Croeso Ryan Bennett

Age: 30 Position: Defender Nationality: English Former Clubs: Grimsby Town, 117 Apps, 6 Goals Peterborough (Loan), 10 Apps, 0 Goals Peterborough, 74 Apps, 6 Goals Norwich City, 101 Apps, 2 Goals Peterborough (Loan), 4 Apps, 0 Goals Wolves, 74 Apps, 2 Goals Leicester City (Loan), 5 Apps, 0 Goals

HE MAY BE ONE OF THE NEW BOYS, BUT SWANSEA CITY DEFENDER RYAN BENNETT ALREADY RANKS AMONG THE MOST EXPERIENCED PLAYERS IN STEVE COOPER’S SQUAD.

The 30-year-old centre-half, who arrived in SA1 in a deadline-day move from Wolves, is one of just four players in the Swansea squad aged 30 or over.

But it’s not so much his age and experience, as where all that knowledge and know-how has been gained, that makes Bennett an intriguing and astute acquisition for the Swans.

After all, we are talking about a man who has experienced three promotions during his career.

He has over 100 Championship appearances under his belt, and also has extensive top-flight knowledge from his time with Norwich City, Wolves and Leicester.

Indeed, as recently as the end of last season, Bennett was playing his trade in the top-flight under former Swans boss Brendan Rodgers.

All of which means he is a player arriving in Swansea with a desire to make a mark, and bring all his expertise to bear as the club eyes a return to the top-flight.

“It was a straight one for me once I had the phone call, it was a no-brainer. It was a project that I kind of knew about already through Morgan GibbsWhite coming here,” said Bennett, who made an assured debut in last week’s draw at Coventry.

“Deadline day is always a bit of a rush but it’s been good to come in and it’s been nice to meet the lads over the last week or so and get started.

“I have been around a little bit now, I’ve been through good times and bad times as well.

“Sometimes it can be nice for the younger players when you’re in those games and battles to have someone there who has been through it to just organise things and calm everyone down. “That is the case throughout the week too, and not just in matches. You need that when things aren’t going so well, that is when the experience can sometimes play a part.

“There are a few lads here who have got experience, including Korey Smith who I played with before; he is a good head in the changing room too.

“We can help everyone to relax, focus and realise that it is normal, there are going to be difficult times but you just have to keep pushing, working towards your goals, and staying positive.”

The former England Under-21 international revealed the ongoing ‘project’ at the Swans played a huge factor in his decision to make the move to South Wales.

“There have been different clubs and different opportunities offered to me but I didn’t want to jump at the first one and this was something that excited me,” he added.

“You’ve got a mix of young players and you saw the season they had last year, it’s the sort of project that is exciting to be a part of.

“THE STYLE OF PLAY AT SWANSEA IS A PART OF THE FOOTBALL CLUB THAT BROUGHT ME HERE, SEEING THE WAY THE TEAM PLAY AND THE IDENTITY THEY HAVE, THAT WAS A BIG PART OF THE REASON WHY I AGREED TO COME.

“I wouldn’t come here if there wasn’t a project here, and it was the same when I went to Wolves and there was a project there; that turned out to be very good.

“Hopefully with the set-up, the staff and the players that are here, it will be a very good season and we continue what has been started.”

There will be a couple of familiar faces to greet Bennett in the shape of Korey Smith and Morgan Gibbs-White, with the latter being a team-mate of Bennett’s during their time at Wolves.

“I didn’t get a chance to speak to Morgan before I signed, but we previously spoke about how it’s going with him,” added Bennett.

“We’re in the same WhatsApp group and we always see how he’s doing; he’s loved every minute of being here.

“I knew in that sense that it would be a good move, but it was a very last minute call that I got and he did try and ring me, I actually had a missed call from him so I had to call him back later.

“I knew from his point of view how much he liked the club and how things are going for him so it was a no-brainer, it’s nice to be here.”

Having experienced promotions with Peterborough United, Norwich and Wolves, Bennett knows the ingredients needed for promotion and will be hoping to replicate that success with his new club.

“It’s tough, there a lot of things that have to come together along the way,” he said.

“It sounds good that I have had a lot of promotions but there are difficult times within that.

“There are times when you lose two on the bounce and times when you have to deal with certain things and injuries, but it’s how you come out of them and mentally how strong you stay, and obviously how you keep results on track.

“It’s going to be bumpy at times but it’s riding those waves and making sure you reach your end target.

“There is one aim that everyone throughout the club will want and that is promotion.

“There’s no point sitting here and saying that isn’t the aim because it is.

“There are plenty of other clubs that have got the same ambition, it is going to be tough but I think if you look at it and ask what will be deemed successful, that will be the only answer.

“I believe the squad here and the staff are capable of doing that.”

JACK THE LAD

It’s been long debated whether tonight’s visitors should be known as a Midlands club or a northern club.

Apparently, this argument is the subject of much conversation within the city of Stoke itself.

Some inhabitants consider themselves to be fully fledged northerners, while others feel they are pure midlanders.

The local paper, the Stoke Sentinel, even had a vote on it. The result reinforced the uncertainty with 58 per cent voting Midlands and 42 per cent for the North. Not exactly an overwhelming outcome.

But there is an argument to suggest that those walking into the football club may think they are in Wales, rather than an area of England.

Think about it, what is Stoke City’s signature song?

That’s right, our very own Tom Jones’ anthem Delilah!

I can understand why Tom Jones’ famous standard is much loved by Welsh rugby supporters, drunkenly clambering over each other to get seen on the big screen during Six Nations matches at the Principality Stadium.

But how did it come to be belted out around the bet365 Stadium on a blustery Staffordshire Saturday afternoon? Stoke fan Anton Booth claims to be responsible for Sir Tom’s song being adopted by the Potteries club.

“It all began at an away game in Derby (in April 1987) where we were all in a pub and the police asked us not to sing a song with swear words in,” said Booth.

“So we put Delilah on the jukebox, and I got up on a table and started singing it. We sang it in the ground and it just went from there.”

Other theories include a concert by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, held at Stoke’s former home the Victoria Ground in May 1975.

The group unleashed their own version of the hit, which struck a lasting chord with Stoke fans.

But the Potters’ faithful belting out Delilah isn’t the only reason for a Welsh flavour around the ground.

Four of the club’s last eight managers have been Welshmen - Tony Pulis, Mark Hughes, Eddie Niedzwiecki (caretaker) and Nathan Jones.

Jones and Niedzwiecki may not have lasted long in what has proved to be a particularly hot seat in recent years, but Pulis and Hughes were in charge for a total of 15 years, quite a stint in managerial terms these days. Pulis, of course, will go down as one of the club’s most successful managers during his two spells in charge.

The former Newport County defender led them into the Premier League, to an FA Cup final and a place in Europe during his second tenure.

Go back a little further and another Welshman helped Stoke reach the top-flight of English football.

Margam-born former Wales international Alan Durban led the club to promotion back to the old First Division in dramatic fashion, beating Notts County on the last day of the 1978-79 season.

After shocking the club in 1981 by leaving to manage Sunderland, Durban returned briefly as caretaker for five games at the end of the 1997-98 season, but was unable to prevent Stoke falling into the third tier.

But it’s not just in the manager’s office the club has enjoyed a heavy Welsh influence, the dressing room has also been known to echo with a strong Welsh accent.

Never more so than today. The first-team squad currently boasts five Welsh players - young goalkeeper Adam Davies, defender Morgan Fox and Euro 2016 heroes James Chester, Sam Vokes and Joe Allen, who, of course, was a huge fans’ favourite here at the Liberty Stadium.

In fact, Vokes even admitted to the Welsh connection at the club having an influence on his joining back in January of last year.

Back then, former Swans and Wales skipper Ashley Williams was also plying his trade in the Potteries and South Walian Jones was in charge of the club.

Like the managerial situation at Stoke, go back a few decades and there was also a strong Welsh influence on the pitch in the shape of two of the club’s long-serving players.

Welsh international George Berry was a hugely popular figure at the club during his stay between 1982 and 1990, when he made 269 appearances.

Berry captained the club and became something of a cult hero with supporters. He was given a testimonial match in recognition of his service for the club. Older Swans fans will particularly remember another long-serving Welshman, at what was then the Victoria Ground, back in the 1970s.

John Mahoney, who was capped 51 times for Wales, also made 337 appearances for Stoke in a career which spanned 10 years between 1967 to 1977.

The Cardiff-born midfielder helped Stoke win the League Cup when they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley in 1972.

Following Stoke’s relegation from the old First Division in 1977, Mahoney moved to Middlesbrough where he made 90 appearances, before joining the Swans at the start of the 1980-81 season.

At the Vetch, Mahoney teamed up with a number of his Welsh international team mates, including the late Robbie James, who would himself later play for Stoke - yet another Welsh influence. Mahoney became a real fans’ favourite with the Swans, even earning his own distinctive song. Fans of a certain age will now have “The one and only John Mahoney, la, la, la,la,la la . . .” going around their head on a loop for the rest of the day.

He helped the club reach the top-flight of English football for the first time during his debut season.

And the following campaign he was a major influence as the Swans recorded their highestever finish in the league, placing sixth in the old First Division.

So, there you have it, Stoke City: some may say it’s a northern club, others may claim it’s from the Midlands, but there’s no arguing against its Welsh connections.

C’mon you Swans!

SWANS ACADEMY BY NIGEL REES

Good evening everybody/noswaith dda pawb. This continues to be a very challenging time in terms of the Covid restrictions, particularly with the announcement of a full lockdown in Wales.

As an academy we were on the verge of inviting all our Foundation and Youth Phase players back into training but, unfortunately, we have again had to postpone this process. This is frustrating for both the players and staff and our concern is that the players have almost lost a whole year in terms of their development. We will continue to deliver our online programme and sessions, but this process only goes some way to engaging with the players in the same fashion as when they are in the academy environment at Landore. Throughout this period our main concern has always been the safety of our players and staff, and this will always be paramount when our players return to the environment.

The under-23s continue to work hard, and recently travelled to Hull. This was our first away fixture in the league programme and a very different experience in terms of the Covid protocols for travelling and staying overnight. We worked hard and battled throughout the game but eventually lost the fixture. We fielded a very young team, which is our strategy this season, and the players will gain experience from the opportunity of playing in a much older environment. This is a very challenging transition for the some of the players as they enter the more senior games programme for the first time. The games become far more competitive and the intensity is a new challenge both individually and collectively. Our next fixture is at home to Birmingham on Monday afternoon.

The under-18s continue to push forward and are working hard within the environment. Owing to the Covid situation our last scheduled game against Sheffield United was cancelled which sees the group having another non-fixture weekend. The boys continue to be upbeat and positive and have shown excellent resilience throughout this difficult time. On a more positive note our fixture against Wigan next week has been confirmed and we are all eagerly awaiting the game.

On a personal note I would like to wish Joe Rodon all the very best wishes on his move to Spurs. Joe always worked hard through the different age groups at the academy and epitomises the dedication and commitment players require to make a career in professional sport. I have watched Joe develop into a top player as well as an excellent role model for all our younger players within the academy. Both the players and staff have created a very positive and professional atmosphere for our players to develop. The infrastructure both in terms of our staff and physical facilities are developing every year to meet the needs of the players and the demands of the Elite Football programme. As stated previously, our aim is to make young players the focal point of our development programme. Nurturing young talent requires hard work, perseverance and above all patience. There is no quick fix and as we constantly tell the players “anything worth having is worth working for”. The Academy programme requires a great deal of dedication, hard work, commitment and sacrifice for all the players and I am extremely proud of every one of the players involved in our Academy. We can never sit back on our past achievements and will always strive to reach our goal of becoming the best Academy in the programme.

Enjoy the game this evening!