Swansea City v Hull City – Championship Match – 21-22 – Issue 5

SEASON 2021-2022

VERSUS

HULL CITY

Saturday, September 11, 2021 - Kick-off 3pm

ISSUE 5

JOMA-SPORT.COM PAGE 2

CONTENTS Page 7 - A Message from Russell Martin

Page 20 - Meet the Opposition

Page 23 - Match Highlights

Page 32 - Interview with Ethan Laird

Page 36 - Transfer Round-up

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, Martin Morgan, Gareth Davies, Julian Winter, Jake Silverstein, Terry Sinnett, Sam Porter Honorary Club President: Alan Curtis; Associate Directors: David Morgan, Sian Davies Team Management Head Coach: Russell Martin Assistant Head Coach: Luke Williams Behind the Team Technical Development Coach: Matt Gill First-Team Coach: Alan Tate Goalkeeping Coach: Dean Thorntan Head of Physical Performance: Matt Willmott Head of Medicine: Dr Jez McCluskey First-Team Performance Analyst: Ben Parker Sporting Director: Mark Allen Head of Recruitment: Andy Scott Staff: Ritson Lloyd, Ailsa Jones, Matthew Murray, Adele Callaghan, Daniel Morris, Lee Watkins, Chris Watkins, 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 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: Evan Davies Disability Access Officer: Catherine Thomas Swansea City AFC Foundation Manager: Helen Elton Club Ambassador: Lee Trundle

Programme Production Contributors: Ben Donovan, Chris Wilson-Barney, Andrew Gwilym, Sophie Davis, Alun Rhys Chivers, Dom Hynes, Rachael Tucker, Efan Willis, Julie Kissick, Gwyn Rees, Cerith White, Dom Valerio Designers: Callum Rothwell, Jordan Morcom, Lewis Ward Photography: Athena Picture Agency, Natalie Davis, Alamy Swansea City AFC Swansea.com Stadium, Landore, Swansea, SA10 2FA CP-D Dinas Abertawe Stadiwm Swansea.com, Landore, Abertawe, SA1 2FA Telephone/Ffôn: 01792 616400 Web/Gwe: swanseacity.com Email/E-bost: info@swanseacity.com

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A MESSAGE FROM

JULIAN WINTER

G

ood afternoon and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for today’s game against Hull City.

I’d like to start my programme notes by saying how delighted we are as a club to now be able to house a capacity crowd for home matches.

Starting today – and for the first time since March 2020 – we will be able to accommodate a full house at the Swansea.com Stadium; building on the 16,000 that we had for our opening home games of the season.

The atmospheres for the games against Sheffield United, Stoke and Plymouth were a welcome reminder of the impact you, the fans, can make. After so long without supporters being present, the wonderful moments we share backing our club will never be underestimated.

Our fan base is incredibly passionate and the welcome you have given Russell, his staff and the players has been hugely encouraging, and we are all looking forward to this afternoon’s game and our first home Saturday 3pm kick-off of the campaign.

As we return to action after the first international break of the new season, the summer transfer window has now shut as we welcomed three new arrivals to the club.

Rhys Williams is a hugely exciting loan signing from Liverpool with first-team experience in the Premier League and Champions League, while another player with European pedigree is Olivier Ntcham, who arrived as a free agent.

As a club we are incredibly proud of each and every one of our local athletes who have competed in the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, and it will be great to welcome them to the stadium for today’s game, and in the future.

Our third recruit was Michael Obafemi, who was on the verge of joining us back in January until he sustained an injury. We were extremely pleased to get that deal over the line and he gives us even more firepower at the top end of the pitch.

Today’s game will also see our Former Players’ Association committee be introduced to the supporters as we announce a memory walk which will take place next month.

There were also departures as Jamal Lowe and Connor Roberts left for Bournemouth and Burnley respectively. Everyone at the club wishes them both the best of luck for their future careers, while we are excited to see the progress of Ollie Cooper and Kyle Joseph following their loan moves to Newport and Cheltenham.

T h i s a ft e r n o o n ’ s g a m e w i l l see several special guests who have been invited to the Swansea.com Stadium.

David Smith, Paul Karabardak and Harri Jenkins all shone for Team GB at the Paralympics in Tokyo and are proud Swansea City fans. David secured a gold medal in the boccia, while Paul took home a bronze and silver in table tennis with Harri getting a bronze in the 100 metres.

Meanwhile, on Friday we announced a collaboration with the Jac Lewis Foundation to develop a new hub in the city which will aim to provide a preventative wellbeing and mental health service to the local area.

The Jac Lewis Foundation was set up in 2019 following the death of 27-year-old Jac Lewis, a much-loved and popular player for Ammanford AFC. The overall aim of the project is to decrease mental health difficulties and increase the wellbeing of members of the community after what has been a hugely challenging 18 months for everyone.

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

Enjoy the game, Julian

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A MESSAGE FROM

RUSSELL MARTIN G

ood afternoon and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium as we take on Hull City.

It feels like it’s been a long time since we last played a league game here – four and a half weeks, to be exact – so to say we’re all looking forward to the match is an understatement.

Plenty has gone on since my last set of notes for the Carabao Cup tie against Plymouth. There was the disappointment at Preston, followed by a busy conclusion to the transfer window and an international break.

I’m sure you were all glued to the club’s channels waiting for news of signings, and, overall, I’m happy with how it ended for us. I feel we ended transfer deadline day stronger than when we started it.

While we saw Connor Roberts and Jamal Lowe join Burnley and Bournemouth on permanent deals, Ollie Cooper and Kyle Joseph clinched loan moves to Newport County and Cheltenham Town – they’ll gain a lot from their experience, and it will serve them well going forward in their careers.

It was important that we strengthened the squad, and we certainly did that with the acquisitions of Rhys Williams, Michael Obafemi and Olivier Ntcham.

Rhys arrives from Liverpool on loan, while Michael joined from Southampton in a permanent deal and Olivier was available as a free agent following time at Celtic.

All three were part of the group during the international break, which was a perfect opportunity for us to put in as much work as possible.

While we had to close our Fairwood base for a few days, we quickly got down to work and got some quality sessions under our belts.

That period gave us time to work on our style and make clear our ideas on how we want to play in games. Time is such an important word, because that is what we haven’t really had to implement our style just yet.

Having arrived at the club just before the start of the new season, we haven’t really had any time to properly work on our methods due to the heavy fixture schedule.

I know there is an understanding at our club that it can take time to change things like the style, and that patience from supporters really helps as they accept the players are doing everything t h ey c a n i n t h e m e a n t i m e.

I’m pleased with how the squad took our ideas on board over the past week, and now it’s about

transferring that work from the training ground to the pitch, along with continuing to work on the conditioning of the squad because we are demanding a lot from them due to the way we want to play.

We welcome Hull City to SA1 for the first of two back-to-back home games in the space of four days, and we’re really looking forward to playing in front of you again.

You’ve been fantastic so far – I always remember how passionate the J ack Army were during games here from my time at Norwich – and that support has been with us in every game this season no matter what the result.

With restrictions on our capacity lifted this week, we can now welcome just under 21,000 fans into our stadium. What a sight and atmopshere that would be!

Finally, a big congratulations to Korey Smith and his partner Hattie on the recent birth of their daughter. Korey is well-liked within the changing room, while he’s an important leader on the pitch too, so everyone is delighted for him.

Enjoy today’s match Russell

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A MESSAGE FROM

MATT GRIMES W

elcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium as we look forward to this afternoon’s g a m e a g a i n s t H u l l C i t y.

to click is important. You don’t often hear about that in football, but here at Swansea, we have fans, players, coaches and staff who understand that aspect.

While we were very disappointed by the outcome in our last match against Preston, we now look forward to two home games at the Swansea.com Stadium.

No doubt you’re looking forward to the match as much as all the players and staff are, because the international break means a week without a game.

The last week has been great for us, and the squad are taking those messages on board and hopefully you can start to see that in games – starting today!

Speaking about the international break, it really gave us a good opportunity to get a lot of good work and preparation done.

A nd, of c ourse, you will be looking forward to seeing the new signings in action today for the first time in a Swansea City shirt. We welcomed Michael Obafemi, Rhys Williams and Olivier Ntcham into the squad on transfer deadline day, and they’ve settled really well into the squad.

It was great to hear the news that we can now operate at full capacity at the Swansea.com Stadium. We were restricted to 16,000 fans for previous games this season, but now we can welcome almost 5,000 more of you into the ground.

That can give the squad a huge boost, because a full stadium here creates an amazing atmosphere.

It was a really useful time for us because it gave the gaffer a chance to really get his methods and instructions across. Since his appointment, we only had a couple of days before the first game, and it’s been two-game weeks since then, which means he hasn’t really had the chance to properly implement his style on the team just yet because there hasn’t been enough time in between.

I think the fact that everyone understands that it will take patience and time for everything

W hile Rhys is on loan from Liverpool, he feels part of the team and knows what it means to wear this jersey, and how important this club is to our community.

It was also great to secure the permanent signings of Michael and Olivier. It feels like a more settled squad now, and hopefully you can get to see that on the pitch.

Finally, a huge congratulations to Korey Smith and his partner Hattie, who gave birth to their daughter recently. I’m sure you’ll all extend your good wishes to them at this amazing time.

Best regards Matt

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A MESSAGE FR M

DAVE DALTON

I

t ’s c er t ainly been a busy first few weeks of the season both around the club and for the Supporters’ Trust.

There have been changes aplenty and the trust is no exception, where it has just seen an exodus of nigh on 30 years of board and officer experience, which is going to take some time for the new board and offic er s to adjust into a new era.

I ’d l i ke t o p e r s o n a l l y t h a n k Andy Godden, Stu MacDonald and Cath Dyer for all the time t h ey h ave d e d i c at e d t o t h e trust over the years. It certainly isn’t easy at times as we need to be constantly available to deal with unexpected issues.

The one motivating factor that sees us through it all is aiming t o do our utmo st t o ensure the voice of our supporters is always heard within the club.

I am grateful as well for the support I have received since taking over as chair last month. The club have helped immeasurably to ensure Terry, a s o u r s u p p o r t e r d i r e c t o r, a n d m ys e l f h ave b e e n ke pt updated on supporter related

issues and encouraged to provide contributions wherever nec e ss ar y. It was a pleasure too to meet club director Jake Silverstein when he recently visited Swansea for our first home games of the season. We were able to discuss a number of ideas that we would like to develop with the club, both at ownership and local level, and the trust board will do its utmost to build on this relationship throughout the season.

We are currently working on our first update from the new trust board that will go out to members shortly. P art of t h at w i l l i n c l u d e d et a i l s o n the recently launched Former P layer s’ A ssociation, which is being featured in more detail at this afternoon’s match. More det ails c an be f o u n d h e r e : h t t p s : //w w w. swanseacity.com/community/ former-players-association.

T h e t r u s t , t h r o u g h m y s e l f, have been invited onto t h e F PA c o m m i t t e e a n d , as it is something that we have been enc ouraging the club to est ablish for a long while, I am excited to see it develop in the years ahead.

Moving b ack t o the playing side and it’s probably fair to say that we have had a mixed start to the season.

Considering our managerial circumstances that played out this summer, and the various incomings and outgoings to the squad in the recent transfer window we wrote about HERE, I am quite prepared to give Russell Martin and his team the time they need to stamp their identity into the squad.

A n d s o, t o t o d a y ’ s v i s i t o r s Hull City. They always evoke memories of that amazing 4-2 victory in our final game of the 2002-2003 season to preserve our EFL status. Hull have exactly the same playing rec ord as us this season so I ex p e c t a c l o s e g a m e w i t h hopefully three points to show for our efforts come 5pm.

Finally, a word for the amazing Jack Army, who I didn’t realise I ’d m i s s e d s o m u c h u n t i l I began hearing and spending time with them again recently.

We really are a unique club with a special following.

Keep it up YJBs!

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PROUD SPONSORS OF

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Charity) thanks to funding support from Swansea Council, Children’s Society and their friends of the Matthew’s House scheme.

S

w a n s e a - b a s e d homelessness and food poverty social action project Matthew’s House - of The Hill Church Charity - has launched a new smartphone app called ‘Hope in Swansea’ – the first of its kind in the UK – connecting people in need of hope with the organisations in Swansea who provide it .

Signposting support available for housing, mental health, food poverty, isolation, abuse, seeking asylum, discrimination, or even a warm shower, this free app will provide location-specific, cross-organisation information with one simple click of a button: “Hope is just a click away ”.

Julian Winter CEO of Swansea City said he was very keen to show the club’s support for this app. “ What Thom and his team at Matthew’s House have created i s a h u g e s u p p o r t n e t wo r k fo r o u r c o m m u n i t y a n d we wish them every success in spreading the word, and getting the Hope in Swansea app to the fingertips of everyone who may need support,” he said.

This directory of support services for vulnerable people was founded by Matthew’s House (an initiative of The Hill Church

The wider Matthew’s House team, who recently won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, want Hope in Swansea to play a part in uniting services across the city, with plans to develop the app even further in terms of reach and accessibility for people who could benefit from it.

Helen Elton, head of the newlyrenamed Swansea City AFC Foundation, the charitable arm of the club, was equally enthusiastic about the potential of the app to support the people of Swansea.

“We have been big supporters of Matthew ’s House through Matt’s Café,” she said.

“When Thom contacted me to explain about his plans for the Hope in Swansea app I was really impressed. It is such a good idea and, like all good ideas, makes you wonder why no-one has thought of it before.

“The app is designed to be simple to use and gives everyone who needs it up to date information about the services available to them. The range of help out there can be confusing, even to those who are employed to understand it, so I am sure it can be impossible to navigate when you are in a time of crisis.

“We have begun registering our services on the app and would encourage all other providers to do the same. We would also like to see everyone in Swansea download the app onto their phones. You never know when you or a friend might need crisis support and this instant information will be vital.”

Thom Lynch, project manager

at Matthew’s House, said “We are really proud to launch such an incredible app which will transform how support is offered and found for people struggling every day. Our key objective as an organisation has always been to provide hospitality and hope to those who need it, and we are confident this app will do just that. “ The app was born out of conversations with hundreds of people needing crisis support, and those who work in the support sector. We found that the process of answering an individual’s questions on where they could find the various support they needed was often incredibly time consuming; searching through different folders or emails to find simple contacts and information, which were often outdated. “ This app will instead allow organisations to register and regularly update vital information, which will enable fast action and tangible results for Swansea’s most vulnerable citizens. It is a balance of being professional but personal, welcoming every type of user to benefit for no cost at all.”

T h e f a s t , s i m p l e, f r e e a p p is available for everyone to download – whether downloading in case of emergencies, or in a professional or voluntary contact, or even in readiness for a time someone reaches out to you.

For any other organisations wishing to get involved, get in touch with Matthew’s House directly on hopeinswansea@ m a t t h e w s h o u s e . o r g . u k for further information, or visit hopeinswansea.org.uk.

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SWANSEA.COM STADIUM RETURNS TO FULL CAPACITY

S

wansea City is delighted to confirm that we will now operate at full capacity at the Swansea.com Stadium – starting with Saturday’s fixture against Hull City.

We look forward to welcoming 20,991 supporters back to the stadium for our remaining home matches this season.

It is the first time since March 2020 that we will operate at full capacity at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Please note, red zone rules still apply within a very small section behind the dug-outs in the west stand in order to retain the safety of both squads of players and staff.

The club had been operating at a 16,000 capacity for the opening home games of this season, but we can now welcome almost 5,000 more fans back to watch Russell Martin’s side in action.

Swansea City chief executive Julian Winter said: “ We’re all delighted to be at full capacity at our stadium.

“It gives even more of our passionate supporters the opportunity to come along and support Russell and the team for the rest of the season.

Ticket prices are as follows:

“We all know how much of a huge lift our fans can give the team, so this is a great outcome for us all.

Over-65s – £12.50*

“The appetite to watch live football, which supporters had to wait a long time for due to the covid pandemic, is particularly healthy right now and we look forward to welcoming many more fans through the turnstiles on Saturday and beyond.

Under-18s – £10*

“We were delighted to see recent games against Sheffield United and Stoke City, which were reduced to a 16,000 capacity, sold out. It would be great to see a packed out Swansea.com Stadium for the rest of the home games, because it’s a special atmosphere and occasion to be part of.”

Student – £15*

Tickets for the Championship clash with Millwall on Wednesday evening are on general sale.

Jack Army Prices Adults - £25*

Student – £12.50*

Under-12s – £7.50* General Sale Prices Adults - £27.50* Over-65s – £15*

Under-18s – £12.50* Under-12s – £10* Please note any under 14 tickets must be sold with an accompanying adult. *(excludes postage fee of £1.25 online per order/delivery and £2.50 per ticket over the phone with the ticket office)

You can buy your tickets HERE

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~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ ~ HULL CITY THE GAFFER ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ CLUB CAPTAIN ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ HULLCITY ~ HULL CITY ~ ~ ~ ~ OWNER

NICKNAME

FOUNDED

Assem Allam

The Tigers

1904

STADIUM

OPENED

CAPACITY

MKM Stadium

2002

25,400

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

@hullcity

@hullcity

@hullcity

Grant McCann. McCann began his coaching career at Peterborough United, where he was appointed caretaker manager for the remainder of the 201415 season before being installed in a permanent post in May of 2016.

The Northern Irishman spent one season in charge of Doncaster Rovers in 2018 before being named Hull manager in June of 2019. Despite seeing his Tigers team relegated from the Championship, he guided them to the League One title last season in what was his first piece of silverware as manager.

GRANT McCANN

As a player, McCann made over 500 total appearances, enjoying spells with West Ham, Livingston, Notts County, Barnsley, Scunthorpe United, Peterborough and Linfield.

Richie Smallwood penned a two-year deal with the Tigers in the summer of 2020, and was immediately trusted with the captain’s armband for the upcoming 2020-21 season, a campaign in which the midfielder made 31 appearances and helped his side finish top of League One.

RICHIE SMALLWOOD

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Smallwood began his career at Middlesbrough, where he spent four years before making the move to Rotherham United in 2014. He made over 100 appearances for the Millers before heading to Blackburn Rovers. His three productive seasons at Ewood Park led to Hull coming in for the skipper ahead of the 2020-21 season.

MKM STADIUM MEET THE OPPOSITION

HOW’S THEIR FORM?

Hull City made an immediate ret urn to the Championship after being relegated to League One in 2020. Despite their relegation to the third tier for the first time since 2005, the Tigers ensured it was a short stay as they won the title after finishing two points above Peterborough.

Hull have endured a tough start to the new campaign, picking up just one win in their first five league fixtures. That win came on the opening day – a 4-1 thrashing of Preston at Deepdale - but they have failed the find the net in the league since that game.

Hull have been promoted to the top-flight on three separate occasions. Their first Premier League season was in 2008, and their most recent stint came in 2016, when they were relegated after just one season. They also reached the FA Cup final in 2014, and, despite scoring twice within the opening eight minutes, they lost 3-2 to Arsenal courtesy of Aaron Ramsey’s extra-time winner.

The Tigers were knocked out by Wigan in the first round of the Carabao Cup on penalties, and followed that result with losses to QPR, Derby and Fulham.

Their most recent outing saw them draw 0-0 with Bournemouth at home.

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ONES TO WATCH

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JOSH MAGENNIS POSITION

FW

NATION

AGE

SHIRT NO.

31 27

ONES TO WATCH

ONES TO WATCH ONES TO WATCH ONES TO

ONES TO WATCH

WATCH ONES TO WATCH

ONES TO WATCH M ONES TO WATCH

ONES TO WATCH ONES TO WATCH

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agennis initially started his career as a goalkeeper when he joined C ardiff City ’s ac ademy at the age of 17. After two years in the a c a d e m y, M a g e n n i s s i g n e d h i s f i r s t professional contract in 2009, just one year after making the switch to striker ahead of the 2008 Welsh Youth Cup final.

Magennis spent one year with C ardiff before being sent on loan to G rimsby To w n a n d s i g n i n g p e r m a n e n t l y w i t h Aberdeen in 2010. He spent six years in the S c ottish P remier ship, enjoying time with St Mirren and Kilmarnock after his spell with Aberdeen.

After two productive spells with Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers, Magennis signed with Hull City in 2019, penning a two-year deal with the Tigers.

Since his arrival, he has bagged 23 goals and nine assists in 76 appearances, opening his scoring tally for this season in the opening day 4-1 win over Preston.

MALLIK WILKS POSITION

FW

NATION

AGE

GEORGE HONEYMAN SHIRT NO.

22 7

B

orn in Leeds, Wilks joined his boyhood c l u b’ s a c a d e m y a s a y o u n g s t e r.

His performanc e s for the under 18s earned a professional c ontract in 2016, just days after his 18th birthday.

Wilks didn’t made a league appearance for Leeds, with the club opting to send him on a string of loans to aid his development.

He enjoyed spells at Accrington Stanley, G r i m s b y To w n a n d D o n c a s t e r R o v e r s before being signed by Barnsley in 2019.

While at Oakwell, Wilks spent a six-month loan at Hull, making 12 appearances and scoring four goals. His performances led to a permanent move to the Tigers at the end of the season, and he proved a shrewd acquisition with Wilks striking 22 goals the following term as Hull lifted the League One title.

POSITION

MF

NATION

AGE

SHIRT NO.

26 10

H

oneyman began his career at Sunderland, for whom he joined their academy at the age of 10, and went on to skipper the Black Cats when just 23.

He made 97 appearances in Tyneside, which included appearances in the Premier League, Championship and League One. In 2019, Honeyman signed a three-year deal with Hull City. In his first season with the Tigers, he scored once and provided three assists in 44 appearances as they suffered relegation from the Championship.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a more successful campaign last year, though, as he netted four times and registered 14 assists on the way to a League One Player of the Year nomination while the Tigers lifted the third-tier title.

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WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

SWANS 4 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1

DAN WILLIAMS’ FIRST SENIOR GOAL AND A QUICKFIRE HAT-TRICK FROM MORGAN WHITTAKER SAW SWANSEA CITY GET PAST PLYMOUTH ARGYLE TO REACH THE THIRD ROUND OF THE CARABAO CUP.

TEAM LINEUPS Swans: Ben Hamer; Joel Latibeaudiere, Ryan Bennett (captain) (Kyle Naughton 67), Ryan Manning (Brandon Cooper 46); Kyle Joseph (Ethan Laird 77), Jay Fulton, Dan Williams, Jake Bidwell; Yan Dhanda; Jamal Lowe, Morgan Whittaker.

Subs not used: Lewis Webb, Joel Piroe, Liam Cullen, Ollie Cooper.

Plymouth Argyle: Callum Burton, Macaulay Gillsephey, Dan Scarr, Ryan Broom, Joe Edwards (captain), Ryan Hardie (Rhys Shirley 58), Adam Randell, Ryan Law (George Cooper 70), Panutche Camara (Jordan Houghton 61), Luke Jephcott, Ollie Tomlinson.

Subs not used: Michael Cooper, Brendan Galloway, Finley Craske, Ethan Mitchell.

Attendance: 7,491

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WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

PRESTON NORTH END 3 SWANS 1

JOEL PIROE GRABBED HIS FOURTH GOAL IN FIVE GAMES BUT SWANSEA CITY FELL TO DEFEAT AGAINST PRESTON AT DEEPDALE.

TEAM LINEUPS Preston North End: Daniel Iversen, Sepp van den Berg, Ben Whiteman, Patrick Bauer, Daniel Johnson (captain), Jordan Storey, Andrew Hughes, Ryan Ledson (Joe Rodwell-Grant 90), Emil Riis (Scott Sinclair 77), Sean Maguire (Brad Potts 84), Josh Earl.

Subs not used: Declan Rudd, Greg Cunningham, Josh Harrop, Joe Rafferty.

Swans: Steven Benda; Joel Latibeaudiere (Brandon Cooper 10), Ryan Bennett (Jamal Lowe 59), Ryan Manning; Ethan Laird, Jay Fulton (Kyle Naughton 59), Matt Grimes (captain), Jake Bidwell; Jamie Paterson; Liam Cullen, Joel Piroe.

Subs not used: Ben Hamer, Dan Williams, Yan Dhanda, Morgan Whittaker.

Attendance: 10,180

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STILETTOS AND STUDS BY JULIE KISSICK

A

nother summer transfer window has closed. Another deadline day of nerves and excitement has passed.

Another one of our own has departed.

I’m sure we were all disappointed but not at all surprised to see Connor Roberts leave for a chance to show his pedigree in the Premier League.

Relatively, footballers have short careers and the opportunity to play in the top flight is something everyone with ambition wants.

Elite players with the kind of skill and talent that Roberts has shown will always want to put themselves front and centre on the world stage. Who wouldn’t?

Despite that, it was obvious from his social media posts and comments to the club website, as well as the various other interviews he gave, that it had been a very tough decision.

the greatest honour in representing it on numerous occasions, since I was 10 years old.”

That’s a snapshot. Heartfelt and sincere. If you missed the post or the story on the club website, you can check it out here. Warning: You may shed a tear or two reading it. I bawled.

On a different, but related note, this season I am working with the newly formed Swansea City Former Players’ Association.

Already, I’ve discovered more about the extreme emotions many players face when they are presented with opportunities, or have to cope with career-changing injuries etc.

The life of a footballer is a real rollercoaster, and although it seems obvious, the stories behind the names and numbers are often ones many of us can relate to, even though we’ve never kicked a ball professionally.

On the one hand, a club in one of the best leagues in the world wants your signature.

On the other, putting pen to paper for them means walking away from the club you love.

There are emotions involved, life decisions to make, other people to consider. Those decisions are never just about money.

We’re actively reaching out to any and all former players, men and women, and we want to see as many of them as possible join the FPA.

And the thing about love is, when it’s true, it doesn’t change. And there is no doubting the truth of the words penned to the Jack Army as a ‘farewell for now’ from the player many of us have watched grow over the last decade and a half.

So, if you know of a former player who perhaps isn’t on social media or who might have lost contact with the club over the years, please let them know about the FPA.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts I write this message, but the time has come to say thank you and goodbye for now,” said the Crynant Cafu.

“I have had the pleasure of loving this beautiful football club since I was a boy, and

The association will provide support and social events for ex-players and will help us to share some of their stories with you, the fans.

They can contact the club via phone if that’s the easiest option for them and Catherine Thomas, the FPA secretary, will sign them up.

She is available on 01792 616420 and catherinethomas@swanseacity.com

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WELSH COLUMN BY ALUN RHYS CHIVERS

M

ae 11 o’r gloch ar noson cau’r ffenest drosglwyddo bob amser yn dod ag ochenaid o ryddhad. Ac yn achos Abertawe dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, y pwyso a mesur digon naturiol i benderfynu a fu’r un ddiweddara’ gynddrwg â’r un flaenorol.

Does dim amheuaeth y gallai’r un yma fod wedi bod dipyn gwaeth nag yr oedd hi yn y pen draw.

Roedd cadw gafael ar y capten Matt Grimes yn sicr yn hwb, er bod hynny’n golygu colli allan ar Tariqe Fosu o Brentford, chwaraewr tipyn mwy ymosodol fyddai wedi gallu llenwi sawl bwlch ar y cae. Ond pwy a ŵyr beth fydd yn digwydd haf nesaf pan ddaw cytundeb Grimes i ben? Da gweld bod gan yr Elyrch opsiwn ychwanegol yng nghanol cae ar ôl denu Olivier Ntcham hefyd.

Bydd rhai wedi codi’u haeliau a chrafu’u pennau yn sgil ymadawiad Jamal Lowe, sgoriwr 14 o goliau yn y Bencampwriaeth y tymor diwethaf.

Fe ddaeth yn amlwg ers tro bod prinder goliau’n wendid, yn enwedig felly ers i Andre Ayew adael. Ond o leia’ mae Joel Piroe i’w weld yn tanio erbyn hyn, a hwb arall oedd clywed fod Michael Obafemi wedi cyrraedd yn ddiogel y tro hwn – ac yn barhaol – chwe mis ar ôl i anaf ei atal rhag ymuno ar fenthyg o Southampton.

Mae’r Elyrch eisoes wedi denu Ethan Laird yn gefnwr i ychwanegu at eu hopsiynau yn y cefn, ac maen nhw bellach wedi ychwanegu Rhys Williams, sydd ar fenthyg o Lerpwl. Er ei fod e’n ifanc, mae e eisoes wedi magu profiad yng Nghynghrair y Pencampwyr ac fe gafodd ei gyfle yng nghanol amddiffyn Lerpwl yn ail hanner y tymor diwethaf yn sgil yr anaf i Virgil Van Dijk.

Ac mae’r Elyrch wedi profi dro ar ôl tro mai dyma’r lle i fod os ydych chi’n ifanc ac yn dyheu am ddychwelyd i’r Uwch Gynghrair. Gall hynny ond fod o fantais i’r ddau glwb ac i’r chwaraewr yn y pen draw. Ond fydd y naill na’r llall ddim yn dod yn agos at leddfu’r siom o golli Connor Roberts, un o’r ffyddloniaid a hoelion wyth, ac yntau’n un o chwaraewyr mwya’ profiadol y garfan. Ond all neb ei feio am fod eisiau dychwelyd i’r Uwch Gynghrair. Pob lwc iddo fe.

Dim ond unwaith mae Kyle Joseph wedi chwarae ers cyrraedd o Wigan, a hynny yng Nghwpan Carabao, ac mae’n siŵr y

bydd ei gyfnod ar fenthyg yn Cheltenham yn helpu i’w ddatblygu ar gyfer y dyfodol, felly hefyd Ollie Cooper yng Nghasnewydd.

Anadl ddofn ar ôl hynny i gyd (a dw i heb sôn hyd yn oed am y ffordd mae Covid-19 wedi amharu ar baratoadau carfan gymharol newydd y rheolwr cymharol newydd Russell Martin!).

Ydy, mae’n gyfnod cythryblus eto ar hyn o bryd, ond mae’r Elyrch wedi hen arfer â hynny.

Ym l a e n a t y p e t h p w y s i c a ’ – y perfformiadau a’r canlyniadau ar y cae.

Cyn y toriad rhyngwladol, gorffennodd yr Elyrch gyda chanlyniad a pherfformiad digon siomedig yn Preston wrth golli o 3-1. Roedd y perfformiad yn erbyn Plymouth yng Nghwpan Carabao dipyn gwell, wrth i Morgan Whittaker hawlio’r hatric cynta’ ers Scott Sinclair ddegawd yn ôl. Diolch byth nad oedd yntau hefyd wedi gadael ar fenthyg, fel yr oedd yr adroddiadau’n ei gysylltu â Lincoln yn ei awgrymu. Gallai ei ddoniau o flaen y gôl fod yn werthfawr.

Yr unig ystadegyn sy’n gwahanu Hull ac Abertawe adeg ysgrifennu’r erthygl yma yw fod yr ymwelwyr heddiw wedi ildio un gôl yn llai na’r Elyrch. Mae’n ornest yn nyfnderoedd y Bencampwriaeth ond fel ry’n ni i gyd yn gwybod wrth ddilyn hynt a helynt Abertawe, gall unrhyw beth ddigwydd!

PAGE 31

PAGE 32

ETHAN LAIRD HAS ALREADY SHOWN GLIMPSES OF HIS EXCITING TALENT, BUT THE ON-LOAN MANCHESTER UNITED STAR HOPES THERE IS PLENTY MORE TO COME FROM HIM IN SWANSEA CITY COLOURS. CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE....

This was a move that had been touted for a couple of weeks. You were heavily linked with a move here, and now it’s done. How do you feel?

“I’m buzzing, I just can’t wait to get started. I’m the type of person where I just can’t wait to get on the pitch and show what I can do. I’m buzzing.”

I understand there were quite a number of clubs interested in taking you on loan for this season, what was it about this club that made you feel this is right?

“First of all, it’s Swansea...a big club, a very big club. It’s where I want to play. I’ve played here once before, when I was 16, and obviously I’ve played at the Swansea.com. I really enjoyed it when I was there; I’ve kind of been in and around [the club] type thing.

“Yeah of course, it’s always nice to have familiar faces. It doesn’t really faze me that much either way; we all have a common goal and that’s to win games, and I’m kind of easy to get on with, I think.

So that doesn’t faze me, but it is nice to have familiar faces.”

And you know a former Swansea boy in Daniel James from your time together at Manchester United. Did you speak to Dan a little bit about the club before you made the move down?

“Yeah, he gave me a little debrief and whatnot. He’s a great lad, and he’s kicking on now because of his time here. I hope to do the same thing.”

Are you hoping that this is a great foundation for you to kick onto that next level? From League One to the Championship now, and then hopefully further your career back at Manchester United?

“And obviously the manager – I love Russ, and I just know that he can get the best out of me.”

“Yeah, 100 per cent. I feel like this is going to be a fundamental part of my development, so I’m excited.”

I take it you must have enjoyed the style of play, which we’re already starting to see at Swansea in such a short time. It’s a great way to play, isn’t it?

How big was that loan spell at MK Dons for you? That was your first real exposure to senior league football, and you got a number of games under your belt. Do you feel like you really made strides in that spell?

“I think it’s the best way to play football. It’s entertaining, it’s just what you want to watch; your team getting the passes in, and making the other team chase the ball. But yeah, that’s what I enjoy.”

I understand you know a couple of guys in the squad already, you know Morgan Whittaker from your time with England, and I think you know Tivonge Rushesha as well. Do you get on well with them and is it nice to have familiar faces here?

“Yeah, the main thing for me was just getting some games, because under-23’s level and senior level is completely different. I just thought, ‘just go out there and play some games,’ but I didn’t realise how much I’d actually learn out there [at MK Dons]. But there’s a huge difference and I know [that experience] bettered me as a player, even off the pitch as well, as a person.”

PAGE 33

What in particular stood out to you as things you developed in your time at MK Dons?

“Positioning wise; obviously I’m a right-back, but having to adapt to the right wing back-role, just certain little tactical changes. It’s not too drastic, but just certain things that you learn and you kind of adapt. So now, for example, if someone wanted me to play right-back, I can do it; if someone wanted me to play wing-back, I can do it.

“I’m a bit more versatile. The physicality, learning how to use your body in certain situations. A lot of things, a lot of things.”

You mentioned you can play right wing-back, you can play right-back, I believe you can play centre-back as well. Do you have a preference in any of those positions and how would you sum yourself up as a player?

“Preference wise… wherever I’m needed. Wherever the manager wants me to make an impact on the pitch, I’ll be there to do it.

“How I see myself as a player: entertaining. I’ll leave it there.”

So the fans can look forward to a bit of excitement when you have a chance to get on the ball?

“I hope so, I hope so.”

And for people who might not know so much about your background, you were with Manchester United from the age of nine, obviously, you’re still on the books there. Who have been the big influences there in terms of development as you’ve progressed through the age ranks to where you are now?

PAGE 34

“ There’s been quite a lot of coaches, players, older players who’ve really been fundamental in my progress. I know Nicky Butt’s been a big one for me.

He’s the one who trusted me as a youngster to play with the older teams, and then I was able to learn off them.

“K ieran McKenna; he’s now the first-team coach. When I had him in the [under] 18s, I grew a lot as a person, as well.

There’s a load of names I could mention, but I’ll try and keep it short! “ There’s quite a few; Clayton Blackmore, as well, if you know him. There’s a lot of coaches that have been fundamental in my growth.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave you your fir st st ar t , which was in the Europa League. That’s obviously a really big moment in your career, to experience European football at such a young age. How big a moment was that for you?

“It’s every kid’s dream, especially just to play for the team you’ve been playing for for years and just to do it . I remember when I had a little interview about it, and I just didn’t know what to say. It’s literally something you dream about, and I did it, and now that I’ve got a taste of it, I can’t wait to get more and more and more.”

You mentioned about playing at the Swansea.com, so that was your debut for the Man Utd under-23s?

“Yeah. I was 16, I think, 16 or 17.”

Swansea fans might not like the result, but you had a pretty good night, didn’t you?

“Yeah! I enjoyed myself, let’s put it that way! But yeah, when I got my first taste of that, just being in the stadium, because as a young kid you aren’t really used to being in stadiums, and being there I was just taking it all in.”

What do you hope you’ll achieve this season, both from an individual point of view and in terms of the wider team goals?

“Myself? Development, that’s all I c an ask for, really. And I know I’m going to develop a s a p l a y e r, a s w e l l a s o f f the pitch, so that’s the main thing as a player. A s a team,

I think we’ve got a good thing going, and this is only the first few weeks of it , so it ’ll be interesting to see where we end up.

“I have high hopes. I think the whole team have high hopes, and I think all the fans should have high hopes because of the manager we have.”

PAGE 35

WE’VE ENDED THE WINDOW STRONGER THAN WE STARTED IT PAGE 36

H

ead c o ach R uss ell Martin is confident Swansea City ended the summer transfer window stronger than they started it as he prepares his side to take on Hull City this afternoon.

INCOMINGS

Kyle Joseph from Wigan Athletic, Undisclosed fee ~ Jo Jamie Paterson, Free agent ~ Flynn Downes from Ipsw Rhys Williams from Liverpool, Loan ~ Olivier Ntcham, Free agent

The Swans ended up adding nine players to their squad over the course of the window, with six of those arriving following Martin’s appointment at the start of August.

Jamie Paterson, Flynn Downes, Ethan L aird, Rhys Williams, Michael Obafemi and Olivier Ntcham have all put pen to paper at the Swansea.com Stadium in the last month.

And, while it has made for a hectic start to Martin’s tenure – which has seen him face seven games in his first 27 days at the helm - he is confident in what he has at his disposal as he gets down to work on the training ground.

“The guys we’ve brought in have really strengthened us,” he said. “ They have real athleticism, they all really wanted to be here, they’ve all got a brilliant m e n t a l i t y, b e c a u s e t h ey ’ ve played at a really high level.

“They’re all at a good age, but have relatively good experience.

Rhys [Williams] played in one of the best teams in the country and did brilliantly towards the end of last season. Olivier ’s played at a club with a huge expectancy to win every single week , he’s played in the Champions League.

OUTGOINGS

Marc Guehi to Chelsea, Loan end ~ Freddie Woodman to Jordan Morris Seattle Sounders, Loan end ~ Paul Arriola Wayne Routledge, Free Agent ~ Barrie McKay to H Andre Ayew to Al-Sadd, Free agent ~ George Byers to She Jordon Garrick to Plymouth Argyle, Loan ~ Jamal Lowe to AF Ollie Cooper to Newport County, Loan ~ Connor Roberts to Burn

oël Piroe from PSV Eindhoven, Undisclosed fee ~ Liam Walsh, Free agent wich Town, Undisclosed fee ~ Ethan Laird from Manchester United, Loan ~ Michael Obafemi from Southampton, Undisclosed

o Newcastle United, Loan end ~ Conor Hourihane to Aston Villa, Loan end a to DC United, Loan end ~ Declan John to Bolton Wanderers, Free agent Hearts, Free Agent ~ Kieron Freeman to Portsmouth, Free agent effield Wednesday, Undisclosed fee ~ Josh Gould to Ebbsfleet United, Loan FC Bournemouth, Undisclosed fee ~ Kyle Joseph to Cheltenham Town, Loan nley, Undisclosed fee

“Michael played in the Premier League at a very young age, and if he was a bit more fortunate with injuries, would have played in the P r e m i e r L e a g u e r e g u l a r l y, I’m pretty sure of that .

“So they’re really good additions, they’ll really s t r e n g t h e n u s ; we f i n i s h e d the window a lot stronger than we started.”

And Martin was also pleased that the majority of Swansea’s summer business saw them sign players on full-time deals, as opposed to having a high number of loan players in the squad. “ They ’re ours and they are big assets. It means we c an plan more long-term, and we’ r e n ot r e l y i n g o n t a k i n g other peoples’ player s , and the ones we do take on loan have to really make a difference,” he added. “ Ta ke E t h a n [ L a i r d ] fo r example, who’s not available t o us permanently be c aus e [Manchester United] really see him as a long-term prospect for them, but in the short-term he’ll really help us.

“But we can’t be overly r e l i a n t o n t h e m . A n d t h at ’ s why, I think , the business we have done has been really successful; there are players that have a real chance of improving us in how we see the Swansea way. “ H o p e f u l l y, i n t h e l o n g term, they prove to be really good acquisitions.”

PAGE 37

S

wansea City’s crest for the 202122 season is a nod to the 40-year a n n i v e r s a r y o f J o h n To s h a c k l e a d i n g the club into the top-flight for the first time.

Here is the fourth part of a series of features charting the course of the Swans’ promotion to the First Division, looking at how one of the greats synonymous with this era actually started the 1980-81 season at another club.

The Swans’ season was up and running, but younger supporters might be surprised to learn that Alan Curtis, a player synonymous with this era, was not actually on Swansea’s books as the 1980-81 campaign started.

The missing man Curtis was at Leeds, who he had joined in 1979, and the forward was in the process of working his way back from a serious injury that had briefly had him fearing his career was over.

The notion that he would be helping the Swans secure promotion would have seemed far fetched at the outset that term.

“I was at Leeds and I tore my ligaments, I think I tore my ACL, in a challenge with Peter Shilton,” recalls Curtis.

“We both went for a loose ball and his weight went down on top of my leg while my body was moving forward and going over him. My leg got trapped, the hamstring came off the bone and it was a real mess.

“That was in the January of 1980, and I was out for eight or nine months.

“I had the surgery at Jimmy’s hospital in Leeds and I remember the surgeon coming to see me after the operation.

“He asked me if I wanted the good news or the bad news, and I thought I’d better get the good news first.

“He told me ‘you should be able to walk again without a limp’. Once I heard that I didn’t really want to know what the bad news was, but the jist of it was that I was done playing professional football.

PAGE 40

“I spent a few days wondering what I was going to do with myself, but then I spoke to the physio at Leeds and he said he was confident they could get me back fit.

“Geoff Ladley, the physio, worked religiously with me morning and afternoon for months, and I ended up coming back stronger than I had been before.

“But it took a while, and even when I was back I had to get back into the swing of things, and by the time that had happened there had been a change of manager.

“Jimmy Adamson had gone and Allan Clarke had come in, and he wanted a clean slate and a new start while I was still trying to get back to fitness.”

But, little did Curtis know, that fate had played its part and set him on a journey back to his spiritual home.

Meanwhile, it took the Swans a little time to find their feet at the outset of that 1980-81 campaign as John Toshack’s men won one of their first six games in all competitions, with the victory coming courtesy of goals from Brian Attley and David Giles against Shrewsbury.

But they would soon find their stride, losing just two of 17 league games between October 1980 and the start of January 1981.

Within that run were some resounding successes.

There was a 4-1 triumph at Bolton with goals from Leighton James and Neil Robinson complementing a brace from Alan Waddle.

Waddle was again on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win over Oldham at the Vetch, with Giles scoring twice, while James netted a hat-trick against former club Derby in a 3-1 home win.

It was a sign of what was to come as the summer signing hit the ground running in Swansea colours.

James, a Gorseinon boy, would end the season as top scorer with 16 league goals to his name (18 in all competition), and caused defences no end of problems whether working with Robinson or Dzemal Hadziabdic on the left flank.

If defenders offered James the outside, they would be beaten all ends up with the promise of a threatening cross to follow; offer him to go inside and he was liable to find room to get away a shot on goal.

The likes of Toshack, Jeremy Charles and Curtis knew just how good the former Burnley man was, and they are in no doubt as to the quality he brought to the Swans.

“I’d played with Leighton for Wales, so I knew about him a lot. He could be a difficult customer at times, but I got on great with him and he was a fantastic talent and a lovely lad,” says Toshack.

“I knew what coming back to Swansea meant to him, because he loved the club.

“He scored some super goals for us. I would have him in any side that I managed.”

Charles would be among the beneficiaries of his compatriot’s exhilarating wing play.

“Leighton was a great talent, as were many of the boys in that side. You look at Curt and Robbie too,” says the former striker.

“But Leighton really could be incredible. He could tell you what he was going to do, and then go and do exactly that, that’s how good he was.

“Curt was similar, they would have been a nightmare to play against.”

“He was an unbelievable player,” adds Curtis.

“With Leighton you could never really tell if he was right or left-footed, he was that good.

“Defenders did not know what to do with him.

“I would certainly rank him right up there with the very best players I ever played with. What a player.”

PAGE 41

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PAGE 42

CARDIFF MET LADIES 1 SWANS LADIES 2

S

wansea City Ladies began their Genero Adran Premier campaign with a lastgasp victory against Cardiff Met at the Cyncoed Campus.

The defending champions fell behind in the first-half after Emily Allen broke the deadlock, but Swansea equalised in the second-half after Stacey John-D avis found the b ack of the net with a calm finish.

T h e v i s i t o r s t h e n s n at c h e d all three points in the last few minute s after S haunna Jenkins turned home the rebound after seeing her penalty hit the woodwork.

The Swans made a promising start to the high-calibre clash between last season’s top two and threatened to open Cardiff Met’s defence early on.

With five minutes on the clock, Katy Hosford looked to feed i n T i j a R i c h a rd s o n , b u t t h e pass just got away from her.

Despite that, it was Met who took the lead through Allen who found

the far corner from a tight angle.

Swansea looked to reply quickly and nearly did so; JohnDavis hit the post from closera n g e aft e r s h e g ot o n t h e end of Hosford’s drilled cross.

On the search for an equaliser Chloe Chivers played a dangerous ball across the face of goal but it was too far in front of John-Davis.

However, just two minutes later Chivers cut Met’s defence open with a through ball to John-Davis, who remained composed to dink the ball over an outrushing Anabel Sweeney to level.

After posing more of an attacking threat at the start of the second half, Swansea had to survive a brief onslaught from the home side.

A scrappy situation in the Swans’ penalty area led to an array of close-range strikes from Met but Claire Skinner was aware to tip the best of those efforts onto the crossbar.

Hosford came agonisingly close to giving the two-time defending champions the lead

after Chivers flicked a header on to the winger, but she could only fire wide of the target.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e w a s t o b e late drama as Rhianne Oakley was bundled to the ground by keeper Sweeney and was consequently awarded a penalty.

Jenkins stepped up and fired her penalty against the crossbar, but she reacted quickest to turn the ball home on the rebound.

TEAM LINEUP Swans: Claire Skinner, Ellie Lake, Shaunna Jenkins, Alicia Powe (C), Ria Hughes, Tija Richardson, Emma Beynon, Chloe Chivers (Rhianne Oakley 79’), Kelly Adams (Laura Davies 73’), Katy Hosford, Stacey John-Davis Subs not used: Tyler Evans, David Roberts, Aimar Govea, Cameron Congreve, Iwan Morgan.

PAGE 43

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PAGE 44

EXETER CITY U23S 1 SWANSEA CITY U23S 1

S

wansea City Under-23s secured a point away at Exeter City in their opening Premier League Cup fixture.

The Swans travelled to face an experienced Exeter side in their first competitive fixture of the season, with many of the home side’s squad having previously represented the first team.

They had taken the lead at St J ame s P ark through a fine solo effort from Dylan Morgan, but the Grecians quickly levelled through Callum Rowe.

Both sides had chances to snatch a winner, but it ended all-square.

Exeter had controlled the early proceedings of the contest, with Jacob Jones clearing a header off the line from Cheick Diabate just seven minutes in.

But the Swans defence held strong and they began to grow into the game, with the pace of Jones and Adrian Akande on the flanks causing the home defence trouble.

And it would be Swansea

who took the lead. Morgan’s excellent trickery carved an opening for himself, before his curling effor t flew past Harry Lee in the Exeter goal.

The under-23s are next in action on Monday as they travel to face Hull City in their opening Professional Development League game of the season.

But the home side would be level just six minutes later through former Aston Villa midfielder Rowe. He cut in from the righthand side before firing a low shot off the inside of the post and in.

TEAM LINEUP

Exeter had the chance to take the lead just after the break, James Dodd slid the ball across to Sonny Cox but he dragged his effort wide.

Morgan also c ame close to restoring the lead for Swansea and doubling his tally, this time firing a free-kick just wide of the post.

Exeter almost broke the Swansea hearts with just five minutes to go, Dodd’s free-kick headed just inches over the crossbar.

Morgan had one more chance for a winner, but he couldn’t get a strong enough connection on a fantastic chipped ball from Sam Leverett.

Swans: Jamie Searle, Adrian Akande, Scott Butler, Azeem Abdulai, Richard Faakye, Jacob Jones, Sam Leverett, Ben Lloyd, Joel Cotterill, Dylan Morgan, Tarrelle Whittaker.

Substitutes: Rio Campbell, Cameron Congreve, Nico Defreitas-Hansen, Cian Williams, Jaden Forrester.

Exeter U23s: Harry Lee, Ben Seymour, Sonny Cox, Callum Rowe, Colin Daniel, Jordan Dyer, Nelson Iseguan, Jack Veale, James Dodd, Cheick Diabate, Alfie Pond.

Substitutes: Scott Brown, Toby Neville, Eli Collins, Michael Lilley, Charlie Hanson.

PAGE 45

I’M STILL A SEASON TICKET HOLDER, TO BE PLAYING FOR THIS CLUB IS MY DREAM PAGE 46

I

f you love football, or support a football team, it’s the dream that plays over and over in your head.

Yo u ’ v e j u s t c o m e o n a s a substitute, you make a run, the ball comes your way. There is a t o u c h t o s et yo u r s e l f a n d then ‘bang’, you fire the ball into the top corner and wheel away in celebration to the adoring supporters.

For the majority of us, it will only ever be a dream, we will never get to experience that moment.

But, for Ben Lloyd, it is a dream that became reality just a couple of months ago.

The 16-year-old midfielder was summoned from the bench in a pre-season friendly at Forest Green for his first outing at senior level for Swansea City.

Barely 20 seconds later and he had his arm aloft having netted with his first touches in a Swans top.

Before the night was out, he’d have the travelling supporters singing: “Ben Lloyd, he’s one of our own.”

It’s been a lot to take in for the highly -rated teenager, who was also among the matchday squad for the Carabao Cup win at Reading, and still holds a season ticket at the Swansea. com Stadium.

“To be honest it’s only just sunk in really what’s happened and words can’t describe the feeling of scoring for your home club,” he said.

“I’ve been a supporter and a season ticket holder for over 12 years now and to even be around the first team is a great experience, but to get on the pitch and score, it’s only just sunk in and words can’t describe it really.

While he is still a young man, there is no doubting his talent, but he remains humble and grounded. Lloyd outlines the sacrifices his family – including father Warren and mother Helen have made for him to allow him to develop during his career.

“I came on and everything was happening so fast. I remember just making a run off my man and I didn’t expect to get the ball.

And, he reveals how his love of the game grew hand in hand with the in-built love of Swansea City growing up within a family of season-ticket holders.

“It’s a dream come true because that’s what I’ve dreamt of since I was little and for it to actually happen, it makes me hungrier for more and every time I step on that pitch, in training, with the under18s or the under-23s, I’ve just got to make the most of it and keep proving points because eventually that’s where I want to be.

“My father, my grandad, my uncle and my brother are all season ticket holders,” adds Lloyd.

“Me, my dad and my brother have been going for 12 years and my grandad and uncle have been going for the last six or seven years.

“Alan Tate let me go home with my family on the way b ack (from Forest Green) and they just couldn’t believe it, my mum is calmer than my dad, he just couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t stop laughing and my grandad was tearing up because he’s been a Swans fan for about 60 years.

“It all happened so quickly as the night before I had been sitting in the stands after being brought off at half-time in an under-23s game, and I was a bit down about coming off.

“But then Kris O’Leary told me I’d be travelling with the first-team squad the next day and I could not sleep that night. I was just too excited, and then obviously I didn’t get much sleep the night after the game either!

“I was on a separate coach up to Forest Green, just me and Lincoln (Mcfayden). On the way, Lincoln was saying ‘imagine if you get on and if you actually score.’ I said ‘if I get on’, and he said ‘no, you’re going to get on and you’re going to score.’

“After the game he came up to me and said ‘I told you that you were going to score.’

“At the end of the day. I’m a fan and I still go to every game, I still have my season ticket, I renewed it this year and I can’t describe the feeling of scoring, it’s made me just want to do it more and more and I just can’t wait for the next opportunity now.”

Lloyd has since seen action for the under-17s and under-18s over the opening weeks of the season, and is currently away on international duty with the Wales age-grade set-up.

“My mum works for Sinclair’s in Bridgend and my dad works for a company called Pobl who deal with University housing, they sometimes have to take time off work to take me to training. “ They have made a lot of sacrifices for me, and my mum had to juggle a lot just to make sure she could take me to training with the first team, so I took her out for food to say thank you and make up for it.

“But I’m grateful for everything my family do for me, my whole family they all do so much for me.”

PAGE 47

I

suppose we must now reluctantly add Connor Roberts to the list of top-level sports people who are Swans fans following his move to the Premier League with Burnley.

Of course, we always knew that Connor was a massive supporter of the club even while he was pulling on the famous white shirt, but now he has returned to the ranks of the Jack Army who support the team from the other side of the white lines.

I’m guessing it won’t be long before we see him cheering the team on from the stands when not on duty with the Clarets.

The Swans have always had a tradition of successful sports stars following the club. This has been particularly true in recent years of local fighters.

These include the likes of former world cruiserweight boxing champion Enzo Maccarinelli; Jay Harris, who wore the Swans badge on his shorts when he fought for the WBC world flyweight title, and of course UFC fighter and two-time world champion Brett Johns, who is a regular both home and away.

But this summer, there have been another couple of Swans fans hitting the headlines at the very highest level of global sport.

Paul Karabardak has been one of the world’s top para table tennis players for many years now.

Aged 10, a clot on his brain resulted in Paul suffering a massive stroke, leaving him with left- sided hemiplegia.

PAGE 48

Having been a keen football player, Paul found that he could put his excellent hand-eye coordination to good use when he was introduc ed to t able tennis at a local youth club.

Within two years he was playing in the Swansea League and was selected to play for the GB Para Table Tennis Team at the age of 16 in the European Championships, winning a team bronze medal.

Since then, the Swans season ticket holder has won a number of team medals for Great Britain at the European Championships a n d Wo r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p s .

But last month, Paul finally got his hands on a Paralympic medal when he won bronze in Tokyo, where he was competing in his fourth games having also featured at B eijing, L ondon and Rio. The 36-year-old said afterwards: “It is fantastic to have got that bronze medal and it means everything to me. I thought it was slipping away so it is a dream for me because I have won a lot in my career.

“I’ve had some good wins and I’ve won World and European medals but it wouldn’t have been the career I would have wanted without a Paralympic medal.”

If that wasn’t enough, there was plenty more to come from the Swans Disabled Supporters’ Association member.

Just days after winning bronze, Paul was beating the world’s n u m b e r - o n e p l aye r t o e a r n himself and Will Bayley a place in the Paralympic team final.

Unfortunately, the close friends, who have boththe suffered serious Unfortunately, close friends, injury setbacks, weren’t serious able to who have both suffered take against weren’t their opponents injurygold setbacks, able to from but were delighted with take China, gold against their opponents the of adelighted silver medal. fromconsolation China, but were with the consolation of a silver medal.

B ayley said afterwards: “ To win thissaid medal with my best B ayley afterwards: “ To friend makes allbest the win thisPaul medal withitmy more I’m so friendspecial.

Paul makes it happy. all the more special. I’m so happy.

“What he has overcome in his life is extraordinary and I in think “What he has overcome his his win against Valera the life is extraordinary and (in I think semi-final) is probably his win against Valerathe (inbest the moment ofismy whole the career. semi-final) probably best moment of my whole career.

“I’ve won singles gold but that was moment of that my “I’ve the won best singles gold but career, sobest thankmoment you to Paul for was the of my doing for me, because is career,that so thank you to Paulitfor a moment I will forget.” doing that for me,never because it is a moment I will never forget.”

Paul isn’t the only Swans fan P a u who l i s n has ’ t t hbeen e o n lmaking y S w a nit s b i g who i n J ahas p a nbeen t h i s making s u m m e r. fan it b i g i n J a p a n t h i s s u m m e r.

In J uly, 20- ye ar -old Swans fan was also Swans hitting In JJoe uly, Brier 20- ye ar -old the in Tokyo part fan headlines Joe Brier was also as hitting o f Gheadlines r e a t B r i tin ain ’ s 4 xas 4 0part 0m the Tokyo team o f G r eata tthe B r iOlympic t a i n ’ s 4Games. x400m team at the Olympic Games.

Joe may not have come back from Tokyo with like Paul, it Joe may notmedals have come backbut from was hugemedals achievement for the Tokyoa with like Paul, but it Neath athlete to be selected for was a huge achievement for the the Olympics such a young age.

Neath athleteatto be selected for the Olympics at such a young age.

The Cardiff Metropolitan University student hope to University use the The Cardiffwill Metropolitan invaluable experience gained student will hope to use the at his first Olympics to prepare invaluable experience gained fo t hfirst e 2 0Olympics 2 4 P a r i to s gprepare ames. at rhis fo r t h e 2 0 2 4 P a r i s g a m e s .

H o w e v e r, t h e S w a n s e a H ao rwr ieevr e’ sr , i m a taen sa e im t hmee dSi w a iHsa r reiperre’ s einmt im ne g dW i aat lee sa iamt next i s r e ye p r ar e s’s e nCt iommonwe n g W a l e salth at G a m eyes ari ’s n CBommonwe i r m i n g h aalth m. next Also hei nisghoping G a mnext e s summer, in Birm ham.

to compete for Great Also next summer, he is Britain hoping a t h e E u r ofor p e aGreat n A t hBritain letics tot compete Championships a t t h e E u r o p e and a n Athe t h lWorld etics A thletics Cham p i othe n s World hips.

Championships and Athletics Championships.

If he qualified for the latter, which is being held in Oregon, If he qualified for the latter, he would follow held in theinfootsteps which is being Oregon, o f o r m efollow r S w ainnthe s Afootsteps cademy hef would player o f f o r mDai e r Greene, S w a n s Awho c a d ewon my 400m gold atwho the 2011 playerhurdles Dai Greene, won World 400m Championships hurdles gold at in theDaegu.

2011 World Championships in Daegu.

A s well as competing at the Olympics year, Brier A s well asthis competing at also the represented Great Britain the Olympics this year, Brieratalso represented Great Britain at the European Indoor Championships European in PolandIndoor in March, Championships where he helped the in 4x400m to win in Poland March,team where he bronze.

He4x400m also competed at helped the team to win the WorldHe Relay Championships. bronze. also competed at the World Relay Championships.

His sister, Hannah Brier, who has also represented His sister, Hannah Brier,Great who has also Britain, ran represented for Wales at theGreat 2014 Britain, ran for Wales Commonwealth Games at theand 2014 is also bidding for aGames place at next Commonwealth and is year eventfor inaBirmingham. also ’s bidding place at next yearall ’s know event the in Birmingham.

We Swans boast plenty sporting talent on the We all of know the Swans boast pitch, there istalent rich vein of plenty but of sporting on the pitch, but there rich vein of home-grown talentischeering them home-grown on from the stands talent cheering and terraces them as of Paul Joe on the fromexploits the stands and and terraces in this summer as Tokyo the exploits of Paulillustrate. and Joe in Tokyo this summer illustrate.

Well done to both and all the other Well done tofellow both and all the other successful supporters who successful keep making fellow us fans supporters proud towho be keep makingwith associated us fans a club proud boasting to be such talent with on and off the field. associated a club boasting such talent on and off the field.

C’mon you Swans!

C’mon you Swans!

PAGE 49

HERE’S HERE’S AAST STAT AT I IBET BET YOU YOU DIDN’T DIDN’T KN KN WW PAGE 50

O S T

T 6 2 O

(

A H S S A

T

OVER HALF A MILLION OVER HALF A MILLION SKY SKY BET BET CUSTOMERS USE USE DEPOSIT LIMITS CUSTOMERS DEPOSIT LIMITS TO MANAGE THEIR BETTING BUDGET. TO MANAGE THEIR BETTING BUDGET.

THAT’S ENOUGH TO FILL: THAT’S ENOUGH TO FILL: 6 WEMBLEYS. 6 WEMBLEYS. 201 ALLY PALLYS. 201 ALLY PALLYS. OR 8OR CHELTENHAM GOLD CUPCUP DAYS. 8 CHELTENHAM GOLD DAYS.

(THAT’S A LOTAOF TWEED) (THAT’S LOT OF TWEED)

ALL ALL GOOD BOOKMAKERS GOOD BOOKMAKERS HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. SO WHOEVER YOUYOU BET WITH, SO WHOEVER BET WITH, SET AN ONEONE FORFOR YOUYOU SETAPPROPRIATE AN APPROPRIATE ANDAND THEN ENJOY THE THE SPORT. THEN ENJOY SPORT. DEPOSIT LIMITS DEPOSIT LIMITS

THAT’S BETTING BETTER. THAT’S BETTING BETTER.

PAGE 51

SWANS LAUNCH THE FORMER PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION PAGE 52

A

n impromptu fundraiser at the first City Business Network event of the new season added generous donations to Swansea City Former Players’ Association.

More than 50 partners and sponsors got together at the Swansea.c om Stadium for the CBN event , which included watching Russell Martin’s side take on Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

The 1-0 victory put smiles on faces and thanks to donations from Westacres, Peter Lynn and Partners and Blue Rock Construction, kicked off fundraising for the club’s FPA. FPA chair Lee Trundle, and current firstteam player Connor Roberts, joined compare Kev Johns for the event, which was sponsored by Ministry of Furniture.

Swansea City FPA launched earlier this month and exists to reunite former colleagues and friends, provide support, including social and welfare, and raise funds.

It will facilitate social activities as well as fundraising events and provide opportunities for ex-players, both men and women, to attend matches and meet other ex-players.

The first fundraising event organised by the FPA will be a memor y walk in a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h t h e c l u b’ s o f f i c i a l charity, the Alzheimer ’s Society Cymru.

Funds raised by the event will go to the Alzheimer ’s Society Cymru.

It was the overwhelming choice of supporters when the club asked them to nominate a charity for the 2021-22 season.

Details of the event and how supporters can get involved will be released over the next few weeks.

Supporters can donate HERE Any former players wishing to register an interest in the FPA can do so HERE The next CBN event, titled ‘Dream.

Believe. Achieve.’ will be held on Wednesday, September 29.

It include s an evening with re c ently retired Swans legend Nathan Dyer and Swans favourite Kev Johns, followed by a live stream of the away fixture at Fulham.

PAGE 53

PLAYER SPONSORS 2021~2022 STEVEN BENDA

BEN HAMER

LEWIS WEBB

KYLE NAUGHTON

JAKE BIDWELL

RHYS WILLIAMS

BEN CABANGO

RYAN BENNETT

JOEL LATIBEAUDIERE

ETHAN LAIRD

TIVONGE RUSHESHA

LINCOLN McFAYDEN

BRANDON COOPER

RYAN MANNING

FLYNN DOWNES

KOREY SMITH

MATT GRIMES

JAY FULTON

YAN DHANDA

DANIEL WILLIAMS

LIAM WALSH

MORGAN WHITTAKER

MICAHEL OBAFEMI

JOEL PIROE

TRAVEL

HOUSE .CO.UK

BEN LLOYD

OLIVIER NTCHAM

LIAM CULLEN

JAMIE PATERSON

WESTACRES

CALL 01792 616 624 OR PAGE 54

EMAIL L.MERRELLS@SWANSEACITY.COM FOR AVAILABILITY

SWANSEA CITY COLLABORATE WITH JAC LEWIS FOUNDATION TO SET UP NEW WELLBEING HUB

S

wansea City are collaborating with the Jac Lewis Foundation to develop a new hub in the city which aims to provide a preventative wellbeing and mental health service to the local area.

The new hub – which is being funded by the club’s investors, Steve Kaplan, Jason Levien and Jake Silverstein will offer Swansea City supporters, along with local residents, the opportunity to attend fortnightly drop-in sessions facilitated by qualified counsellors to receive professional help and support for mental health difficulties.

The announcement came on the same day as world suicide prevention day (September 10).

The overall aim of this project will be to decrease ment al health difficulties and increase the wellbeing of members of the c ommunity in what has been a hugely challenging 18 months for everyone.

T he hub will also offer the opportunity for people to attend free mental health first aid courses to learn tools and techniques to increase wellbeing and resilience.

Swansea City have also made a donation to the Jac Lewis Foundation, which was set up in 2019 following the death of 27-year-old Jac Lewis, a p o p u l a r a n d m u c h - l ove d player for A mmanford AF C.

“As a club, we wanted to do something to aid mental health in our area and offer our support wherever possible,” said Silverstein.

“We are conscious that we have lost several supporters in recent months due to mental health challenges and we want to make a difference to anyone who might be struggling.

We are grateful for the opportunity t o p l ay a p a r t i n p rov i d i n g tools and resources to support mental health and psychological wellbeing in the community.”

Liz Thomas-Evans, the foundation’s counsellor, added: “The Jac Lewis Foundation is looking forward to collaborating with Swansea City to provide a mental health hub for the local community.

“Jac was a huge Swansea City fan, a season ticket holder and often travelled to away games in the UK and abroad. Providing this hub in his memory is extremely important to Jac’s family, the Foundation and Ammanford AFC.”

The initial dates for the wellbeing hub are listed here, with more to follow in due course.

Friday, Sept 17: Drop in 12-2pm Friday, Oct 1: Mental health first aid course 12-2pm.

Friday, Oct 15: Drop in 12-2pm Friday: Oct 29: Mental health first aid course 12-2pm.

For more information on the Jac Lewis Foundation and to book onto training days please call 07368 828515 or email jaclewisfoundation@gmail.com

PAGE 55

JUNIOR CYRIL'S HALF-TIME QUIZ QUESTION ONE Which former Swans playermanager, who also played for Liverpool, went on to manage Hull City later in his career?

QUESTION TWO What is Hull City’s nickname?

Tip: It’s an animal.

QUESTION THREE The Swans famously beat Hull 4-2 on the final day to avoid dropping into non-league. Who was the Swans’ hat-trick hero that day?

Tip: He was a striker.

Tip: He hails from the same country as Michael Laudrup.

QUESTION FOUR

QUESTION FIVE

QUESTION SIX

Who is the Swans’ top scorer with four goals so far this season?

The Swans signed striker Michael Obafemi on transfer deadline day.

But from which club?

Midfielder Olivier Ntcham joined the Swans on a free transfer last week. But which country does he represent?

Tip: He’s from Holland.

Tip: They play at St Mary’s.

Tip: Zinedane Zidane featured for the same nation.

CYRIL AND CYBIL'S PREDICTION SWANS 2 HULL CITY 1 PAGE 56

PAGE 57 Cyril’s Half-Time Quiz Answers Question One - Jan Molby Question Two - The Tigers Question Three - James Thomas

Question Four - Joel Piroe Question Five - Southampton Question Six - France The mystery player is Joel Piroe

MYSTERY PLAYER ?

WHO IS THE

R JACKS

Giving Football Back to Small Business At eBay, we know small business and football clubs used to be like chips and gravy, two peas in a pod – a match made in community heaven.

Ironmongers, ship workers, spring makers and cobblers, all formed clubs which decades later are still prospering.

But nowadays, you’d think it was all eyewatering transfers, Super Leagues and mega sponsors, detached from the humble origins of our historic clubs.

That’s why eBay are proud to support 300,000 small businesses who help power EFL clubs nationwide. We’ll be donating our advertising space to a lot of these businesses – on match day hoardings, around grounds and beyond – throughout the coming season, to ensure they can continue to thrive in our local communities. So, join us in giving your support to Small Business Power, because today, they need us more than ever.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

PAGE 58

For the latest news and to share your match day experiences, follow…

EFL

theEFL

EFL

FIXTURE LIST SEA FIXTURE

DATE

TEAM

Blackburn Rovers A L 2-1

Sat, Aug 7, 3pm

Benda

Naughton

Reading (CC R1) A W 0-3

Tue, Aug 10, 8pm

Benda

Naughton

Sheffield United H D 0-0

Sat, Aug 14, 8pm

Benda

Stoke City H L 1-3

Tue, Aug 14, 7.45pm

Benda

Bristol City A W 0-1

Fri, Aug 20, 7.45pm

Benda

Cabango

Bennett

Latibeaudiere

Bidwell

Smith 1

Cabango

B.Cooper

Latibeaudiere

Bidwell 3

Williams

Manning

Cabango

B.Cooper

Latibeaudiere

Bidwell

Downes

Manning

Cabango

B.Cooper

Latibeaudiere 3

Bidwell

Downes

Laird

Manning

B.Cooper

Latibeaudiere

Bidwell

Fulton

Latibeaudiere

Bidwell

Fulton

Latibeaudiere 1

Bidwell

Fulton 3

2

Plymouth Argyle (CC R2) H

Tue, Aug 24, 7pm

Hamer

Manning 1

Joseph 3

Bennett

Preston North End A

Sat, Aug 28, 3pm

Benda

Manning

Laird

Bennett 2

Hull City H

Sat, Sept 11, 3pm

Millwall H

Wed, Sept 15, 7.45pm

Luton Town A

Sat, Sept 18, 3pm

Brighton & Hove Albion (CC R3) A

Wed, Sept 22 7.30pm

Huddersfield Town H

Sat, Sept 25, 3pm

Fulham A

Wed, Sept 29, 7.45pm

Derby County A

Sat, Oct 2, 3pm

Cardiff City H

Sun, Oct 17, 12pm

West Bromwich Albion H

Wed, Oct 20, 7.45pm

Birmingham City A

Sat, Oct 23, 3pm

Peterborough United H

Sat, Oct 30, 3pm

Coventry City A

Tue, Nov 2, 7.45pm

AFC Bournemouth A

Sat, Nov 6, 3pm

Blackpool H

Sat, Nov 20, 3pm

Barnsley A

Wed, Nov 24, 7.45pm

Reading H

Sat, Nov 27, 3pm

Middlesbrough A

Sat, Dec 4, 3pm

Nottingham Forest H

Sat, Dec 11, 3pm

Queens Park Rangers A

Sat, Dec 18, 3pm

Millwall A

Sun, Dec 26, 3pm

Luton Town H

Wed, Dec 29, 7.45pm

Fulham H

Sat, Jan 1, 3pm

Huddersfield Town A

Sat, Jan 15, 3pm

Preston North End H

Sat, Jan 22, 3pm

Hull City A

Sat, Jan 29, 3pm

Blackburn Rovers H

Sat, Feb 5, 3pm

Stoke City A

Tue, Feb 8, 3pm

Bristol City H

Sat, Feb 12, 3pm

Sheffield United A

Sat, Feb 19, 3pm

AFC Bournemouth H

Tue, Feb 22, 3pm

West Bromwich Albion A

Sat, Feb 26, 3pm

Coventry City H

Sat, Mar 5, 3pm

Blackpool A

Sat, Mar 12, 3pm

Peterborough United A

Wed, Mar 16, 7.45pm

Birmingham City H

Sat, Mar 19, 3pm

Cardiff City A

Sat, Apr 2, 3pm

Derby County H

Sat, Apr 9, 3pm

Barnsley H

Fri, Apr 15, 3pm

Reading A

Mon, Apr 18, 3pm

Middlesbrough H

Sat, Apr 23, 3pm

Nottingham Forest A

Sat, Apr 30, 3pm

Queens Park Rangers H

Sat, May 7, 12.30pm

Correct as of September 9, 2021.

PAGE 60

2

Match Statistics Key

Goal =

ASON 2021~2022 SUBSTITUTES Paterson

Grimes

Lowe

Cullen 2

Defreitas-Hansen, Mcfayden, B.Cooper, Dhanda 1, O.Cooper, Joseph, Whittaker 2

Dhanda

Piroe

Whittaker

Defreitas-Hansen, Manning 1, Mcfayden 3, Lloyd, Joseph 2, Lowe, Cullen

Grimes

Paterson 3

Lowe 1

Cullen 2

Webb, Mcfayden, Williams, Dhanda 3, Joseph, Piroe 1, Whittaker 2

Grimes

Fulton 2

Dhanda 1

Lowe

Webb, Laird 3, Williams, Paterson 2, Cullen, Piroe 1

Grimes

Paterson

Piroe

Cullen

Hamer, Mcfayden, Williams, Dhanda, Joseph, Lowe 2, Whittaker 1

Williams

Dhanda

Lowe

Whittaker

Webb, Naughton 2, Piroe, Cullen, Cooper, Cooper 1, Laird 3

Grimes

Paterson

Cullen

Piroe

Hamer, Cooper 1, Williams, Dhanda, Whittaker, Lowe 2, Naughton 3

Grimes

1

Hat-trick =

Captain =

Sub = 2 (number denotes player replaced) Booked =

, Whittaker

Sent off =

Carabao Cup = CC FA Cup = FA

PAGE 61

TABLE 2021~2022

POS TEAM 1

Fulham

2

West Bromwich Albion

3

P

5

W D L

F

12

A

5

GD PTS

4

1

0

7

13

5

3

2

0

11

5

6

11

Queens Park Rangers

5

3

1

1

9

7

2

10

4

Huddersfield Town

5

3

1

1

7

6

1

10

5

Stoke City

5

2

3

0

8

5

3

9

6

Bournemouth

5

3

0

2

5

5

0

9

7

Coventry City

5

2

2

1

7

3

4

8

8

Birmingham City

5

2

2

1

9

6

3

8

9

Cardiff City

5

2

2

1

7

6

1

8

10

Blackburn Rovers

5

2

1

2

7

7

0

7

11

Bristol City

5

2

1

2

6

8

-2

7

12

Luton Town

5

1

3

1

6

6

0

6

13

Middlesbrough

5

1

3

1

5

5

0

6

14

Barnsley

5

1

3

1

4

4

0

6

15

Derby County

5

2

0

3

6

8

-2

6

16

Preston North End

5

1

2

2

6

8

-2

5

17

Millwall

5

1

1

3

4

7

-3

4

18

Hull City

5

1

1

3

4

8

-4

4

19

Swansea City

5

1

1

3

4

8

-4

4

20

Peterborough United

5

1

0

4

7

13

-6

3

21

Reading

5

0

2

3

4

8

-4

2

22

Blackpool

5

0

2

3

1

7

-6

2

23

Sheffield United

5

0

1

4

4

8

-4

1

24

Nottingham Forest

5

0

1

4

-4

1

-4

0

Correct as of Sept 9, 2021.

GLANMOR CHARTERED SURVEYORS Commercial Property Consultants

SERVICES

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Agency Lease Advisory Asset Management Investment & Development PAGE 62 Occupier Acquisition

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THE TEAMS Head Coach: Russell Martin

Matt Ingram Lewie Coyle Callum Elder Jacob Greaves Alfie Jones Richard Smallwood Mallik Wilks Greg Docherty Tom Eaves George Honeyman Keane Lewis-Potter Josh Emmanuel Nathan Baxter Andy Cannon Ryan Longman Sean McLoughlin George Moncur Randell Williams Matt Smith Brandon Fleming Tyler Smith Tom Huddlestone Di’Shon Bernard Josh Magennis Harvey Cartwright

NEXT UP AT A

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Steven Benda Ryan Bennett Ryan Manning Flynn Downes Ben Cabango Jay Fulton Korey Smith Matt Grimes Michael Obafemi Olivier Ntcham Morgan Whittaker Jamie Paterson Brandon Cooper Joël Piroe Ben Hamer Tivonge Rushesha Liam Cullen Yan Dhanda Joel Latibeaudiere Jake Bidwell Lewis Webb Kyle Naughton Ethan Laird Liam Walsh Lincoln Mcfayden Daniel Williams Rhys Williams

Manager: Grant McCann

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HULL CITY

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SWANS

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Millwall Wednesday, Sept 15 Kick-off: 7.45pm

NEXT AWAY Luton Town Saturday, Sept 18 Kick-off: 3pm

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~ Referee: Keith Stroud ~ ~ Assistant Referees: Robert Merchant and Sam Lewis ~ ~ Fourth Official: Peter Wright ~

Correct as of September 9, 2021

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