City H

Sat, Mar 20, 3pm

Birmingham City A

Fri, Apr 2, 3pm

Preston North End H

Mon, Apr 5, 3pm

Millwall A

Sat, Apr 10, 3pm

Wycombe Wanderers H

Sat, Apr 17, 3pm

Queens Park Rangers H

Tues, Apr 20, 7.45pm

Reading A

Sat, Apr 24, 3pm

Derby County H

Sat, May 1, 3pm

Watford A

Sat, May 8, 3pm

1

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Guehi

Bidwell

Grimes

Manning 1

Grimes

3

Manning

Byers

Bidwell

Grimes

Booked =

Sent off =

Carabao Cup = CC

FA Cup = FA

Correct as of January 20, 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, 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

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

2

1

, Cullen, Gyokeres

Benda, Naughton, Bidwell, Grimes 1 , Dhanda 4 4

Ayew

, Routledge 2, Garrick 5, Cullen, Gyokeres 3

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

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, 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, Cooper, Garrick, Gyokeres 3

Smith

Lowe

Ayew

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

Dhanda

Gyokeres

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

Lowe

Ayew

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

1

2

1

S

teve Cooper says Swansea City has lost one of its own after he and his players paid tribute to former kitman Nick Eames during the recent FA Cup win at Stevenage.

Nick, who passed away earlier this month, was the husband of Suzan, the club’s former long-serving utilities co-ordinator, and father of Michael, who currently holds that role.

News of his passing has saddened everyone connected with Swansea City and, when Wayne Routledge scored the Swans’ opener in their FA Cup tie, he raced to pick up a jersey bearing the message: “RIP Nick, always in our hearts”.

And Cooper felt it was a fitting tribute for a much-loved member of the Swansea family.

“We lost Nick which was awful news, but it is compounded by Nick being Suzan’s husband, who had been in charge of the kit department at the football club for a number of years,” said the head coach.

“When we talk about the fabric of the club, she is part of that, and their son Michael now runs the kit department after taking over.

“They are a wonderful family, brilliant people who are Swansea through and through.

“Unfortunately, we have lost one of our own. I know Nick, Suzan and Michael have been close to a lot of the players and staff.

“There have been people who have been at the football club a long time who have spent a lot of time travelling with them, being at games with them and going through the highs and lows.

“We have lost one of our own, and it is really, really sad.

“It was the players who came up with the idea of the shirt, and I think it was fitting it was Wayne who scored.

“I hope Suzan and Michael were able to enjoy that moment because that was for them, and for Nick.”

53

CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE 20-21 POS TEAM 1

Norwich City

P 25

*Sheffield Wednesday deducted 6 points.

W D L 16

5

F 4

35

A 21

GD PTS 14

53

2

Swansea City

24

13

7

4

29

13

16

46

3

Brentford

23

12

8

3

37

21

16

44

4

Watford

24

12

7

5

28

17

11

43

5

Reading

24

13

4

7

37

28

9

43

6

Bournemouth

25

11

9

5

38

21

17

42

7

Middlesbrough

24

11

6

7

30

20

10

39

8

Stoke City

25

9

10

6

30

26

4

37

9

Bristol City

24

11

3

10

25

26

-1

36

10

Preston North End

25

11

2

12

31

33

-2

35

11

Barnsley

25

10

4

11

27

32

-5

34

12

Blackburn Rovers

24

9

6

9

39

28

11

33

13

Luton Town

25

9

6

10

21

27

-6

33

14

Huddersfield Town

25

9

4

12

28

35

-7

31

15

Cardiff City

24

8

5

11

30

28

2

29

16

Millwall

24

6

11

7

21

24

-3

29

17

Queens Park Rangers

24

6

9

9

23

30

-7

27

18

Coventry City

24

6

8

10

22

34

-12

26

19

Birmingham City

25

6

8

11

18

30

-12

26

20

Nottingham Forest

25

6

7

12

20

29

-9

25

21

Derby County

24

5

7

12

15

25

-10

22

22

Rotherham United

22

5

5

12

23

32

-9

20

23

Sheffield Wednesday *

23

6

7

10

15

23

-8

19

24

Wycombe Wanderers

23

3

6

14

16

35

-19

15

UPCOMING FIXTURES BRENTFORD (H)

Wednesday, Jan 27, 7pm

ROTHERHAM UNITED (A)

Saturday, Jan 30, 3pm

NORWICH (H)

Saturday, Feb 6, 3pm

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (A)

Saturday, Feb 13, 3pm

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (H)

Saturday, Feb 17, 3pm

Correct as of January 20, 2021

NEXT UP AT HOME - BRENTFORD

T

here is a familiar foe next up for the Swans in SA1 as they host B rentford, a side they have played eight times sinc e the start of December 2018.

B oth sides reached the play-offs last term, with Thomas Frank’s Bees edging a thrilling pair of semi-final ties 3-2 on aggregate.

The Bees are in their seventh season in t h e s e c o n d t i e r, h av i n g s e c u re d a u t o m at i c promotion from League One under Mark Warburton in 2014.

34 SWANS

54

32 BRENTFORD

23 DRAWS 89 PAST MEETINGS

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 Steven Benda Conor Hourihane Wayne Routledge Ben Hamer Liam Cullen Yan Dhanda Joel Latibeaudiere Connor Roberts Jake Bidwell Kyle Naughton George Byers Tivonge Rushesha Oli Cooper Daniel Williams Cameron Evans Jordon Garrick Lewis Webb Ben Cabango

1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 18 20 21 22 23 24 26 28 30 31 37 38 41 42 44

MANAGER: CHRIS HUGHTON 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 28 30 31 33 39 48

Cyrus Christie Tobias Figueiredo Joe Worrall Yuri Ribeiro Loïc Mbe Soh Lewis Grabban Jack Colback Sammy Ameobi Jordan Smith Gaëtan Bong Fouad Bachirou Luke Freeman Carl Jenkinson Alex Mighten Cafú Miguel Ángel Guerrero Michael Dawson Samba Sow Ryan Yates Joe Lolley Tyler Blackett Scott McKenna Anthony Knockaert Brice Samba Harry Arter Lyle Taylor Abdoulaye Diallo Will Swan

MATCH OFFICIALS REFEREE: KEVIN FRIEND ASSISTANT REFEREES: SIMON BECK AND JONATHAN HUNT FOURTH OFFICIAL: ROBERT MADLEY

56