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A Century of League Football
Swansea City had just completed their Southern League Division One season when the Football League opted to form Division Three. This meant the Swans were now full members of the Football League and were part of an exciting new set-up.
Here, historian Gwyn Rees looks at the club’s campaigns throughout its 100-year involvement in the Football League divisions and Premier League.
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1920-1921 FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH (FINISHED FIFTH) 1921-1922 FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH (FINISHED 10TH)
With the prospect of playing in the Football League, manager Joe Bradshaw wasted no time in strengthening his squad. He brought in Jimmy Edmundson from Sheffield Wednesday, and a full-back that would go on to play in more league games than anyone else in the club’s history - Wilf Milne.
The first game was played at Portsmouth, where the Swans were soundly beaten 3-0. But just five days later, the club would register its first points in the league when they defeated Watford 2-1 at Vetch Field. By October, the Swans had failed to win an away game or even register a goal on their travels, and the club were near the foot of the table. But, as so often happens in football, the team went on an unbeaten run for nearly four months, and at the season’s end the club would finish its first season a creditable fifth in the division.
The season also saw the first full International game played at the Vetch, with Swansea’s Billy Hole scoring the first goal in Wales’ 2-1 win over Ireland, making him the first Swansea-born player to represent his country. Once again the Swans began the season with mixed results, with only two wins in their opening 10 fixtures. Although the team were being applauded for their style of play by many, the cutting edge to kill off teams in games was missing.
It was the FA Cup that saw the Swans capture the headlines, when after defeating Bournemouth and Bristol Rovers in the qualifying rounds, they were drawn at home against West Ham United. A record crowd of 26,000 saw an entertaining 0-0 draw, then four days later the sides fought out another draw, with Ivor Jones scoring early for the Swans. It took a third game at Ashton Gate, and a Joe Spottiswood goal after 110 minutes to see the Swans finally progress to the second round for an away trip to Southend United. A hard-fought 1-0 win in Essex saw the Swans progress to round three, but a 4-0 defeat at Millwall saw the cup dream ended, and though they would enjoy a record 8-1 win over Bristol Rovers in April, it was the cup run that most supporters would remember the season for.
The manager sought to strengthen his squad preseason, and the players he brought to the club - Harry Deacon and Len Thompson amongst others - would go on to have excellent careers at the Vetch. The one sad departure from the club was Ben Beynon, who after lighting up the Vetch, decided to move back to rugby, joining Oldham.
Unlike the previous two seasons, the Swans began the new campaign in impressive style, and by the turn of the year and a 5-1 defeat of Aberdare Athletic at home, they sat proudly in second position in the division. The good form continued until, with just nine games of the season left, a lapse in form saw promotion hopes fade and, in the days when only the champions were promoted, third place unfortunately did not suffice.
Hopes were high in SA1 when the Swans started the season with five straights wins, and led the division into the New Year. Once more the FA Cup saw the Swans having to play three games to finally defeat Clapton Orient at White Hart Lane, though First Division Aston Villa ended the Swans’ hopes in the next round with a 2-0 win at the Vetch.
Jack Fowler, who would become a legend at the club with his goal scoring exploits, was signed from Plymouth Argyle towards the season’s end but, once more with promotion seemingly in sight, the team inexplicably lost vital games in the run-in, and had to spend another season in the division.
Lachlan McPherson signed for the club before the new season began, and he turned out to be an important signing. But it was the signing of another player from Sheffield Wednesday, Joe Sykes, that would go down as the signing of a real club legend. Sykes, who was a commanding centre-half, would serve the club in various positions off the field in over 50 years of devoted service to the Swans, and was known as one of life’s gentlemen.
The Swans were amongst the early pacesetters in the division, and after 17 games they had climbed to fourth in the standings. Much of the early success was down to the goals of Deacon, Thompson and Fowler, and it was a goal from Fowler in late January in a 2-0 home win against Queens Park Rangers that saw them hit top spot in the division for the first time that season.
The climax to the season saw the Swans, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol City vie for top spot, with the Swans holding a one-point lead over Argyle when they went to the Devon club, claiming a point in a 1-1 draw, and keeping a one-point advantage with just two games left. The penultimate game saw a vital 1-0 win away at Reading and, when in the final league fixture the Swans defeated Exeter City 2-1 at a boisterous Vetch Field, the first ever Championship and promotion was celebrated.
