Jump to content

Swansea City A.F.C.: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 90: Line 90:
{{football squad player | no=25 | nat=Wales | pos=MF | name= [[Matthew Collins]]}}
{{football squad player | no=25 | nat=Wales | pos=MF | name= [[Matthew Collins]]}}
{{football squad player | no=26 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= [[Paul Anderson (footballer)|Paul Anderson]] | other=on loan from [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]}}
{{football squad player | no=26 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= [[Paul Anderson (footballer)|Paul Anderson]] | other=on loan from [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]}}
{{football squad player | no=27 | nat=Wales | pos=DF | name= [[Kyle Graves]]}} (on loan to [[Merthyr Tydfil Town]])
{{football squad player | no=27 | nat=Wales | pos=DF | name= [[Kyle Graves]]}} (on loan to [[Merthyr Tydfil F.C.]])
{{football squad player | no=28 | nat=Ireland | pos=MF | name= [[Thomas Butler (footballer)|Thomas Butler]]}}
{{football squad player | no=28 | nat=Ireland | pos=MF | name= [[Thomas Butler (footballer)|Thomas Butler]]}}
{{football squad player | no=29 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= [[Ian Craney]]}}
{{football squad player | no=29 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= [[Ian Craney]]}}

Revision as of 11:18, 19 September 2007

Swansea City
File:Swansea City A.F.C. logo.gif
Full nameSwansea City Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Swans
Founded1912
GroundLiberty Stadium
(aka Morfa or White Rock Stadium)
(Landore, Swansea)
Capacity20,532
ChairmanWales Huw Jenkins
ManagerSpain Roberto Martínez
LeagueLeague One
2006-07League One, 7th

Swansea City AFC (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Abertawe) is a Welsh football team currently playing in the Football League League One.

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 20,532 all seater ground, the Liberty Stadium.

The early 1980s were Swansea's halcyon years, seeing promotion to the First Division in 1981, winning 3 consecutive Welsh Cups and subsequently appearing in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup as well. However, as fast as Swansea rose up the Football League, decline ensued as quickly.

Club honours

Club records

Current first-team squad

As of 3rd September 2007

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
21 GK Netherlands NED Dorus de Vries
2 DF England ENG Kevin Amankwaah
3 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Kevin Austin
4 MF Wales WAL Kristian O'Leary
5 DF England ENG Alan Tate
6 MF Netherlands NED Ferrie Bodde
7 MF England ENG Leon Britton
8 MF England ENG Darren Pratley
9 FW Trinidad and Tobago TRI Jason Scotland
10 MF Spain ESP Andrea Orlandi
11 FW Scotland SCO Darryl Duffy
12 DF Scotland SCO Steven Watt (on loan to Inverness Caledonian Thistle )
14 DF England ENG Marcos Painter
15 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Dennis Lawrence
16 DF England ENG Garry Monk
17 MF Wales WAL Owain Tudur Jones
18 MF England ENG Andy Robinson
No. Pos. Nation Player


19 FW Wales WAL Chris Jones
20 MF Wales WAL Shaun MacDonald
22 DF Spain ESP Angel Rangel
23 FW Spain ESP Guillem Bauza Mayol
24 MF England ENG Darren Way
25 MF Wales WAL Matthew Collins
26 MF England ENG Paul Anderson (on loan from Liverpool)
27 DF Wales WAL Kyle Graves (on loan to Merthyr Tydfil F.C.)
28 MF Ireland EIR Thomas Butler
29 MF England ENG Ian Craney
30 GK England ENG David Knight
31 MF Wales WAL Scott Evans
32 MF Wales WAL Joe Allen
33 FW Wales WAL Kerry Morgan (on loan to Port Talbot Town)
34 GK Wales WAL Callum Hawthorne
35 FW Northern Ireland NIR Warren Feeney (on loan from Cardiff City)

Confirmed transfers 2007-2008

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Netherlands NED Dorus de Vries (from Dunfermline free transfer)
— DF Spain ESP Angel Rangel (from Terrassa FC)
— MF Netherlands NED Ferrie Bodde (from ADO Den Haag £50k)
— MF England ENG Paul Anderson (on loan from Liverpool)
— FW Trinidad and Tobago TRI Jason Scotland (from St. Johnstone)
— FW Scotland SCO Darryl Duffy (from Hull City £250k)
— FW Spain ESP Guillem Bauza Mayol (from Espanyol free transfer)
— GK England ENG David Knight (from Middlesborough free transfer)
— FW Northern Ireland NIR Warren Feeney (on loan from Cardiff City)
— MF Spain ESP Andrea Orlandi (from Deportivo Alavés free transfer)
Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW England ENG Andy Oakes (to Darlington FC on free transfer)
— FW Poland POL Pawel Abbott (to Darlington FC for £100,000)
— DF England ENG Izzy Iriekpen (to Scunthorpe United F.C.on free transfer)
— FW Nigeria NGA Adebayo Akinfenwa (to Free Agent)
— DF Cyprus CYP Tom Williams (to Wycombe Wanderers F.C.on free transfer)
— FW England ENG Lee Trundle (to Bristol City F.C. for £1 million)
— GK France FRA Willy Gueret (to MK Dons undisclosed fee)
— DF Scotland SCO Steven Watt (on loan to Inverness Caledonian Thistle)
— FW Wales WAL Kerry Morgan (on loan to Port Talbot Town)

Club history

Early years

Swansea traditionally has been a rugby union area, with no notable football clubs till the establishment of Swansea Town AFC, who 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 arch-rivals Cardiff City on 7 September 1912; the result was a 1-1 draw.

After playing in the Southern League from 1912, the Swans became founder members of the new Third Division of the Football League in 1920, and then Division Three (South) the following season.

Between 1926 and 1965 the Swans were constant (other than a brief two-year period after the war), if unspectacular members of the Second Division, and also reached two FA Cup semi-finals, losing to Bolton in 1926 and Preston in 1964 (having beaten Liverpool in the 6th round). In 1965 the club were relegated from the second division.

1965-1977: A downward spiral

Following relegation Trevor Morris, who had been manager since 1958, was sacked and Glyn Davies a former Swansea player appointed in his place. Davies re-signed the 36-year old Ivor Allchurch from Cardiff City, but in spite of winning the Welsh Cup the season saw some of the club's heaviest defeats, and the manager only lasted the season. Relegation to Division Four followed in 1967 and Ivor Allchurch retired. Paradoxically the 1967/8 season saw a record attendance of 32,796 at the Vetch Field for an FA Cup third round match against Arsenal. In 1969 the club name was changed to Swansea City and the early 1970s saw three seasons back in the Third Division, but in 1975 they were forced to apply for re-election to the Football League.

1977-1986: Meteoric rise and equally rapid fall

Despite promising performances during the first half of the 1977/78 season, Harry Griffiths resigned as Swansea City's manager in February 1978, doubting his own ability to take the club any further. The new manager was former Liverpool, Cardiff City and Wales striker John Toshack. On 1 March 1978, at the age of 28, Toshack became the youngest manager in the Football League, with Harry Griffiths as his assistant. Thus began a remarkable climb from the Fourth Division to the top of the entire league.

Before promotion was secured, however, tragedy struck when Harry Griffiths died of a heart attack on 25 April 1978 before the home game against Scunthorpe United.

A further promotion followed the following season and the club returned to the Second Division after an absence of 14 years.

After a season of consolidation, Swansea City again challenged for promotion and travelled to Preston North End on 2 May 1981 in the knowledge that victory would assure them a place in the First Division for the first time in the club's history. A 3-1 win guaranteed a third promotion in four seasons and Swansea City joined the footballing élite. The goalscorers on that historic day at Deepdale were Tommy Craig, Leighton James and Jeremy Charles.

The 1981/82 season began as implausibly as recent history had suggested it might. The fixture computer handed Swansea's upstarts a first-day home game against Leeds United, which Swansea promptly won 5-1 with a hat-trick by debutant Bob Latchford. Swansea had swept from the basement division to the top of the entire Football League in barely three years. Victories over footballing royalty such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur followed as the club topped the league on several further occasions that season but ended in sixth place.

However, a fateful combination of poor form, misfortune in the transfer market and financial problems led to a slump which was as quick and spectacular as the rise had been. Two consecutive relegations followed and Toshack was sacked. By 1985, the club was battling for its very survival on two fronts. Whilst its creditors lined up a High Court hearing with the aim of liquidating the club, Swansea City had come to rely on a combination of old stagers and young professionals.

Wound up by court order in December 1985, Swansea City was saved by local businessman Doug Sharpe who took over the running of the club, although the change of ownership was not enough to prevent relegation to the Fourth Division in 1986. Eight years on from the first promotion under Toshack, the club was back where it had started.

1986-1995: In place of strife

Swansea won promotion from the Fourth Division in 1988 - beating Rotherham and Torquay over two legs in the inaugural playoffs. They remained in the league's third tier for the next eight seasons - the longest period of stability the club had seen since the war.

Doug Sharpe may have kept the purse strings tight, but under Terry Yorath and then Frank Burrows, the club managed to stay in the second division, reach the playoff semi-finals in 1993 and make their first Wembley appearance a year later.

Burrow guided the Swans to within 180 minutes of Wembley in 1993 - a run of 5 wins in the last 6 league matches secured a playoff place, and with five minutes remaining of the first leg of the semi-final against West Brom, the Swans were 2-0 up and looking comfortable. Andy McFarlance scored an unfortunate own goal when the ball rebounded off the crossbar then into the net off his knee to give West Brom a lifeline, and two early goals followed by the sending off of Colin West in the away leg made it almost impossible for the Swans to make a comeback.

Although the league campaign the following season didn't live up the previous one, mainly due to the sale of key players, Burrows guided the Swans to Wembley for the first time in their history for the final of the Autoglass Trophy. Wins over Plymouth & Exeter in the group stage followed by triumphs over Exeter again, Port Vale, Leyton Orient and Wycombe over two legs saw the Swans play Huddersfield in a final that finished 1-1. Chairman Doug Sharpe brought back the famous hat, and the Swans went on to win 2-0 on penalties.

The following season failed to live up to expectations, although the club again reached the semi-finals of the Auto Windscreens Shield, eventually going out to Birmingham, and an eventful FA Cup run saw them win at Middlesbrough in a third round replay, before going out to Newcastle at St. James' Park.

95/96 ended with relegation back to the third division after 8 years. The Swans were doing fine around Christmas time, but a complete collapse in the second half of the season, including a 7-0 FA Cup defeat at third division Fulham, 4-0 and 5-1 defeats at Blackpool and Oxford respectively, relegation was inevitable, despite the arrival of Jan Molby.

1995-2001: The difficult years return

Relegation in 1996 was accompanied by an unfortunate statistic: never before had the club been managed by four men in the same season. Most embarrassing was the appointment of Kevin Cullis as manager by a consortium wishing to buy the club. Cullis, whose previous experience was with non-league Midlands club Cradley Town, was certainly not the "big name" manager promised by the new owners. Alarmed at developments at the club, outgoing chairman Doug Sharpe invoked a contractual clause to cancel the deal and resumed control himself: Cullis was promptly sacked after just six days.

Cullis's successor was Jan Mølby, a former Liverpool player taking his first steps in management. His appointment inevitably prompted comparison with the Toshack era which began nearly 20 years earlier. Despite relegation in 1996, the club reached the final of the 1997 Third Division promotion play-offs but lost to Northampton Town, whose goal came from a re-taken free kick by John Frain in the final minute. Mølby was sacked just weeks into the following season, with Swansea struggling near the foot of the league. After the initial optimism, the Liverpool connection had not caused history to repeat itself.

Alan Cork was appointed as manager, but was dismissed after leading the club to its lowest league finish for 23 years. John Hollins was appointed, and things soon started to improve. In 1999, the club reached the promotion play-offs, only to lose in extra time at Scunthorpe United. The season was also notable for a third-round FA Cup victory over Premiership opponents West Ham United, whose team included Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and John Hartson. Swansea thus became the first bottom division team to defeat a Premiership club in the FA Cup since the wholesale re-organisation of the league structure in 1992.

The club was promoted in 2000 as Division Three champions, following a nail-biting championship decider on the final day of the season against second-placed Rotherham United. Promotion had been secured courtesy of a 3-0 win over Exeter City at a packed Vetch Field. The 1-1 draw at Rotherham, however, was overshadowed by the death of supporter Terry Coles, trampled to death by a police horse in narrow Millmoor Lane before the game.

Despite significant optimism on the terraces, it was clear that the team was not strong enough to survive in the higher division and relegation occurred in May 2001, just 12 months after promotion.

2001-2003: Meltdown

In July 2001, following relegation back to Third Division, the club was sold to managing director Mike Lewis for the princely sum of £1. Lewis subsequently sold on his stake to a consortium of Australian businessmen behind the Brisbane Lions football team, fronted by outspoken Londoner Tony Petty. The move prompted perhaps the most controversial period in the club's history as seven players were sacked and eight others saw their contracts ripped up. Supporters were incensed by the loss or sale of key players, and amid threatened sanctions by the Football League, a rival consortium headed by ex-player Mel Nurse sought to buy out the new owners.

The crisis led to the creation of the Swansea City Supporters' Trust, which sought to save the club and ultimately guarantee supporter representation on the club's board.

The Petty group sold its stake in January 2002 after a bitter stand-off with the Nurse consortium, which was supported by the majority of the club's fans. Results did not improve, however, and the club struggled for the remainder of the season.

In May 2003, Swansea City avoided relegation to the Football Conference only on the last day of the season, at the expense of Exeter City. By a cruel irony, Exeter's then vice-chairman was none other than Mike Lewis, who was widely seen as responsible for the Petty crisis at Swansea.

It was during this period, that the famous slogan "Judas Mike Lewis, Sir Mel, Petty Out" appeared not only at the ground, but around the city as well. At once they signed Frank Lampard on loan Even now, many Swansea supporters find it very difficult to be objective about the Petty era. It is clear, however, that the opposition which was galvanised by Petty's reign was translated into increased attendances as the people of Swansea rallied to the club's cause. The risk posed to the future of league football in Swansea, through both mismanagement and footballing failure, were a powerful incentive for supporters and the new owners to create a brighter future.

2003-2005: Rebuilding

Since then, the Swans have gone from strength to strength. In 2004, they finished in the top half of Third Division under manager Brian Flynn and promoted in 2005 under Flynn's successor Kenny Jackett.

Summer 2005: 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 and its crooked floodlights.

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 to out number the home fans.

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 Third Division Championship in 2000 but the first Cup triumph since 1994's Autoglass Trophy.

Some pictures of The Vetch in it's current state can be found here: http://www.swansea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=31214

The Liberty Stadium's 'official' name is not popular amongst "some" supporters, many of whom refer to it either as the Morfa, or the Whiterock 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, the latter's origins being the name of the local copperworks at Pentrechwyth which opened in 1737 and was adopted by developers as a working title for the stadium.

Swansea City since 2005

The club took up residence at the impressive new Liberty Stadium during the summer of 2005.

In their first season in League One Swansea finished in sixth place, and competed in the play-offs. After beating Brentford in the semi-finals, they lost out to Barnsley in the final at the Millennium Stadium on 27 May 2006. Although Swansea dominated the final for long periods, the match finished 2-2 and Barnsley won a penalty shoot-out 4-3.

The club also tasted cup success on two fronts, winning the Football League Trophy for the first time since 1994 and the FAW Premier Cup for a second successive year.

Swansea City 2006 - 2007

Swansea did try to push for the Championship in the 2006-2007 season despite a slow start which yielded 1 point from the first 3 games.

They made FA Cup headlines on 6 January 2007, by beating Sheffield United 3-0 at Bramall Lane with Thomas Butler grabbing two goals before Leon Britton slotted home a penalty to put the Swans into the 4th round. Unfortunately, their FA Cup run was ended when they lost 1-0 to Ipswich Town away from home, when Alan Lee scored a controversial penalty against the Swans.

A change in management followed after Kenny Jackett walked out on the club, claiming a lack of support from the board, players and fans. Kevin Nugent took charge for three games but despite three good performances the Swans failed to pick up a win. Roberto Martínez was appointed the new manager after coming to an agreement with his then club, Chester City.

Roberto Martinez's team won its first game with him under management against Rotherham United on February 27, 2007. He has taken the Swans onto a run of 11 games with only one loss against Millwall. After a last gasp win (1-2) against Carlisle away, it goes down to the last game of the season against Blackpool at the Liberty Stadium to decide the final play off position.

After 45 league games, they sat 7th in League 1 level on 72 points with Oldham Athletic, with Oldham having a better goal difference of two. In order to achieve the last play-off position Swansea had to better Oldham's result against Chesterfield. If both teams won their respective matches, Swansea must better Oldham's scoreline by three goals.

The season ended in disappointment, the Swans lost 3 - 6 to Blackpool, and with Oldham winning 1 - 0 against Chesterfield, it left the Swans in seventh place just outside the play offs. Now the Martinez era begins in earnest ready for the 2007 - 2008 season.

Swansea City 2007 - 2008

Off to a better start than last season, with a win, a draw and a loss for 4 points in the first three games. The football on the field is a lot brighter than last season, and a push for automatic promotion to The Championship looks on the cards.

Disappointment as we go out of the league cup again, going down 0 - 1 AET to Reading, pressed hard for a breakthrough but it was not to be, we have now failed to get passed the second round in almost 30 years.

Notable Former Players

See also Category:Swansea City A.F.C. 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 Fourth Division to the old First Division 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 made him a firm favourite. Frank Lampard had a spell on loan from West Ham in the 1995-1996 season playing 11 games and scored 1 goal for the Swans before heading back to Upton Park

Giorgio Chinaglia was born in Italy but grew up in Cardiff and made 6 appearances for Swansea before playing in Italy and the USA, becoming NASL's top scorer ever.

Gentle Giant Immortalised

An Emotional unveiling of a permanent memorial to one of Swansea's favourite footballing sons has taken place. Family and friends of the late, great footballer John Charles gathered at the Liberty Stadium before the match against Blackpool (05/05/07) to see the bronze bust installed at its permanent home.

One of the most famous former players for the Swans is Merseyside Born Lee Trundle. After scoring 85 goals in 183 appearances during 4 years at The Swans Lee moved to Championship Side Bristol City for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £1,000,000

List of club managers

See also Category:Swansea City A.F.C. managers
Name Tenure Began Tenure Ended Total Games Won Lost Drawn
Walter Whittaker July-1912 May-1914
William Bartlett May 1914 April 1915
No Manager April 1915 June 1919
Joe Bradshaw June 1919 August 1926
No manager August 1926 July 1927
James Thomson April 1927 August 1931
No manager August 1931 July 1934
Neil Harris July 1934 June 1939
Haydn Green June 1939 September 1947
Billy McCandless September 1947 July 1955
Ron Burgess July 1955 August 1958
Trevor Morris August 1958 May 1965
Glyn Davies June 1965 October 1966
Billy Lucas February 1967 April 1969
Roy Bentley August 1969 October 1972
Harry Gregg November 1972 February 1975
Harry Griffiths February 1975 February 1978
John Toshack March 1978 October 1983
Doug Livermore October 1983 December 1983
John Toshack December 1983 March 1984
Les Chappell March 1984 May 1984
Colin Appleton May 1984 December 1984
John Bond December 1984 December 1985
Tommy Hutchison December 1985 June 1986
Terry Yorath July 1986 February 1989
Ian Evans March 1989 March 1990
Terry Yorath March 1990 March 1991
Frank Burrows March 1991 October 1995
Bobby Smith October 1995 December 1995
Jimmy Rimmer December 1995 February 1996
Kevin Cullis February 1996 (6 days) February 1996
Jimmy Rimmer February 1996 February 1996
Jan Mølby February 1996 October 1997
Micky Adams October 1997 (15 days) October 1997
Alan Cork October 1997 June 1998
John Hollins July 1998 September 2001
Colin Addison October 2001 March 2002
Nick Cusack March 2002 September 2002 17 2 10 5
Brian Flynn September 2002 March 2004 77 25 29 23
Kenny Jackett April 2004 February 2007 163 75 48 48
Roberto Martínez February 2007 Present 16 8 4 4

League positions and Cup results since World War II

Season Division Position FA Cup League Cup Welsh Cup/

FAW Premier Cup

European

Cup Winners' Cup

Football League Trophy
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 Semi-Finals
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 3rd Round
1985-1986 Third Division 24th (relegated) 2nd Round 2nd Round 5th Round 3rd Round
1986-1987 Fourth Division 12th 4th Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 2nd Round
1987-1988 Fourth Division 6th (promoted via play-offs) 2nd Round 1st Round 4th Round Group Stage
1988-1989 Third Division 12th 2nd Round 1st Round Winners Group Stage
1989-1990 Third Division 17th 3rd Round 1st Round 3rd Round 1st Round Group Stage
1990-1991 Third Division 20th 3rd Round 1st Round Winners 2nd Round
1991-1992 Third Division 19th 2nd Round 2nd Round 5th Round 1st Round Group Stage
1992-1993 Second Division 5th 4th Round 1st Round 3rd Round 4th Round
1993-1994 Second Division 13th 1st Round 2nd Round Semi-final Winners
1994-1995 Second Division 10th 4th Round 2nd Round 4th Round
1995-1996 Second Division 22nd (relegated) 1st Round 1st Round 2nd Round
1996-1997 Third Division 5th 1st Round 1st Round 2nd Round
1997-1998 Third Division 20th 1st Round 1st Round Quarter-final 1st Round
1998-1999 Third Division 7th 4th Round 1st Round Quarter-final 2nd Round
1999-2000 Third Division 1st (promoted) 2nd Round 2nd Round Quarter-final 2nd Round
2000-2001 Second Division 23rd (relegated) 1st Round 1st Round Runners-Up 4th Round
2001-2002 Third Division 20th 2nd Round 1st Round Runners-Up 1st Round
2002-2003 Third Division 21st 1st Round 1st Round Quarter-final 1st Round
2003-2004 Third Division 10th 5th Round 1st Round Semi-final 2nd Round
2004-2005 League Two 3rd (promoted) 3rd Round 1st Round Winners 2nd Round
2005-2006 League One 6th 1st Round 1st Round Winners Winners
2006-2007 League One 7th 4th Round 1st Round Quarter-final 2nd Round
2007-2008 League One 2nd 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. Many, however, believe that the name originates from the renowned life-saving dog Swansea Jack.

The club's somewhat flamboyant mascot is Cyril the Swan who was joined in 2005 by Cyble, a doyenne of equal opportunity. The couple were "married" on the pitch at the Vetch Field as part of the pre-match entertainment at the last league game to be played at the ground, a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town F.C. during the 2004/05 season.

On 10 January 2006, striker Leon Knight became the first Swansea City player to score a hat-trick on his début for the club since Bob Latchford in August 1981, in fact scoring his hat-trick during the first 27 minutes of the game against Milton Keynes Dons at the Liberty Stadium.

Leon Knight's second hat-trick for the club, in the final game of the 2005-06 season at Chesterfield on 6 May 2006, completed another first. As Lee Trundle had scored a hat-trick in the home game against Chesterfield on 29 October 2005, this was the first time that Swansea players had scored hat-tricks in both home and away League fixtures against the same opponents in the same season.

The Liberty Stadium hosted it's first cup match against Premiership opposition when Reading visited in August 2007. The visitors won 1-0 thanks to a Leroy Lita goal in extra time, despite having 10 men for over an hour of the match.

References

  • Farmer, David (1982). Swansea City, 1912-82. Pelham Books. ISBN 0-7207-1413-3.
  • Burgum, John (1988). Swansea City FC. Archive Publications. ISBN 0-948946-19-9.
  • Hayes, Dean (1999). Swansea City Football Club: An A-Z. Aureus Publishing. ISBN 1-899750-04-5.
  • Farmer, David (2000). The Official Biography of The Swans, Town and City. South Wales Evening Post. ISBN 0-9539191-0-2.
  • Phillips, Gareth (2005). Fan's Eye City: Swansea City in the Age of the Premiership. London League Publications. ISBN 1-903659-20-5.
  • Haynes, Keith & Sumbler, Phil (2005). 100 Greats: Swansea City Football Club. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2715-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Jones, Colin (2006). Swansea Town/City FC: The First Comprehensive Player A-Y. Parthian Books. ISBN 1-902638-75-1.
  • "Swansea City AFC: The Official Site". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "The Internet Soccer Database". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Swansea_City_A.F.C.&oldid=158927074"