Swansea City A.F.C.
| File:Swansea city afc crest.gif | |||
| Full name | Swansea City Association Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Swans | ||
| Founded | 1912 | ||
| Ground | Liberty Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 20,280 | ||
| Chairman | Welsh Huw Jenkins | ||
| Manager | Welsh Kenny Jackett | ||
| League | Football League One | ||
| 2004-05 | League Two, 3rd (promoted) | ||
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Swansea City AFC are a Welsh football team currently playing in the Football League League One. Swansea City and arch-rivals Cardiff City are the only Welsh football clubs to have played at the highest level of English football.
Nicknamed "The Swans", the club played from its formation in 1912 (as Swansea Town) until 2005 at the Vetch Field in Swansea city centre. In the summer of 2005, Swansea City moved to a new 20,280 all seater ground, the Liberty Stadium, with often impressive attendances.
The stadium's 'official' name is not popular among supporters, many of whom refer to it either as the Morfa Stadium or as the White Rock Stadium: the former was the name of the athletics stadium which stood on the site from the 1970s until construction began on the current structure, whilst the latter was the working title used by the developers.
The club is currently flying high in League One, hoping to gain promotion to the Championship. Financial difficulties through much of the last two decades appear to be a thing of the past, in part due to the club's recent surge in support.
Contact details
- Postal address Swansea City AFC, Liberty Stadium, Morfa, Swansea SA1 2FA
- Telephone 01792 616600
- Fax 01792 616606
- E-mail [email protected]
- Ticket office 08700 400 004
Club honours
- FA Cup semi-finalists 1926, 1964
- Division Three winners 2000
- Division Three (South) winners 1925, 1949
- Welsh Cup winners 1913, 1950, 1961, 1966, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1991
- Welsh Cup runners-up 1915, 1926, 1938, 1940, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1969
- Autoglass Trophy winners 1994
- FAW Premier Cup winners 2005
- FAW Premier Cup runners-up 2001, 2002
Club records
- Biggest win 12-0 v Sliema_Wanderers (Malta), European Cup Winners' Cup First Round First Leg, 15 September 1982
- Biggest win (League) 8-0 v Hartlepool, Football League Fourth Division, 1 April 1978
- Biggest defeat 0-8 v Liverpool, FA Cup 3rd Round Replay, 9 January 1990; 0-8 v Monaco (France), European Cup Winners' Cup First Round Second Leg, 1 October 1991
- Biggest defeat (League) 1-8 v Fulham, Football League Second Division, 22 January 1938
- Highest attendance (Vetch Field) 32,786 v Arsenal, FA Cup Fifth Round, 17 February 1968
- Highest attendance (Liberty Stadium) 19,288 v Yeovil Town, Football League One, 18 November 2005
- Lowest attendance (Vetch Field) 1,301 v Northampton Town, Football League Fourth Division, 18 September 1973
- Lowest attendance (Liberty Stadium) 5,321 v Rushden and Diamonds, LDV Vans Trophy, 22 November 2005
Current squad
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Early years
Swansea Town AFC was formed as a professional club in 1912 when the town was invited to send a team to join the Southern League, as many other South Wales towns were already represented.
J. W. Thorpe was the club's first chairman, Walter Whittaker its first manager. Its first secretary was S. B. Williams, who was to serve in this capacity for some 35 years.
The club's first professional match was at the Vetch Field against Cardiff City on 7 September 1912; the result was a 1-1 draw.
Goodbye to the Vetch
Swansea's last League match at the Vetch Field was a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town on 30 April 2005 in front of a full house; 11,465 people were present to say farewell to the asymmetrical ground, its crooked floodlights and irreplaceable acoustics.
Many thought it fated that Swansea would win promotion during the final season at the Vetch, given so many prior false hopes both for promotion and for the new ground itself. One week after the Shrewsbury game, Swansea did indeed clinch promotion to Coca Cola League One with another 1-0 win, this time at Bury, where over 5,000 Swans fans had made the journey north.
The last game of any sort at the Vetch Field was a 2-1 win against Wrexham in the final of the 2005 FAW Premier Cup; it was the Swans' first trophy win since the Division Three Championship in 2000 but the first Cup triumph since 1994's Autoglass Trophy.
Legendary players
Four Swansea-born men were named among the Football League's 100 legends, to mark the 100th season of League football in 1998. All four began their careers with the club. They were Ivor Allchurch, John Charles (signed by Leeds before making his first-team debut), Trevor Ford and Cliff Jones.
Ivor Allchurch is the subject of the first statue to be placed at the Liberty Stadium. Funded by the club's Supporters' Trust, it was unveiled in October 2005 and stands outside the ticket office.
Many of Swansea's greatest players were part of the squad that, between 1978 and 1981, won promotion from the old Division Four to the old Division One under John Toshack, who now manages the Welsh national team. These included goalkeeper Dai Davies, fans' favourite Alan Curtis, the late Robbie James, winger Leighton James, Yugoslavian international defenders Ante Rajkovic and Dzemal Hadziabdic (now coach of the Qatari national team) and Nigel Stevenson.
More recent players include long-serving goalkeeper Roger Freestone, whose Swansea career came to an end in 2004 just a handful of games short of the club appearance record, and Lee Trundle, whose flamboyant skills and impressive goalscoring record have made him a firm favourite.
List of club managers
| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Walter Whittaker | July 1912 to April 1914 |
| William Bartlett | May 1914 to April 1915 |
| No manager (First World War) | April 1915 to June 1919 |
| Joe Bradshaw | June 1919 to August 1926 |
| No manager | August 1926 to July 1927 |
| James Thomson | April 1927 to August 1931 |
| No manager | August 1931 to July 1934 |
| Neil Harris | July 1934 to June 1939 |
| Haydn Green | June 1939 to September 1947 |
| Billy McCandless | September 1947 to July 1955 |
| Ron Burgess | July 1955 to August 1958 |
| Trevor Morris | August 1958 to May 1965 |
| Glyn Davies | June 1965 to October 1966 |
| Billy Lucas | February 1967 to April 1969 |
| Roy Bentley | August 1969 to October 1972 |
| Harry Gregg | November 1972 to February 1975 |
| Harry Griffiths | February 1975 to February 1978 |
| John Toshack | March 1978 to October 1983; December 1983 to March 1984 |
| Colin Appleton | May to December 1984 |
| John Bond | December 1984 to December 1985 |
| Tommy Hutchison | December 1985 to June 1986 |
| Terry Yorath | July 1986 to February 1989 |
| Ian Evans | March 1989 to March 1990 |
| Terry Yorath | March 1990 to March 1991 |
| Frank Burrows | March 1991 to October 1995 |
| Kevin Cullis | February 1996 (six days) |
| Jan Mølby | February 1996 to October 1997 |
| Micky Adams | October 1997 (15 days) |
| Alan Cork | October 1997 to June 1998 |
| John Hollins | July 1998 to September 2001 |
| Colin Addison | October 2001 to March 2002 |
| Nick Cusack | March to September 2002 |
| Brian Flynn | September 2002 to March 2004 |
| Kenny Jackett | April 2004 to present |
2005/06 results to date
| Date | Opponents | Home/
Away |
Result
F - A |
Scorers | Attendance | League
position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1 - 0 | Akinfenwa [30] | 16,773 | 10th |
| 9 Aug 2005 | Colchester United | A | 2 - 1 | Forbes [35], Trundle [68] | 2,950 | 3rd |
| 13 Aug 2005 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1 - 3 | Trundle [pen30] | 10,304 | 5th |
| 20 Aug 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1 - 2 | McLeod [44] | 12,744 | 10th |
| 27 Aug 2005 | Walsall | A | 5 - 2 | Martinez [15], Akinfenwa [47],
Tudur-Jones [63], McLeod [65], Connor [71] |
5,745 | 6th |
| 29 Aug 2005 | Barnsley | H | 3 - 1 | McLeod [14,90], Trundle [58] | 12,552 | 2nd |
| 10 Sep 2005 | Bristol City | H | 7 - 1 | McLeod [45,69,87], Akinfenwa [50],
Trundle [pen58,71], Britton [75] |
13,662 | 4th |
| 13 Sep 2005 | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 3 - 1 | Trundle [16], Robinson [72,77] | 4,798 | 1st |
| 17 Sep 2005 | Hartlepool United | A | 2 - 2 | Trundle [56,61] | 4,743 | 1st |
| 24 Sep 2005 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1 - 1 | Martinez [84] | 18,212 | 1st |
| 27 Sep 2005 | Bournemouth | A | 1 - 0 | Trundle [30] | 5,750 | 1st |
| 1 Oct 2005 | Blackpool | H | 3 - 2 | Trundle [22], Akinfenwa [44], Britton [81] | 13,911 | 1st |
| 8 Oct 2005 | Yeovil Town | A | 0 - 1 | 7,578 | 1st | |
| 15 Oct 2005 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0 - 0 | 14,029 | 3rd | |
| 22 Oct 2005 | Rotherham United | A | 2 - 2 | Trundle [42], Bean [59] | 4,056 | 3rd |
| 29 Oct 2005 | Chesterfield | H | 5 - 1 | Akinfenwa [7], Trundle [11,28,72], Tudur-Jones [45] | 13,264 | 2nd |
| 12 Nov 2005 | Southend United | A | 2 - 1 | Trundle [40], Akinfenwa [47] | 11,049 | 1st |
| 18 Nov 2005 | Yeovil Town | H | 2 - 0 | Trundle [pen25, 67] | 19,288 | 1st |
| 26 Nov 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2 - 2 | Tudur-Jones [45], Robinson [88] | 7,518 | 1st |
| 6 Dec 2005 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2 - 0 | Robinson [53] Forbes [87] | 13,207 | 1st |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/
Away |
Result
F - A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2005 | Round 1 | Stockport County | A | 0 - 2 | 2,978 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/
Away |
Result
F - A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug 2005 | Round 1 | Reading | A | 1 - 3
(aet) |
Akinfenwa [80] | 7,603 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/
Away |
Result
F - A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 2005 | Round 1 | Torquay United | A | 3 - 1 | Forbes [65], Akinfenwa [86], Robinson [88] | 1,025 |
| 22 Nov 2005 | Round 2 | Rushden and Diamonds | H | 4 - 0 | Robinson [20,65], Monk [76], Connor [89] | 5,321 |
| 13 Dec 2005 | Round 3 | Peterborough United | H |
League positions and Cup results since World War II
| Season | Division | Position | FA Cup | League Cup | Welsh Cup | European |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-1947 | Second Division | 21st (relegated) | 4th Round | 6th Round | ||
| 1947-1948 | Third Division South | 5th | 3rd Round | 5th Round | ||
| 1948-1949 | Third Division South | 1st (promoted) | 2nd Round | Runners-up | ||
| 1949-1950 | Second Division | 8th | 4th Round | Winners | ||
| 1950-1951 | Second Division | 18th | 3rd Round | 6th Round | ||
| 1951-1952 | Second Division | 19th | 5th Round | 5th Round | ||
| 1952-1953 | Second Division | 11th | 3rd Round | 7th Round | ||
| 1953-1954 | Second Division | 20th | 4th Round | 7th Round | ||
| 1954-1955 | Second Division | 10th | 5th Round | 6th Round | ||
| 1955-1956 | Second Division | 10th | 3rd Round | Runners-up | ||
| 1956-1957 | Second Division | 10th | 3rd Round | Runners-up | ||
| 1957-1958 | Second Division | 19th | 3rd Round | 6th Round | ||
| 1958-1959 | Second Division | 11th | 3rd Round | 6th Round | ||
| 1959-1960 | Second Division | 12th | 4th Round | 6th Round | ||
| 1960-1961 | Second Division | 7th | 5th Round | 3rd Round | Winners | |
| 1961-1962 | Second Division | 20th | 3rd Round | 2nd Round | Semi-final | 1st Round |
| 1962-1963 | Second Division | 15th | 3rd Round | 2nd Round | Semi-final | |
| 1963-1964 | Second Division | 19th | Semi-final | 3rd Round | 6th Round | |
| 1964-1965 | Second Division | 22nd (relegated) | 5th Round | 4th Round | Semi-final | |
| 1965-1966 | Third Division | 17th | 1st Round | 1st Round | Winners | |
| 1966-1967 | Third Division | 21st (relegated) | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 5th Round | 1st Round |
| 1967-1968 | Fourth Division | 15th | 4th Round | 1st Round | 6th Round | |
| 1968-1969 | Fourth Division | 10th | 3rd Round | 3rd Round | Runners-up | |
| 1969-1970 | Fourth Division | 3rd (promoted) | 3rd Round | 2nd Round | Semi-final | |
| 1970-1971 | Third Division | 11th | 4th Round | 2nd Round | 6th Round | |
| 1971-1972 | Third Division | 14th | 4th Round | 1st Round | 5th Round | |
| 1972-1973 | Third Division | 23rd (relegated) | 1st Round | 1st Round | 4th Round | |
| 1973-1974 | Fourth Division | 14th | 1st Round | 1st Round | 4th Round | |
| 1974-1975 | Fourth Division | 22nd | 1st Round | 1st Round | 5th Round | |
| 1975-1976 | Fourth Division | 11th | 1st Round | 1st Round | 5th Round | |
| 1976-1977 | Fourth Division | 5th | 1st Round | 4th Round | 5th Round | |
| 1977-1978 | Fourth Division | 3rd (promoted) | 3rd Round | 1st Round | 4th Round | |
| 1978-1979 | Third Division | 3rd (promoted) | 3rd Round | 3rd Round | 5th Round | |
| 1979-1980 | Second Division | 12th | 5th Round | 2nd Round | Semi-final | |
| 1980-1981 | Second Division | 3rd (promoted) | 3rd Round | 1st Round | Winners | |
| 1981-1982 | First Division | 6th | 3rd Round | 2nd Round | Winners | 1st Round |
| 1982-1983 | First Division | 21st (relegated) | 3rd Round | 2nd Round | Winners | 2nd Round |
| 1983-1984 | Second Division | 21st (relegated) | 3rd Round | 2nd Round | Semi-final | Preliminary Round |
| 1984-1985 | Third Division | 20th | 1st Round | 1st Round | Semi-final | |
| 1985-1986 | Third Division | 24th (relegated) | 2nd Round | 2nd Round | 5th Round | |
| 1986-1987 | Fourth Division | 12th | 4th Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | |
| 1987-1988 | Fourth Division | 6th (promoted via play-offs) | 2nd Round | 1st Round | 4th Round | |
| 1988-1989 | Third Division | 12th | 2nd Round | 1st Round | Winners | |
| 1989-1990 | Third Division | 17th | 3rd Round | 1st Round | 3rd Round | 1st Round |
| 1990-1991 | Third Division | 20th | 3rd Round | 1st Round | Winners | |
| 1991-1992 | Third Division | 19th | 2nd Round | 2nd Round | 5th Round | 1st Round |
| 1992-1993 | Second Division | 5th | 4th Round | 1st Round | 3rd Round | |
| 1993-1994 | Second Division | 13th | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Semi-final | |
| 1994-1995 | Second Division | 10th | 4th Round | 2nd Round | ||
| 1995-1996 | Second Division | 22nd (relegated) | 1st Round | 1st Round | ||
| 1996-1997 | Third Division | 5th | 1st Round | 1st Round | ||
| 1997-1998 | Third Division | 20th | 1st Round | 1st Round | ||
| 1998-1999 | Third Division | 7th | 4th Round | 1st Round | ||
| 1999-2000 | Third Division | 1st (promoted) | 2nd Round | 2nd Round | ||
| 2000-2001 | Second Division | 23rd (relegated) | 1st Round | 1st Round | ||
| 2001-2002 | Third Division | 20th | 2nd Round | 1st Round | ||
| 2002-2003 | Third Division | 21st | 1st Round | 1st Round | ||
| 2003-2004 | Third Division | 10th | 5th Round | 1st Round | ||
| 2004-2005 | League Two | 3rd (promoted) | 3rd Round | 1st Round | ||
| 2005-2006 | League One | see 2005/06 progress above | 1st Round | 1st Round |
Miscellaneous
Swansea City and its supporters are unofficially known as the 'Jacks'. One explanation for this name is that during the 17th century, sailors from Swansea were extremely well respected and any 'Swansea Jack' was allowed to join the crew based simply on the town's reputation for great seamen. Swansea City has a loyal and proud following and had easily the highest average attendance in League Two during the 2004-05 season.
The club's somewhat flamboyant mascot is Cyril the Swan who has recently been joined by Sybil the Swan who is a doyenne of equal opportunity. She is not, in fact, a swan but a duck.