Swansea City v Millwall - Championship Match - 21-22 - Issue 6

SEASON 2021-2022

VERSUS

MILLWALL

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 - Kick-off 7.45pm

ISSUE 6

JOMA-SPORT.COM PAGE 2

CONTENTS Page 15 - Swansea City Foundation

Page 20 - Meet the Opposition

Page 23 - Hull City Match Highlights

Page 32 - Interview with Rhys Williams

Page 48 - Jack the Lad

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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D I S COV ER MOR E SWANSEA UNIVERSITY IN PROUD PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SWANS

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 Thornton 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)

Programme Production Contributors: Ben Donovan, Chris Wilson-Barney, Andrew Gwilym, Sophie Davis, Adam Evans, Dom Hynes, Rachael Tucker, Efan Willis, Julie Kissick, Gwyn Rees, Cerith White, Dom Valerio

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

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

Football is a game of many opinions, but there is one that we must all share. There is no place for discrimination in our game. If you do not agree, then you are not welcome.

If you see or hear discrimination in this stadium, please report it to the nearest steward or via the Kick it Out App. Because we are all #TogetherAgainstDiscrimination Download the Kick it Out app for free from your app store.

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EFL.com

A MESSAGE FROM

JULIAN WINTER G

ood evening everyone and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for tonight’s game against Millwall.

Today’s date will be one that many people in our local community sadly have reason to be familiar with following the tragic events that took place 10 years ago.

On September 15 2011, Charles Breslin, David Powell, Garry Jenkins and Philip Hill sadly lost their lives at the Gleision Colliery near Cilybebyll in the Swansea Valley.

The incident was the worst such disaster to occur in Wales for three decades and is still felt locally to this day.

We will remember Charles, David, Garry and Philip prior to kick-off tonight and our thoughts remain with their families.

This will be our second home game in quick succession following Saturday’s goalless draw with Hull.

I thought the atmosphere inside the stadium was fantastic and the players produced a performance that had all the hallmarks of the way Russell and his staff want the side to perform, and of the hard work put in on the training pitch We were unlucky not to win the game but the signs are clear, and as time goes on I know it won’t be long before the results start to follow.

Last Friday saw the club announce that Jon Grey has become our new academy manager.

Jon takes up the role following the promotion of Mark Allen to sporting director last month, and he has a long and proud association with the club.

Jon will work closely with Mark and everyone wishes him well as he implements his ideas and vision at Landore to build upon the good work that has taken place over many years here.

We are also working behind the scenes to firm up a date for the first fans’ forum of the season, and the club will communicate this as soon as we have more details.

Finally, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the management, players, staff and directors from Millwall 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 evening everyone as we return to the Swansea.com Stadium for tonight’s game with Millwall.

It’s been a quick turnaround since our last match, but we’re all looking forward to playing in front of you again.

To recap on last weekend, I felt we put in a very positive performance that showed big elements of what identity we want to have as a Swansea City side.

We had the most possession in the league last weekend, had more passes in the final third and generally played very well. Creating that style and environment which enc ourages player s to t ake risks does take time, and we’re getting there. With all the things we’ve done so far, now it’s about unlocking the door.

Speaking to supporters after the game, they told me how much they enjoyed watching the team play, and that means a lot to me. I want fans to be proud and excited by how this team plays and, despite not getting a goal last weekend, they told me they felt just that.

Myself and my staff have been through this process before at my previous club MK Dons. I lost my first four games there, but I had to build a team and keep it in the division. We achieved both.

There is an expectancy within Swansea City to play football in a way that puts smiles on the faces of supporters, and the club has a reputation within football circles for doing just that.

It’s something myself and my staff also pride ourselves on, and having the understanding of the fans, players, staff and owners is priceless.

We’ve achieved a lot in the six weeks since we arrived here in terms of the playing style, and I’m hugely confident that the results will follow.

We are yet to win at home in the league so far, and it’s something we are all keen to change. But I believe when we do that hopefully tonight - then we will be up and running.

Your support last weekend was fantastic, and the lads really enjoyed experiencing the atmosphere. For Rhys Williams, Olivier Ntcham and Michael Obafemi, it was their first time playing in front of you, and they loved it.

Rhys did very well at the back and I was impressed with him. He’s a young lad that’s come on loan from Liverpool and has settled straight in. He’s good on the ball and is really athletic, and he’ll bring a lot to the team.

Olivier was excellent. He’s not fully match fit, but everyone could see the quality he possesses.

We are really excited to have him, and you can see how good a player we have at our club. He has a lot more to bring to this team, and he’s looking forward to that as much as we are looking forward to seeing him play in a Swansea City shirt.

Michael came off the bench and made a good impact. He has power and pace, and now it’s about him forcing us into making a decision – either to take Joel Piroe’s place or to put him in alongside Joel. Michael hasn’t played much at all this season, but he’s catching up in that respect and he’s really excited to get going here.

I’m sure you’re all looking forward to seeing them, and the rest of the squad, back in action tonight.

Russell

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A MESSAGE FROM

MATT GRIMES W

elcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium as we look forward to this evening’s Championship match against Millwall.

It’s our second match on home soil in the space of four days, following Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Hull City.

We were happy with our dominant performance but it was frustrating to not find a breakthrough for a goal.

Prior to the match we had the luxury of extended time on the training pitches courtesy of the international break and the game gave us an opportunity to transfer some of those things we’d worked on into a matchday scenario.

Hull’s keeper made some brilliant saves and they were defending deep which made it more difficult for us, but I believe the game

would’ve been completely different if we’d scored one as more would have followed.

I think supporters were able to see what the gaffer and his staff are trying to implement and there were definitely signs of progression there. It was brilliant to see Olivier, Rhys and Michael make their debuts for the club. They’ve slotted in fantastically and are all valuable additions to the side.

Experiencing playing in front of the Jack Army will only make them hungrier to push on, and it’s an exciting time for both them and the team as a whole.

Overall Saturday was a big step in the right direction, and there’s more to come from us. We’re massively enjoying the training sessions and working under

the new coaching staff and it’s rewarding to see the hard work we’ve put in in the training ground being transferred into matches.

We will of course be hoping to build on Saturday’s performance when we come up against Millwall this evening.

Millwall have made a steady start to the season and we are fully aware of the threats they possess. They’re an established Championship side and have only been strengthened by their new signings this summer.

It’s another match we’re looking forward to and we can’t wait to be back out in front of the Jack Army.

Enjoy the match this evening!

Matt

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A MESSAGE FR M

ADAM LEWIS

W

elcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for tonight’s game under the lights.

Saturday was another positive step forward for us, with the exciting style of play being appreciated by almost all the 16,317 of us at the stadium. I have no doubt that the results will follow in short order.

At the trust, we are now in the throes of our new membership year and we’re happy to see so many new and returning members. It has been fantastic to see the volume of donations coming in to the trust as well, and the generosity of our members does not go unnoticed.

Our goal as an organisation is to represent the voice of the fans, and the more members we have, the stronger that voice is. That is why you will continue to see a continued push for new members throughout this season. In today’s edition of our programme notes, I have answered a few of the most common questions we get at the trust in the hope it encourages you to join us.

What are the benefits to me?

How much is it to join?

We are here to represent the view of the fans, and our relationships within the club mean that we are able to discuss matters of importance with them regularly. Our supporter director, Terry Sinnett, is part of the club’s board of directors and attends regular meetings at the club.

Our membership cycle runs annually, and a trust membership is £10 for adults, £5 for seniors, and just £1 for our junior members – a category we are very keen to grow. Anyone joining who is aged 90 or over receives free membership.

A s a member, you can raise questions for the club via the trust board or by email to info@swanstrust.co.uk, and wherever possible we aim to make sure those questions are asked and answered. We have regular communication with the club’s senior management team, and I assure you that we are asking questions that are on the minds of our fans and pushing the club to continue making information accessible to the fanbase.

How can I sign up?

In addition, our monthly prize draws for members mean that at least three people walk away with a prize each month – last season we gave away official shirts, club memorabilia and personally signed books by trust president Alan Curtis MBE and other club legends. We are bringing that back this season with more prizes in the works - that’s worth the price of membership in itself.

You can join the trust in a number of ways – it’s easier than ever to join through our website, swanstrust.co.uk/join-the-trust, or you can stop by our trust pod on matchdays, where you will be able to join, and meet some of our board members. Our pod is located just to the side of the club shop and we will have at least two board members available at every game to answer your questions or have a chat. Come and see us!

On tonight’s opponents, Millwall, like us, have had a mixed start to the season and will no doubt be looking to impose their physical style of play. Let’s hope that we can build on Saturday’s freeflowing performance and add a few goals to what we hope will be another promising display.

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S

wansea City AFC Foundation has been delivering Soccer Camps over the summer at a number of venues across south-west Wales.

From Haverfordwest to Pontypridd and everywhere in between, the club’s charitable arm has provided the perfect environment for young Swans fans to develop and hone their skills.

Open to boys and girls of all abilities aged between five and 12, the camps offered the perfect opportunity to keep young Swans active during the summer holidays.

Along with our excellent Soccer Camps, we have also offered Premier League Kicks Tournaments, Premier League Kicks Footgolf sessions, Premier League Primary Stars Social Action, Premier League Inspires Health and Wellbeing sessions, as well as staging a number of community events.

Over this summer, we have hosted 27 Soccer Camps across eight different venues which saw over 1,200 young Swans fans in attendance.

Swansea City AFC Foundation would like to thank all of the amazing staff who helped to deliver these sessions throughout the summer.

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SWANS FAN KARABARDAK’S PARALYMPIC DREAM COME TRUE

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a b l e Te n n i s s t a r P a u l Karabardak expressed it was a ‘dream’ to walk out in front of the Jack Army with his Paralymic silver and bronze medals ahead of Saturday ’s match against Hull City at the Swansea.com Stadium.

T he 35- ye ar -old Swans fan recently returned from Tokyo where we won bronze in the class 6 singles event before winning silver alongside Will Bayley in the team event.

The Tokyo Paralympics marked Karabardak’s fourth Paralympic games, having previously competed in Beijing, London and Rio. K arabardak was in dreamland after winning the first Paralympic medals of his career and received a warm welcome by the Jack Army alongside fellow Paralympians David Smith and Harri Jenkins.

“It’s been incredible. To realise my dreams of winning a Paralympic medal is something I thought had passed me by,” expressed Karabardak.

“To win two and to then receive all the amazing support from the people around Swansea and everyone online and people stopping me in the street and c ongrat ulating me has just been fantastic.

“Getting opportunities to do things like walking out on to the pitch in front of the Jack Army is just incredible and I couldn’t have dreamed this would have happened.”

On his route to a silver medal in the team event, Karabardak defeated the class 6 World number one, Alvaro Valera, in the 13th match between the pair.

“It made me unbelievably proud because I’d never beaten him before. I’d played him twelve times before so to beat him in the biggest match of my life, in the semi-finals of a Paralympic games was unbelievable.

“To perform the way I performed, I just couldn’t put it into words really; it was just like a dream.

I’m really proud of that.”

Karabardak was a keen footballer until he suffered a stroke at

the age of 10, before being introduced to table tennis at a local disabled youth club.

“It was difficult, I was very active and I loved football and I had all of that taken away from me.

“It was hard to recover from that but I found table tennis and that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done because I think staying active, having a passion and having something I love to pursue really helped me. I think it’s been really good for me.”

A season ticket holder since the 2009-10 season, Karabardak has followed the Swans since the age of 14 and was bursting with pride to return to the Swansea.com Stadium with his medals.

“It’s amazing to walk out in front of the Jack Army in my city in front of everyone who supported me.

“It’s like a dream and means so much especially after supporting the Swans for so many years. I never thought that I’d come home with two Paralympic medals and I’d get to show them to the Jack Army, that’s really special for me.”

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OWNER

NICKNAME

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1885

STADIUM

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CAPACITY

The Den

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20,146

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FACEBOOK

@MillwallFC

@millwallfcinsta

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MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL ~ GAFFER MILLWALLTHE MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALLCLUB CAPTAIN MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL MILLWALL ~ MILLWALL 1885

The former Burton, Birmingham, Derby and Stoke manager enjoyed a fine first season with the Lions after succeeding Neil Harris, and enjoyed another strong campaign last term.

Ex-defender Rowett played for the likes of Everton, Derby, Birmingham and Leicester across a 16-year career as a professional.

He finished his playing career at Burton before moving into the dugout at the Pirelli Stadium, leading them to two play-off finals.

GARY ROWETT

He then moved to Birmingham before steering Derby to the Championship play-offs. He joined Stoke from there but left his post after eight months.

Millwall skipper Jake Cooper joined the club in 2017 having spent three years with Reading. Cooper began his career in the Royals’ academy before moving to the senior squad in 2014.

JAKE COOPER

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Since joining the Lions, the centre-back has made over 170 league appearances and scored 15 goals over his three seasons with the club. Cooper helped guide the Lions to promotion to the Championship while on loan with the club, taking the armband in the 2020-21 season.

THE DEN MEET THE OPPOSITION

HOW’S THEIR FORM?

Millwall have spent the last five seasons in the Championship, and have been mainstays of the division having spent just two of the last 11 campaigns in League One.

The Lions have had a difficult start to the season but have picked up in recent weeks and are now three games unbeaten in all competitions.

T he L ions haven’ t been in the top-flight of English football since the 1989-90 season; the closest they have come to a return was finishing just outside of the play-offs in both 2017-18 and 2019-20.

The club famously reached the 2004 FA Cup final, but were beaten 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

They beat Blackpool just before the international break, and resumed league action with a draw against promotion favourites West Brom at the weekend.

They also remain in the Carabao Cup; defeating P or t smouth and C ambridge U nit e d t o e arn a third-round tie against Premier League Leicester City.

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ONES TO WATCH

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MAIKEL KIEFTENBELD POSITION

CM

NATION

AGE

SHIRT NO.

31 6

1885

ONES TO WATCH

ONES TO WATCH ONES TO WATCH ONES TO

ONES TO WATCH

WATCH ONES TO WATCH

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ONES TO WATCH ONES TO WATCH PAGE 20

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aikel Kieftenbeld began his career with second division Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles after leaving the FC Twente academy. Kieftenbeld debuted aged 17 for Go Ahead, making 63 appearances in his two years with the club.

The youngsters performances caught the attention of Eredivisie side Groningen who signed the 19-year-old for £250,000. By the 2013/14 season, Kieftenbeld found himself wearing the captains armband for Groningen, lifting the KNVB Cup just one season later.

This would be Kieftenbeld’s last season for Groningen, earning a move to Birmingham City. The Dutch midfielder would spend six seasons with the Blue’s, playing 170 games and scoring five goals and becoming a fan favourite at St Andrews.

Kieftenbeld joined Millwall in the 2021 January transfer window, linking up with Gary Rowett, who had previously managed him at Birmingham City.

GEORGE SAVILLE POSITION

CM

NATION

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eorge Saville joined Millwall this summer to begin his fourth stint with the London club. Saville began his career at Chelsea, but was unable to break into the first team at Stamford Bridge. This saw the midfielder sent out on loan to Millwall, where he would make his senior debut, and Brentford.

Saville would get a permanent move to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2014. He would go on loan to Bristol City and then Millwall again in 2015 – but the midfielder did manage to find himself as a starter at Wolves, making 50 appearances and scoring six goals in his three years with the club.

After two previous loan spells, Saville would finally make a permanent move to the Den in 2017, making an instant impact as he finished joint top scorer in his first season with 10 goals.

Saville was loaned to Middlesbrough before making the move permanent in 2019, but returned back to Millwall once again this season.

POSITION

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ed Wallace joined Millwall in 2017 following two successful loan spells at the Den in the two seasons previous. The winger began his career with Portsmouth, making 110 appearances and scoring 27 goals in his four years with the club, finishing as the clubs top scorer in both of his final two seasons with the club as well as earning a place in the EFL League Two Team of the Season for 2014/15.

This successful campaign earned him a move to then Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2015, but only made two apperances before finding himself on loan to Millwall for two consecutive seasons. Wallace helped the Lions reach the Championship, playing the full 90 minutes in their League One play-off victory over Bradford City.

The 27-year-old has continued to cement himself as a fan favourite at the Den, scoring 35 goals in 178 games and finishing as the clubs top scorer for the 2020/2021 season with 11 goals.

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WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

SWANS 0 HULL CITY 0 SWANSEA CITY COULD NOT FIND THE REWARD FOR A DOMINANT PERFORMANCE WITH THE BALL AS THEY WERE HELD TO A GOALLESS DRAW BY HULL CITY AT THE SWANSEA. COM STADIUM.

TEAM LINEUPS Swans: Ben Hamer; Kyle Naughton (Ben Cabango 86), Ryan Bennett, Rhys Williams; Ethan Laird, Flynn Downes, Matt Grimes (captain), Jake Bidwell (Michael Obafemi 77); Olivier Ntcham (Ryan Manning 71), Jamie Paterson; Joel Piroe.

Subs not used: Steven Benda, Jay Fulton, Liam Cullen, Joel Latibeaudiere.

Hull City: Matt Ingram, Lewie Coyle (captain), Callum Elder, Jacob Greaves, Mallik Wilks Matt Smith 64), Greg Docherty, Keane Lewis-Potter, George Moncur (Ryan Longman 81), Tom Huddlestone, Di’Shon Bernard, Josh Magennis (Tyler Smith 72).

Subs not used: Nathan Baxter, Richie Smallwood, Josh Emmanuel, Sean McLoughlin.

Referee: Keith Stroud Attendance: 16,317

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STILETTOS AND STUDS BY JULIE KISSICK

T

he start of the season is always a bit strange, given that it starts, then stops for the international break, then starts and stops again, and then again.

There’s no question that football is an unforgiving, unpredictable beast that switches from friend to foe with little or no warning.

The disruptions in September, October and November are scheduled, but they must be difficult to navigate, especially as squads change season by season and often management teams too.

And, as fans, we want results, and we want them fast. To use that well-worn cliché, I think we will have to ‘trust the process’ this season and have patience that a plan is being implemented and it is going to take time to see results.

That’s what has happened to us again this season, and the start of the campaign has been less than ideal for Russell Martin and his staff in terms of time with the whole squad to explain and implement the plans they have.

However, what was really encouraging from his recent press conference, was the way he framed the situation and the positives he drew from it.

He told repor ter s he had used the international break as a ‘mini pre-season’ and although the relentless nature of the fixtures this early in the season is not ideal, the gaffer was pragmatic in his assessment.

He said: “We are not going to complain about it. We’ve had a bit of time to work and it’s now back to trying to build ‘in flight’ but at least now we’ve put the windows in the plane and we can kick off and keep going.

“We have taken off without half of the plane being built because we just haven’t had time and now we’ve hopefully had a little bit more time to work and they (the players) understand what we want.”

And the key word is ‘time’. Without it, the foundations they are trying to lay won’t be sturdy and we all know how damaging it is to build on poor foundations.

If victories come quickly we’ll all be delighted, but if they don’t, the important thing is that we see progress and I get the feeling that will be evident in every game.

We all know the impor t anc e we as Swansea City fans place on our side playing the style of football we came to love under managers like Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rogers.

Martin is his own man with his own ideas, but he certainly seems to understand what he wants from his version of ‘The Swansea Way’ of playing and I’m sure a lot of us are excited to see that come to fruition.

I also liked what he had to say last week about Matt Grimes staying at the club.

When discussing his personal situation and his reaction to his move being ‘on then off’, Martin referred to Grimes as ‘a human being first and foremost before he’s a football player.”

If we all remember that this season and give the coaches and players the time they need to do what they need to do, we’ll all be better for it.

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PA R C CH WAR AE ON BA E A B ER TAWE

CARTREF I CHWARAEON ABERTAWE A PHWLL CENEDLAETHOL CYMRU CAEAU O’R RADD FLAENAF A THRAC ATHLETAU AWYR AGORED YFLEUSTERAU CHWARAEON ARDDERCHOG, WEDI’U GWASGARU DROS DDAU SAFLE, GAN GYNNWYS CYFLEUSTERAU CAMPFA GYDAG AMRYWIAETH O BWYSAU A PHEIRIANNAU CARDIO MAE GAN BARC CHWARAEON BAE ABERTAWE AMRYWIAETH O OPSIYNAU AELODAETH AR GAEL O £19 Y MIS

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PRIFYSGOL ABERTAWE, PARTNER BALCH I’R ELYRCH

WELSH COLUMN BY IAN MITCHELMORE, WALES ONLINE

A

r ôl pythefnos ar y cae ymarfer, dangosodd Abertawe gwelliant enfawr yn erbyn Hull City ar ôl colli 3-1 i Preston North End ar Awst 28.

Roedd y chwaraewyr yn edrych yn blinedig yn Deepdale ar ôl chwarae am yr seithfed tro mewn 21 diwrnod.

Mae angen cofio, dim ond ychydig bach dros mis mae Russell Martin wedi cael efo’i garfan ers gadael MK Dons ar y diwrnod cyntaf o Fis Awst.

Gyda chwech gem o’r Gynghrair wedi mynd heibio, mae angen cadw ffydd mewn Martin a’i staff hyfforddi, enwedig mewn tymor sydd yn hynod o wallgof.

Rhwystredigaeth oedd y them allweddol gêm gyfartal 0-0 Dydd S adwrn gyda Hull, enwedig ar ôl i’r Elyrch weld gymaint o’r bel a cadw tîm Grant McCann yn distaw tan y munud olaf pan roedd angen i Ben Hamer atal Ryan Longman rhag sgorio.

Roedd ffitrwydd y tîm yn edrych yn well ar ôl y brec rhyngwladol, ac roedd yr dwyster yn lefel i fyny i gymharu gyda’r ymdrechiadau mis diwethaf.

Mae angen amser i chwaraewyr fel Rhys Williams, Olivier Ntcham a Michael Obafemi dal i fyny gyda pawb arall yn y carfan ar ôl ymuno gyda’r Elyrch yn hwyr yn yr ffenestr drosglwyddo.

Ond yn erbyn Hull, roedd yr arwyddion cynnar yn gadarnhaol. Roedd Williams yn edrych yn cyfyrddus iawn ar y pêl ac mae Ntcham yn chwaraewr canol cae sydd efo pŵer a nerth.

Y dasg nawr yw ailadrodd perfformiad Hull yn erbyn Millwall heno, ond gyda bygythiad ychwanegol yn y drydedd olaf.

Dangosodd Ntcham arwyddion da o gysylltu gyda Ethan Laird a Joel Piroe wrth ymosod yn erbyn y Teigrod ar Ddydd Sadwrn. Ac - ar ôl cyfnod creulon i dîm Martin gyda anafiadau a profion positif coronafeirws mae yna opsiynnau yn y squad ar hyn o bryd.

Mi fydd cylchdroi yn hanfodol unwaith eto y tymor yma, enwedig gyda gêm enfawr yn erbyn Brighton yn y Carabao Cup ar y gorwel.

Roedd y siom gan y cefnogwyr ar Ddydd Sadwrn yn gwbl ddealladwy. Ond roedd yn berfformiad a brofodd mae Abertawe yn mynd i’r cyfeiriad cywir o dan arweiniaeth Martin.

Fel mae nifer o bobl wedi dweud yn barod, ymddiried yn y broses.

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I’M CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE

I

t’s been quite a few weeks for Mark Allen, and it’s no surprise that a small smile breaks out across his face when he’s asked how hectic things have been since his appointment as Swansea City’s sporting director.

Allen is just the second person to hold the title for the club, with Leon Britton having been the previous incumbent.

The Welshman – formerly of Manchester City and Glasgow Rangers – was promoted to the role having been academy director since January 2021, and formally took up his position a matter of days after Russell Martin’s appointment as head coach.

Add in the fact that all this took place during the final weeks of the transfer window and there’s little wonder the 58-year-old can allow himself a smile as a hectic period comes to an end.

“It has been very busy, but very enjoyable,” says Allen.

“I like to think we have come out of it as well as we could have and, looking forward, we want to crack on and let the team settle and Russell get on with the task at hand.

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“I think transfer deadline day will always have that element of it that is ‘are we going to do this?’ or ‘is this person available, or not?’

“That will always happen, but what exacerbated it in this window was that Russell came in just before the season started, and I came in a few days after that and you are left with limited time to complete any transition or change.

“What I would like to think is there will be more time to prepare for the next window but, having said that, I still do not think the targets would have changed.

“We have not done anything we otherwise wouldn’t have done, but the day might not have been as hectic.”

Not that big responsibilities and hard work are anything new to Allen. The briefest of glances at his CV instantly underlines this is a man with a wealth of experience and knowledge in British football.

A l l e n s p e n t e i g h t ye a r s a s Manchester City’s director of academy, working closely with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain as he oversaw the development of talents of the calibre of Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho.

He moved to join Rangers as director of football in 2017, and won a number of plaudits for the foundations he put in place – including the appointment of Steven Gerrard as manager – ahead of their return to the pinnacle of Scottish football with last term’s title success.

Nevertheless, Allen understands that there is still an element of scepticism in some quarters about the sporting director role, given it has been a relatively recent introduction to the British game despite being prominent in Europe and North America.

Llanharan-based Allen explains the aim is to have oversight of the club’s football operations, ensuring all departments are able to perform to their best and in harmony with one another.

And he is at pains to point out that, in terms of team selection and tactics, it will always be the head coach who calls the shots.

“Russell and I chat about five or six times a day, at least, about various things, including the way we want to move forward,” said Allen.

“He has come in with some new ideas, which is fantastic, and those

are now transmitting themselves into the team and the players as they adjust to a new system.

“It’s no different to how relationships work at any level. My job is about managing experts, rather than actually being the expert.

“We have appointed Russell as the head coach, so my job is not to say to him that I think he should play a certain way, it’s not to say who should be in his team, that is his domain, and will always be his domain as head coach of this football club.”

Earlier in his career Allen had looked set to become a professional player, but was released by Swindon Town at the age of 19.

“Effectively, every arm of the football department comes through the sporting director. So, whether that is recruitment, analysis, medical, academy, operations… anything that touches football, in that respect, comes through the sporting director.

“From me, it then goes onto Julian (Winter) as the chief executive and ultimately the owners when it comes to an overview.

“I think a lot of those relationships I had already developed, and to be honest, a lot of what you do a academy director is the same as a sporting director.

“It’s those areas of responsibility, but it includes the first team.

Following that, he earned a fouryear scholarship with San Diego University, for whom he captained the football varsity team.

“I’ve now embraced the whole of the football department and my job is to align the club’s football operations from top to bottom.

Allen returned to the UK in 1986 where he spent seven years with HTV and then 11 years with MTV, where he was appointed managing director.

“It’s like any department. Football is the core of the business.

Obviously, you have a commercial arm, you have a facilities arm, you have a financial arm, and the football arm is the one I’m in charge of.”

After two-year spells each with Inside Out and Deluxe Digital, Allen joined Manchester City as the club’s director of academy before his move to Rangers.

Allen is also an Uefa ‘A’ licensed coach, and has recently gained a Masters in sports directorship at Salford University.

His wide range of experiences and knowledge give him a valuable sense of perspective, and he eloquently explains the broad outline of his duties in his new role.

“Basically, my role is the conductor of the orchestra when it comes to football; if I were looking to put a cliché on it,” he adds.

And, while very much his own man, Allen acknowledges the valuable experience he gained during his time with Manchester City and Rangers, but is very confident in the foundations he has found at Swansea.

“When you work with experts, you have to be prepared to appreciate and respect them and work with them,” he said.

a big part of it at Rangers with Steven and I think he will go on to be a top person in our game.

“In terms of Pep, there is not much more you can say about him and his standing in the game.

He is someone who loves talent and appreciates it, be it from the academy or first team. He paid just as much attention to the talent in the academy as in the first team.

“Phil Foden is an example of that, you could see Pep’s interest and desire to work with Phil and develop his talent and that is evident in the position Phil now finds himself.

“Obviously every club is different, and Swansea is different to those two clubs, but I think this is an amazing football club.

“I know a lot of people say that, but trying to articulate it I would say you should never underestimate the value of a welcoming environment.

“That’s the one thing that stands out for me at Swansea. Wherever you go, whatever part of the club you touch, it is welcoming.

“So, for players, members of staff or anyone joining this operation, it really is a fantastic feeling to feel that welcome, to feel part of something and feel the passion of the club and its supporters.

“It’s something quite special. Every environment is different, but I keep coming back to Swansea being a special place where people want you to do well.

“The two clubs have different perspectives but they are winners, they are leaders, and they are able to cope with adversity, which is

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RHYS WILLIAMS WAS THE YOUNGEST OF THREE PLAYERS TO JOIN SWANSEA CITY ON DEADLINE DAY BUT, AS HE EXPLAINS, HE IS ALREADY USED TO DEALING WITH PRESSURE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE....

Rhys, welcome to Swansea City, it’s really good to have you here.

Now with the deadline move all done and dusted, how much are you looking forward to getting down to work?

“I’m buzzing. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the club -- the manager as well -- from a few lads back at Liverpool. So, I’m buzzing to be here and to hopefully get some good results on the board and keep moving forward as a club.”

You enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Anfield last season, 19 first-team appearances, six of them in the Champions League, and obviously during that crucial phase towards the end of the season. I guess you’re hoping to build on the momentum of that?

“Yeah, no one could have prepared for last season, especially not me, with what happened; so many of the centre-backs going missing through injury. Now I’m just looking for regular football, and hopefully I can find that here at Swansea.”

How much confidence have you taken from that experience? It must have been a fantastic thing to help Liverpool get into the Champions League right there at the death, especially when it was so important for them to qualify. “ The last five games we described as five finals, so I knew if I could do something good there then I wouldn’t put myself in bad stead for the rest of the season and the next one to come. The experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, now hopefully I can bring what I learned there to this club.”

You played in a 4-2 win at Old Trafford with all the attacking talents Man United have; you played in a win against Tottenham, with Son and Kane. When you’ve got those experiences in your locker, I guess it must give you a lot of belief and confidence as you come into this season wanting to play regular football in the Championship?

“Yeah, every game in the Premier League comes with a different challenge, from Son and Kane to Cavani and Rashford. Both partnerships brought different things, but I’ve played against some good players and now I’m ready to bring what I’ve learned there straight here.”

And you touched on the manager and his style of play a little earlier, but what was it about Swansea that made you believe this is the right move for you at this stage in your career?

“I spoke to a few of the players about it and they’ve all spoken very highly of the football, the place itself. There’s obviously good history behind the club, and it was one of the places I was keen to come to because of the football they play; they’re a football side. I think it’ll put me in good stead for my future.”

You mentioned you spoke to some of the guys here. I believe you know Morgan Whittaker and Ethan Laird, as well as a couple of the other guys as well?

“Yeah, I spoke to Morgan on the way down, actually. I was just asking him what [Swansea’s] like, what the lads are like, and he had nothing but good things to say, so that’s always a positive.”

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The last Liverpool player to come on loan here was Rhian Brewster, who had a fantastic time here. Are you hoping that you can mirror that and make an impact here to take yourself onto that next level?

“Well, if I get anywhere near as many goals as he did, I think that’ll be a miracle! But, no, hopefully I can have the same impact as he did because he did brilliantly when he came here.”

You joined Liverpool at the age of 10, Rhys; you’ve been there for a long time now. Can you talk us through who have been some of your biggest influences as you’ve made those strides through the years at Anfield?

“Seeing some of my friends going from playing with me, like Neco Williams and Curtis [Jones], to going straight to the first team, I just thought ‘I want a piece of that’.

“And then seeing the calibre of players that I would one day hopefully get to play alongside has probably been my biggest influences to get to that level.”

And in terms of some of the coaches you’ve worked with, I think Steven Gerrard was one of your coaches at scholarship level, is that right? “ Ye a h , h e w a s . I c a n ’ t s a y anything bad about Steven, to be fair, he was a great manager who brought everything. He added a player into his managerial side, so working with him was a dream come true for a lad like me. Yeah, it was brilliant.”

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What did you take from that in particular? I saw an interview you did with Liverpool where you said that he helped you develop a vocal side to your play, and taught you how to be a leader on the field.

You touched on being vocal, but how would you sum yourself up for any Swans fan who maybe haven’t seen that much of you? What can we expect to see of you in a white shirt?

“ Ye a h , h e a l w a y s w a n t e d loud players in his team, so he wanted someone who was going to lead the backline well and demand more from the players in front of him. He told me pretty early on that that’s what he wanted from me.

“I’m composed on the ball, I’m dominant in the air, and I’m a presence in defence.”

“I think that’s been a big aspect in my game since working with him, my voc al ability and my presence to help the other players throughout the game.”

And you’ve played and trained alongside players of the calibre of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, how much have you taken from that experience? Particularly with van Dijk , probably the best pound-for-pound defender in the world. “ Ye a h , d e f i n i t e l y. I t h i n k he’s been the best for a few ye ar s now, and I think he’ll continue to do that. They all have different qualities and being with them for the year that I was, I learnt bits from all of them.

The style of play will suit you perfectly then, Rhys, with the composure on the ball and the bravery to play from the back. “ Yeah, that ’s one of the big things I spoke about with the manager before coming here; the style of play he wants to i m p o s e. T h e a b i l i t y t o p l a y out from the back is one of the things he identified with me, so I’m looking forward to playing that way.”

And finally, what do you hope to achieve this season, both on an individual level and on a team level?

“For me, it would be to just rack up as many games as I can. It’ll mean huge experience for me, and it’ll be a big thing in my career.

“A s f o r t h e t e a m , t h e y ’ v e been doing brilliantly the last few s e as ons , s o t o get into the play-offs and try to achieve promotion.”

“Even when they were injured, they were still coming to me, telling me what I c ould do better and stuff like that, so it’s been brilliant to work alongside them.”

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S

wansea City ’s crest for the 2021-22 s e as on is a nod to the 40-year anniversary of John Toshack leading the club into the topflight for the first time.

Here is the fifth part of a series of features charting the course of the Swans promotion to the First Division, focusing on how the return of a club legend to his spiritual home was sealed.

As the Swans hit their stride, the important wins kept coming, Alan Waddle scored the winner at his hometown club Newcastle before Jeremy Charles, back from a hamstring injury, sc ored the only goal against Grimsby.

That October win at the Vetch saw Swansea climb to their highest league position in 25 years and, while there were defeats to Orient and West Ham, the upward trajectory continued as Preston and Chelsea were seen off in quick succession. “ Things were going well, but Tosh was always there to bring you right back down to earth,” says Charles.

“You gain confidence and you do get to a point where you are looking and thinking about how many points you might need, or how near you are to the top.

“The thing with Tosh was he would stamp that out. It was about taking care of what was next.”

“We were winning more games than losing and rising up the table,” says Nigel Stevenson.

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“ T hat c onfidenc e had been growing for a few years and we believed in ourselves. “ Yo u c a n g o b a c k t o w h e n we played Spurs when we were in the Third Division at the Vet ch and they were in the First Division and were a phenomenal side.

“We drew 2-2 and went up to White Hart Lane the following week and actually beat them 3-1 so that gave us enormous belief. “ We realised things were about to change then, and it snowballed from there.”

Meanwhile, in the background, work has been under way to bring Alan Curtis back to the Vetch barely a year and a half after he had made the move to Elland Road. “ I t wa s L e s C h a p p e l l w h o I spoke to a bit, he came up to Elland Road to watch me play in a reserve game and we had a chat afterwards about how I was feeling,” says Curtis.

“I was feeling my way back to fitness, and he was asking me more about how I felt than how I was playing as I was not back at the level I wanted to be at in that period.

“He asked how I would feel about coming back, and I did not need to be asked twice.

“I knew the players, I knew the manager and I knew we were going to be challenging at the top of the table for promotion.

“It was such an easy decision, and I will always be so grateful to Tosh and the club for bringing me back home.

“He was an exceptional talent and it was great to have him back,” adds Charles.

“It was a chance to rebuild my career, and there was no better place to do that.”

“It was a huge boost for us, bec ause in full flow he was brilliant, and any side would have loved to have had him in their team.

The deal was wrapped up in time for Curtis to be unveiled in front of the Match of the Day cameras as Newcastle visited SA1 on December 13, 1980.

The day could hardly have gone better as Toshack’s side secured a 4-0 victory with L eighton James, Robbie James (2) and Charles on the scoresheet.

With Curtis’ arrival, Waddle departed after scoring a number of crucial goals during his time with the Swans and offering a prodigious aerial threat.

T h e p o p u l a r Wa d d l e w o u l d be missed, but there was no disguising the delight at having Curtis back in the fold.

“I remember saying to C ur t when he left that I’d keep half of the money we had for him and I’ll buy him back in a few years,” says John Toshack.

“G etting C ur tis , J ame s and Charles back again, that was vital. Looking back at that last goal at Preston, we were 2-1 up and hanging on, and it went from Curtis, James, Charles. . . .bang. That was the goal that got us up – I can see it now.

“It was great for Curt to come back as he hadn’ t been too successful at Leeds.”

“He had the bad injury at Leeds that had put him back, but it was such a benefit to have him back and it’s a boost to see a player like that come in.”

Wyndham Evans was also delighted to see his friend return, and believes Curtis’ resigning actually played a part in him breaking back into the side over the final months of the season, having seen Brian Attley hold down the right-back slot for much of the season. “ You are always glad when a player of that calibre joins,” said Evans.

“To be honest, we got on so well I feel it helped me get back in the team because Tosh could see the understanding we had.

“He knew we had heart and, fair play to Tosh, he stuck with us once he gave us that chance.

“I had always kept in touch with Curt, I hated seeing him injured after that challenge with Peter Shilton, it crushed his knee. He was told he would not play again.

“Just think of what he would have missed out on had that been the case.”

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HULL CITY U23s 1 SWANS U23s 0

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wansea Under-23s suffered defeat at Hull City in their first Professional Development League game of the season.

The Swans began their campaign last week in the Premier League C u p, e a r n i n g a d r a w a w a y at Exeter, with a number of postponements delaying the start of their league efforts.

But they couldn’t find a way through against the Tigers as Will Jarvis netted the only goal of the game at York City’s LNER Community Stadium.

Hull started brightly, piling on the pressure in the early stages of the game, with Nico DefreitasHansen in the Swans goal forced into a good save from McCauley Snelgrove’s curling effort.

The hosts were forced into a first-half substitution, with Oliver Green coming off the field for

Harry Wallis just 18 minutes in and from there the Swans began to enjoy a good spell of their own.

Richard Faakye put in an excellent ball for Ben Margeston, but the defender’s looping header flew just over the bar.

Tarrelle Whittaker then forced Harvey Cartwright in the Hull City goal into a double save, the keeper pushing his deflected drive away before holding the follow up shot.

Dylan Morgan came close to bre aking the de adlock just after the break, his close-range header well saved by the Hull City goalkeeper.

But it would be the home side who found themselves ahead through Jarvis. The winger cutting in from the left wing before firing into the top corner.

Tiger’s defence held strong to earn all three points.

Kris O’Leary’s side are next in action when they host Crewe at the Swansea.com Stadium on Monday afternoon.

TEAM LINEUP Swans: Nico Defreitas-Hansen, Ben Margetson, Scott Butler, Richard Faakye, Harry Jones, Jacob Jones, Sam Leverett, Azeem Abdulai, Dylan Morgan, Joel Cotterill, Tarrelle Whittaker.

Subs not used: Rio Campbell, Jamie Searle, Ben Lloyd, Adrian Akande, Jaden Forrester.

The Swans continued to fight to find an equaliser, but the resilient

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PETERBOROUGH UNITED U18s 3

SWANS U18s 3

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wansea City Under-18s fought back from a twogoal deficit to earn a draw away at Peterborough.

The Swans’ unbeaten start to the season looked in danger when they trailed 2-0 after 13 minutes as E mmanuel O gbonna and Lewis Darlington netted.

Zane Myers pulled a goal back but a Darlington penalty had the hosts 3-1 up at the interval.

But Byron Anthony’s side rallied bravely as Cameron Congreve and Geoff Bony netted after the break to preserve their unbeaten record and secure a point in an entertaining encounter.

Peterborough had found themselves in the lead almost i m m e d i a t e l y f r o m k i c k - o f f.

The Swans defence was dispossessed by Darlington who broke and put the ball on a plate for Ogbonna, who calmly slotted past Ben Hughes.

Just 12 minutes later Posh had their second of the game, Ogbonna this time turning provider for Darlington as he picked him out in the box with a well-placed low cross.

Swansea managed to pull one back shortly after, Congreve’s shot was saved well by the Peterborough goalkeeper, but only came out as far as Myers, who fired the ball into the bottom right corner.

But the Swans resurgence was short lived after William Van Lier was brought down in the Swansea box by David Roberts.

Darlington stepped up for the spot kick and converted to restore the Posh’s two-goal lead heading into half-time.

The early stages of the second half were bogged down with stoppages.

Two Peterborough players were down for prolonged periods, including Darlington, who left the field using his shirt as a makeshift sling.

But the Swans began to rally, with Myers turning provider. His superb

cross found Congreve in the box who took a touch before smashing a shot into the Peterborough goal.

Substitute Bony was sent through by skipper Josh Edwards just five minutes later, and the forward took his time before calmly slotting past the goalkeeper to level the game.

The Swans continued to push for a winner but couldn’t find the elusive fourth goal needed to claim all three points.

They return home for their next match as they welcome Bristol City to Landore in the Premier League Cup.

TEAM LINEUP Swans: Ben Hughes, Filip Lissah, Zane Myers, Charlie Veevers, David Roberts, Ryan Bassett, Kyrell Wilson, Josh Edwards, Iwan Morgan, Dan Watts, Cameron Congreve.

Subs not used: Dylan Perkins, Tyler Evans, Aimar Grovea, Geoff Bony, Aaron Hillier.

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PONTYPRIDD TOWN WOMEN 0

SWANS LADIES 2

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wansea City Ladies made it two wins out of two in the Genero Adran Premier with victory away to Pontypridd Town.

The Swans dominated possession throughout the first-half, but they couldn’t break down Pontypridd’s stubborn defence.

The two-time defending champions dominated the firsthalf but couldn’t find a way through Ponty’s defence.

However, with four minutes to go until half-time they did look to have found a way through after Hosford drilled a cross the face of goal, but Stacey John-Davis couldn’t get the decisive touch on the ball to turn it home.

However, the Swans stepped their game up in the second half and took all three points back home courtesy of goals from Katy Hosford and Chloe Chivers.

Swansea had the better of the opening stages and began to pose a threat after Hosford pulled the ball back on the edge of the box to find Emma Beynon, but the midfielder was unable to direct her effort on target.

Chivers came close to breaking the deadlock from a free-kick, but her shot was dragged just wide of the mark.

The pressure eventually paid off with just over an hour played; Shaunna Jenkins’ ball over the top of the Ponty defence found Hosford who found the back of the net, despite keeper Maisie Jones getting a hand to her shot.

Swansea had their tails up after scoring and threatened again as Laura Davies released Chivers with a through ball, but Jones rushed out quickly to close the striker down.

Chivers doubled the lead for the visitors after she cut onto her right foot and fired the ball into the bottom corner with a powerful strike.

H o s fo r d n e a r l y b a g g e d h e r second with a looping effort from the edge of the box, but she was denied by the crossbar.

TEAM LINEUP Swans: Claire Skinner, Ellie Lake (Nieve Jenkins 46’), Shaunna Jenkins (Jess Williams 78), Alicia Powe (captain), Ria Hughes, Laura Davies, Emma Beynon, Chloe Chivers (Chloe Tiley 75’), Kelly Adams, Katy Hosford, Stacey John-Davis.

Subs not used: Gwen Horgan, Jemma Parfitt.

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T

JACK THE LAD

here were a number of social media posts doing the round a couple of weekends ago showing former Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski enjoying a couple of days back in the city with his family.

Now with West Ham, Fabianski was a huge favourite with the Swans faithful due to the fact the club appeared to mean so much to him.

And it seems that absence may have made the heart grow fonder as far as Fabianski is concerned as he posted a photo of him and his family at Three Cliffs Bay. I always like it when players who are brought to the Swans develop a special affinity for the club, but even more so when that affinity extends to the city itself and the surrounding area.

Homegrown players will always obviously have a special bond with their hometown club - it’s something us fans love to see and spawned the chant “he’s one of our own.”

But it’s always special when a player who has come in from outside the area develops a similar attachment with the community.

T h e r e h ave b e e n a n u m b e r of this kind of player over the years including the likes of Angel Rangel, who made south west Wales his adopted home after arriving from Spain, and Londoner Leon Britton.

London and the Premier League must have felt like a world away when the young Britton arrived on loan from West Ham way back in 2002.

In fact, he has regularly spoken of the seemingly never ending M4 journey down to Swansea and the

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thoughts going through his head as he passed Port Talbot steelworks.

Britton isn’t the only new signing to mention their first sighting of the iconic sprawling industrial plant as they make the trip to Swansea.

But almost 20 years later and despite hanging up his boots with the Swans, Britton is still in the area and now playing his football in Ammanford, which surely couldn’t seem further from his first club Arsenal and the marbled halls of Highbury - even if The Rec is looking better than ever these days!

Another former Arsenal man who put down roots in Swansea is Jimmy Rimmer, despite being a native of Lancashire and having played for some of England’s biggest clubs.

The man who was in the Manchester United squad when the club won the European Cup in 1968 first came to Swansea in 1973 on loan, playing 17 games.

Having gone on to play over 100 games for Arsenal and winning a second European Cup winners’ medal with Aston Villa, Rimmer returned to Swansea in 1983 and set up home here.

There have been stints coaching in Canada and China, but decades after his retirement from football Rimmer was still regularly seen watching the Swans in his adopted city before the covid outbreak.

One player who stayed in Swansea far longer than many ever predicted was Wayne Routledge.

Routs has quite rightly been swamped with tributes ever since he announced his 10 years as a Swans player had finally come to an end last month.

The Sidcup-born player has provided us with so many wonderful memories and his time at the club has coincided with the most successful period in its history.

Over the past decade he has been involved in some of the biggest moments and results we have ever witnessed such as the EFL Cup final success against Bradford City.

He also scored one of my favourite ever Swans goals - that remarkable volley against West Brom back in 2014.

I’ve always been a sucker for a spectacular volley, especially when it is something really out of the ordinary where the scorer has had to show some genuine improvisation.

My all-time favourite is Mark Hughes’ volley for Wales against Spain back in 1985, but it’s closely followed by Routledge’s rasper.

When a headed clearance bounced out to him on the edge of the area, a volley looked like the least likely outcome with the ball up above waist height and almost behind him.

But somehow, with both feet off the ground, Routledge managed to not only hook his right foot around the ball, but send it curling around the keeper’s outstretched hand and just inside the post for a remarkable goal.

The spectacular strike was just one part of an incredible Swans performance, which put the club briefly on top of the Premier League as they made it three wins from three matches at the start of the season.

But the thing I love most about Routledge was the fact that he

appeared to be the archetypal journeyman when he arrived here in 2011.

Hugely talented and a former England Under-21 international, Routledge seemed to have failed to find a permanent home since moving from his first club Crystal Palace back in 2005.

Between then and signing for the Swans, Routledge played for Spurs, Portsmouth (loan), Fulham (loan), Aston Villa, Cardiff City (loan), QPR , Newc astle United and QPR again on loan.

Wo u l d R o u t l e d g e s e t t l e a t Swansea having travelled the length and breadth of England and a brief excursion into east Wales?

Too right he would!

When he finally announced the end of his playing career here, Routledge said of his time in Swansea: “I have loved every minute of it. The only thing I wish is that I had more time to do it.

“I have loved playing in front of everybody. I have loved my time at the Liberty and more importantly I have loved all the love I have received being in Swansea.”

Well Wayne, you earned that love, as does every player who shows a love and loyalty for the club, the city and the surrounding area.

Hopefully, the latest batch of new players who have joined the club during the latest transfer window will develop the same kind of affinity that players like Routledge have done over the years after arriving in Swansea.

Come on 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

S

wansea City Former Players’ A ssociation chair Lee Trundle is calling on fans to support the association’s first fundraiser - a memory walk in aid of Alzheimer’s Society Cymru.

Tr u n d l e , w h o e n j o y e d f o u r seasons and scored 91 goals in a Swans shirt, will be joined by the committee of the FPA and some former players for the event next month.

The route includes Swansea Bay, the Vetch Field – the former home of the Swans – and will end at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Supporters cannot join the walk, but the hope is that fans will help with the fundraising efforts by donating and sharing the details on social media.

“A s a n F PA w e f e l t i t w a s important that our first fundraising activity was for a charity external to the club,” said Trundle.

“Swansea City is working closely with Alzheimer’s Society Cymru this season and so it’s appropriate that they benefit from the money we raise.

“Unfortunately, this event will be completed by a few former players and members of the FPA committee only.

“We’re not able to open it out to fans this time, but they can still be a part of it by donating if they can and also sharing the story across their social media.

“It will be a way for us all to come together to do something significant for a charity which does so much for others.”

There are in excess of 46,000 people living with dementia in Wales. That figure is more than double the capacity of the Swansea.com Stadium.

Funds raised are likely to help support Dementia Friends, a scheme which educates volunteers about dementia so they can help their community, as well as fund vital support services and ground-breaking dementia research.

Trundle believes the work the charity does is significant across the community. “ We all know someone who has been affected, directly or indirectly, by dementia and as footballers we’ve all watched with interest the ongoing research into traumatic brain injuries and a possible increased risk of dementia.

“C oronavirus has made life difficult for everyone but if you have or are caring for someone with dementia, those challenges increase significantly, so the more we can do to support those who need it the better.”

If you want to support the FPA memory walk you can do so via this link.

For more information on how Alzheimer ’s Society Cymru supports people affected by dementia or to get involved as a fundraiser or volunteer, contact Jess Bowring (Community Fundraiser for south west Wales) on 07545 094 689 or jess.bowring@alzheimers.org.uk

PAGE 53

JUNIOR CYRIL'S HALF-TIME QUIZ QUESTION ONE

QUESTION TWO

QUESTION THREE

In this fixture in SA1 last season, the Swans won 2-1. Jake Bidwell scored the opener, but who struck the Swans’ winner?

Which three players made their Swansea City debuts against Hull City last weekend?

Olivier Ntcham started his career with Le Havre, before playing for Manchester City, Genoa and Celtic. But which club did he spend a part of last season on loan at?

Tip: He’s a Welsh international.

Tip: One arrived from Liverpool on loan, another joined on a free transfer while the other came on a permanent deal from Southampton.

Tip: They are a French team.

QUESTION FOUR

QUESTION FIVE

QUESTION SIX

Rhys Williams played for which club during a loan spell in the 2019-20 season?

Michael Obaefmi represents which country at international level?

Swans boss Russell Martin was born in Brighton. But which country did he play for 29 times?

Tip: They are in National League North

Tip: They play in green

Tip: They play their home games at Hampden Park.

CYRIL AND CYBIL'S PREDICTION SWANS 1 MILLWALL 0

PAGE 54

PAGE 55 Cyril’s Half-Time Quiz Answers Question One - Ben Cabango Question Two - Rhys Williams, Olivier Ntcham and Michael Obafemi Question Three - Marseille

Question Four - Kidderminster Harriers Question Five - Republic of Ireland Question Six - Scotland The Players are Rhys Williams, Jamie Paterson, Morgan Whittaker, Jay Fulton

HELP CYBIL FIND WHO IS WHO

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 56

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

EFL

theEFL

EFL

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 58

EMAIL L.MERRELLS@SWANSEACITY.COM FOR AVAILABILITY

TODAY’S MASCOT

ZACHARY AGED 8 FROM MANSELTON FAV PLAYER: JAY FULTON

A SPECIAL MENTION TO OUR MASCOTS FOR HULL CITY

ELI AGED 3 KIAN AGED 12 RYAN AGED 7 NOAH AGED 10 FROM COVENTRY FROM LLANELLI FROM GORSEINON FROM WORCESTER

PAGE 59

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 Fulton

2

Plymouth Argyle (CC R2) H W 4-1

Tue, Aug 24, 7pm

Hamer

Manning 1

Joseph 3

Bennett

Latibeaudiere

Bidwell

Preston North End A L 3-1

Sat, Aug 28, 3pm

Benda

Manning

Laird

Bennett 2

Latibeaudiere 1

Bidwell

Fulton 3

Hull City H D 0-0

Sat, Sept 11, 3pm

Hamer

Laird

Williams

Bennett

Naughton 3

Bidwell 2

Downes

Millwall H

Wed, Sept 15, 7.45pm

Luton Town A

Sat, Sept 18, 3pm

Brighton & Hove Albion 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 13, 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

Ntcham 1

Paterson

Piroe

Benda, Cabango 3, Latibeaudier, Manning 1, Fulton, Cullen, Obafemi 2

Grimes

1

, Whittaker

TODAY (SEPTEMBER 15) MARKS 10 YEARS TO THE DAY SINCE FOUR MINERS TRAGICALLY LOST THEIR LIVES AT THE GLEISION COLLIERY NEAR CILYBEBYLL IN THE SWANSEA VALLEY. ON THAT FATEFUL SEPTEMBER DAY IN 2011, CHARLES BRESLIN, DAVID POWELL, GARRY JENKINS AND PHILIP HILL ALL WENT TO WORK BUT NEVER RETURNED HOME TO THEIR LOVED ONES. THE INCIDENT WAS THE WORST DISASTER TO OCCUR IN WALES FOR THREE DECADES AND IS STILL FELT LOCALLY TO THIS DAY. WE WILL REMEMBER CHARLES, DAVID, GARRY AND PHILIP PRIOR TO KICK-OFF TONIGHT WITH A MINUTE’S APPLAUSE AND OUR THOUGHTS REMAIN WITH THEIR FAMILIES.

Hat-trick =

Captain =

Sub = 2 (number denotes player replaced) Booked =

Sent off =

Carabao Cup = CC FA Cup = FA

PAGE 61

TABLE 2021~2022

POS TEAM 1

West Bromwich Albion

2

Fulham

3

P

6

W D L

F

13

A

6

GD PTS

4

2

0

7

14

6

4

1

1

13

4

9

13

Stoke City

6

4

1

1

9

7

2

13

4

Queens Park Rangers

6

3

3

0

14

8

6

12

5

Bournemouth

6

3

3

0

11

5

6

12

6

Coventry City

6

4

0

2

7

5

2

12

7

Birmingham City

6

3

2

1

9

3

6

11

8

Cardiff City

6

3

2

1

11

7

4

11

9

Huddersfield Town

6

3

1

2

10

9

1

10

10

Blackburn Rovers

6

2

3

1

9

8

1

9

11

Bristol City

6

2

2

2

7

7

0

8

12

Luton Town

6

2

2

2

8

10

-2

8

13

Preston North End

6

2

1

3

6

8

-2

7

14

Millwall

6

1

3

2

7

9

-2

6

15

Middlesbrough

6

1

3

2

6

8

-2

6

16

Derby County

6

1

3

2

4

6

-2

6

17

Barnsley

6

1

3

2

5

8

-3

6

18

Sheffield United

6

1

2

3

7

9

-2

5

19

Blackpool

6

1

2

3

5

8

-3

5

20

Hull City

6

1

2

3

4

7

-3

5

21

Swansea City

6

1

2

3

4

8

-4

5

22

Reading

6

1

1

4

10

16

-6

4

23

Peterborough United

6

1

1

4

6

14

-8

4

24

Nottingham Forest

6

0

1

5

5

10

-5

1

Correct as of Sept 13, 2021.

GLANMOR CHARTERED SURVEYORS Commercial Property Consultants

SERVICES

• • • • •

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

01792 439105 info@glanmorproperty.co.uk

JOMA-SPORT.COM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 35 37 46

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

MILL W

L UB

Head Coach: Russell Martin

FO OTBA

CL

SWANS

LL

L

THE TEAMS

A

1885

MILLWALL

Manager: Gary Rowett 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 32 33 34

George Long Danny McNamara Murray Wallace Shaun Hutchinson Jake Cooper Maikel Kieftenbeld Jed Wallace Ben Thompson Tom Bradshaw Matt Smith Scott Malone Ryan Sandford Sheyi Ojo Alex Pearce George Saville Ryan Leonard Mason Bennett Connor Mahoney Jón Daði Böðvarsson Benik Afobe Billy Mitchell Isaac Olaofe Daniel Ballard George Evans Tyler Burey Bartosz Białkowski Alex Mitchell

~ Referee: John Busby ~ ~ Assistant Referees: Steven Meredith and Andrew Fox ~ ~ Fourth Official: Dean Whitestone ~

NEXT UP AT Huddersfield Town Saturday, Sep 25 Kick-off: 3pm

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

FOLLOW US

Correct as of August 13, 2021

PAGE 64