SEASON 2021-2022
VERSUS
LUTON TOWN
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 - Kick-off 7.45pm
ISSUE 16
JOMA-SPORT.COM PAGE 2
CONTENTS Page 9 - A Message from Matt Grimes
Page 16 - Meet the Opposition
Page 21 - Match Highlights
Page 32 - Interview with Cyrus Christie
Page 40 - Transfer Roundup
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.
STUDY STUDY AT AT ASTUDIWCH YM SWANSEA MHRIFYSGOL SWANSEA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY ABERTAWE WHERE BRIGHT FUTURES BEGIN
WHERE BRIGHT FUTURES BEGIN DISCOVER MORE DISCOVER
MORE >
DRWS I DDYFODOL DISGLAIR DYSGWCH FWY
>
TEACHING EXCELLENCE & STUDENT OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
FFRAMWAITH RHAGORIAETH TEACHING EXCELLENCE & &STUDENT DEILLIANNAU MYFYRWYR OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
(The highest award for Teaching Excellence at UK universities)
(Y dyfarniad uchaf am Ragoriaeth Addysgu ym mhrifysgolion y DU)
(The highest award for Teaching Excellence at UK universities)
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 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 Staff: Ritson Lloyd, Ailsa Jones, Matthew Murray, Adele Callaghan, Daniel Morris, Lee Watkins, Chris Watkins, Daniel Nisbet, Michael Eames, Shaun Baggridge, Huw Lake, Steffan Popham, Bethany Chaddock
Senior Management Group Andrew Davies (Head of Operations, Facilities & Development); Gareth Davies (CFO); Mark Allen (Sporting Director); Rebecca Edwards-Symmons (Head of Commercial) Club Staff Club Secretary: Ben Greenwood Football Operations & Administration Manager: 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 Head of Marketing: Katie Hughes Head of Media & Communications: Ben Donovan 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
Programme Production Contributors: Ben Donovan, Chris Wilson-Barney, Andrew Gwilym, Sophie Davis, Adam Evans, Dom Hynes, Julie Kissick, Gwyn Rees, Ian Mitchelmore Designers: Callum Rothwell, Jordan Morcom, Lewis Ward Photography: Athena Picture Agency, Natalie Davis, Alamy Swansea City AFC Swansea.com Stadium, Landore, Swansea, SA1 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
OUR FORTRESS, YOUR HOME. Season Ticket Renewal 2022-23 Visit swanseacity.com
PAGE 6
A MESSAGE FROM
JULIAN WINTER G
ood evening and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for tonight’s Championship fixture against Luton Town. After two away games in a row, it is great for us to be back in front of our own fans for this evening’s game. It was brilliant to see the scenes here at the Swansea.com Stadium last time out as fans returned to stadia in Wales for the first time since December. We come into this fixture on the back of successive away games, while three of our last four fixtures have been on the road. T he suppor ters have had to travel in excess of 1500 miles over trips to Huddersfield, QPR and Hull, which is fantastic support. I know that that suppor t is hugely appreciated by Russell, his staff and the players and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways here this evening. It has been a busy month for lots of clubs up and down the country with the January transfer window taking hold for the last month.
Ye s t e r d a y s a w t h e w i n d o w slam shut until the summer and we have welcomed five new additions to the squad in the form of Andy Fisher, Cyrus Christie, Hannes Wolf, Finley Burns and Nathanael Ogbeta. Several players have also departed the club, both on loan and permanently, and we hope that those who have joined clubs on loan will benefit from the experience and come to us in a better position. Last week saw the club involved in two initiatives that we hope have a positive impact on our community. F i r s t l y, w e h a v e f o r m e d a dementia consultation group in association with Alzheimer's Society Cymru, our chosen charity for this season. As part of our collaboration, Swansea City aims to be established as a dementia-friendly organisation by the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign. The club has also collaborated with the Jac Lewis Foundation, South Wales Police, Samaritans and Swansea City Council over the introduction of a ‘One-Stop
Mental Health Hub’, which aims to offer supporters, along with local residents, the opportunity to attend more regular dropin sessions facilitated by qualified counsellors to receive professional help and support for mental health difficulties. The sessions will now also allow attendees the opportunity to receive practical advice and access to a number of other services to support them. In other news, we would like to inform supporters that the early bird window for season ticket renewals has now closed, however season ticket holders can still renew their season ticket and keep their seat for the 2022-23 campaign until midnight on Thursday, March 31. Finally, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the management, players, staff and directors from Luton who have made the trip to Wales for today’s game. Enjoy the game, Julian
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PAGE 8
A MESSAGE FROM
RUSSELL MARTIN G
ood evening and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for our Championship game against Luton Town. It is great to be back on home soil after back-to-back away games and I would like to start my programme notes today by talking about our brilliant supporters. You have travelled in excess of 1500 miles with recent trips to Huddersfield, QPR and Hull – which is nothing short of incredible – and has just reiterated the brilliant backing that you’ve given myself, my staff and the players since we came to the club just five days before the start of the season. Your support certainly doesn’t go unnoticed and we are striving so hard to give you a team to be proud of, a team to identify with and a team that is worthy of your magnificent backing. The opening 20 minutes ended up costing us and we didn’t react well to conceding the first goal. But the second half was the opposite and I thought the players were outstanding.
We should have scored at least a couple of goals, but I really liked what I saw in the second half. There are positives to take but we need to get back to showing what we are about from the off and keep showing that courage and mentality to play the way we know we can and be the team we want to be. Against QPR we showed tremendous bravery to play the way we did, on a difficult pitch, and on another day we take all three points from that game. To play that way – and how we always want to – takes great courage and I’m so proud of the players for their application every single day. Ye st erday s aw the J anuar y transfer window close and we’ve been able to add five players to the squad as well as seeing others depart for pastures new. Following the arrivals of Andy Fisher, Cyrus Christie and Hannes Wolf, we also brought in Finley Burns from Manchester City and Nathanael Ogbeta from Shrewsbury. Both are exciting young players and we are excited to work with them and help develop them, while it has allowed
Brandon Cooper to go out on loan to Swindon for the rest of the season which is a great move for him. The point in letting players go out on loan is that we don’t want to be selfish with people’s careers if they are not playing for us. Young players need to be out playing and the benefits can be huge. Hopefully those lads all get used to playing games every week and come back to us in a really good position. Back we now turn our attention to league matters, starting with tonight’s game against Luton which kick starts the first of seven games in February. They are doing well under Nathan Jones, who continues to do a fantastic job there in his second spell in charge. We know it will be a tough test, but we are determined to get back on track and return to winning ways in front of the Jack Army once again. Enjoy the game, Russell
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A MESSAGE FROM
MATT GRIMES G
ood evening and welcome to everyone joining us from around the world for this evening’s Championship fixture against Luton Town at the Swansea.com Stadium. It’s a pretty hectic schedule at the moment, with this evening’s game being our fourth game in eleven days but we expected this after four postponements over the Christmas period. There’s no getting away from the fact that that many games within a small timeframe is demanding and poses challenges but we manage it as best as we can. It was frustrating not to get the three points at QPR on Tuesday evening but there were positives
to take from the performance. We showed courage and dominated large parts of the game, showing the team we want to be. QPR are high up the table for a reason and have been in fine form, but I felt we showed we are capable of competing with any team in the league on our day. S at urday ’s re sult and fir sthalf performance at Hull was really disappointing. I thought we were much better in the sec ond half than the first but overall it wasn’t good enough. We left ourselves with a mountain to climb c onc eding two go als in the f i r s t h a l f a n d aft e r a t o u g h and busy week, it proved just too much to do.
It’s not ideal for anyone to drive up such a way for that and we apologise for the performance. The beauty of the Championship is that the next game is never far away and there is always the opportunity to put things right. This evening’s game is going to be another tough test but we have to respond and we’ll be looking to get back to our regular ways. T hank you for your suppor t whether that’s on the road or at home, it’s appreciated more than you know. Enjoy the game this evening! Matt
PAGE 11
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A MESSAGE FR M
ADAM LEWIS W
elcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for tonight ’s game against Luton. It was fantastic to be back at the stadium 10 days ago for the visit of P reston and see the stands full. It felt like a long time coming and I think we all breathed a sigh of relief to see Ryan Manning’s rocket burst the net to bring us three much-needed points. The performances have been m o r e p r o m i s i n g l a t e l y, a n d with a bit more cutting edge I’m sure wins will increase, and we will begin to ascend the table. Our game against H u l l wa s d i s a p p o i n t i n g b u t they have a new manager and we all know the positive impact that can have. At the time of writing the transfer window is int o the final hours, where many deals get done and the yellow banner on S ky S por t s News is updated every minute. It’s certainly been a busy month for Swansea, with several inc oming players and a few heading out as well.
It was a shame to see Ethan L aird leave, but I’m sure most fans will have been buoyed by the performances of Cyrus C h r i s t i e s o f a r. T h e l o a n market is a difficult beast to manoeuvre, but credit to the club for what they have been able to do over the past few windows. Our other additions provide both long-term and immediate imp ac t - A ndy F isher is our goalkeeper of the future, and H a n n e s Wo l f w i l l p r o v i d e a short-term injection of pace a n d s k i l l . L et ’ s h o p e F i n l ey Burns can help shore up our defence as well. It ’s good to see a couple of our younger players getting opportunities elsewhere, and if Ollie Cooper ’s season so far at Newport is anything to go by, I’m sure they will all have great success as well. O f f t h e f i e l d f o r t h e Tr u s t , we continue to work in earnest with the club and in the c ommunity. Our work to b r i n g g r e at e r t r a n s p a r e n c y on club and football matters to our members and the fan base continues, with our
s u p p o r t e r d i r e c t o r u p d at e s providing the latest of our discussions. An extract of the latest version is available here, and you can receive the full version by joining the Tr u s t . E v e r y m o n t h w e a s k for questions to t ake to the board, so please do continue to share them with us via info@ swanstrust .c o.uk . You can also ask them at our upcoming Annual General Meeting – scheduled for Tuesday 15th February. In the community we have joined with the club on several new and exciting projects, which will progress throughout the spring. We will provide further updates on these in coming editions of our programme notes and members updates. Our game at Kenilworth Road earlier this season is up there as one of our greatest ever comebacks – I almost turned it off at 3-0 down, but I’m certainly glad I stuck it out. Let’s hope we don’t have to repeat that effort tonight by starting well and dominating the ball. Enjoy the game!
PAGE 13
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T
he Swansea City AFC Foundation is excited to announce that sign up for the February half-term Soccer Camps is now open.
All sessions will run between 10am and 2.30pm, with all dates and loc ations of the c amps detailed below:
Our camps provide the perfect environment for Junior Jacks to develop and hone their skills.
Tuesday, February 22 Bishopston and Coleg Sir Gar
Open to boys and girls of all abilities aged between five and 12, the camps are a great opportunity to keep your young Swans active during the halfterm break. Children attending will enjoy fun technical activities, smallside d game s , c ompetitions and prizes – all delivered by our FAW qualified coaches in a safe and friendly environment, with some special guests set to make appearances.
Wednesday, February 23 Bishopston and Coleg Sir Gar Thursday, February 24 Pembroke and Llandarcy Friday, February 25 Pembroke and Llandarcy
Sign up now at www.swanseacity. com/news/february-soccercamps-sign-now Junior Jack members are entitled to two, £5 vouchers to be redeemed against the Soccer Camps.
Today’s bucket collection is in aid of Llys Nini, a local charity t h at re s c u e s a n d c a re s fo r approximately 3000 animals each year, 80% of which are from RSPCA inspectors. Most of the animals that Llys Nini care for have been saved from life threatening situations, including tackling the recent increase in puppy farming and offering a second chance to these dogs. Llys Nini also have a programme of helping lonely, isolated and vulnerable people. Working with animals and being outdoors promotes the well-being of these adults and children. They work with many local organisations such as Crisis, Shaw Trust and local colleges offering individuals with additional needs the opportunity to volunteer, up skill and learn essential social skills.
PAGE 15
LUTON TOWN
LUTON TOWN LUTON TOWN LUTON TOWN LUTON TOWN LUTON TOWN LUTON TOWN LUTON TOWN OWNER
NICKNAME
FOUNDED
Luton Town FC 2020 Ltd.
The Hatters
1885
STADIUM
OPENED
CAPACITY
Kenilworth Road
1905
10,356
@LutonTown
@ltfc_official
/LutonTown
THE GAFFER
The Welshman is now in his second spell with the Hatters. Was first appointed at Kenilworth Road in January 2016 following a spell as Brighton’s assistant manager, and led the Hatters to safety before reaching the play-offs the following year.
NATHAN JONES
He went a step further the following campaign, leading Luton to League One, and looked on course for another promotion, only to take up the vacant Stoke job in January 2019. He lasted just 10 months with the Potters, and returned to Luton in May 2020. He kept Luton up on the final day of the season, while he guided them to a highly-respectable 12th-place finish last season.
CLUB CAPTAIN
The centre-back has experienced a rollercoaster career which started and continues in the Championship following spells in non league and Sweden. Began his career with local club Hull City, and went out on loan to Harrogate and Aldershot with a spell in Sweden with fourth-tier club IK Frej wedged between.
A one-year stint with Portsmouth, then in League Two, led to a move to Crawley Town in the division above.
SONNY BRADLEY
PAGE 16
Was part of Plymouth’s League Two winning side, which led to him being named in the team of the year, and is now enjoying his fourth year with Hatters.
N
N N N N N N N
KENILWORTH ROAD MEET THE OPPOSITION
HOW’S THEIR FORM?
Luton Town are currently contesting their third successive season in the Championship.
Strong. The Hatters have lost just one of their last eight games in all c ompetitions; a run that has t aken them into the top 10 in the Championship table.
Last appeared in the top flight in the 1991-92 season, where they were relegated on the final day of the campaign – thus preventing them from featuring in the inaugural Premier League. They’ve been at Kenilworth Road since 1905, having been founded 10 years earlier, while their biggest piece of silverware came via the League Cup in 1988. Financial difficulties between 2007 and 2009 saw them fall from the second tier to the fifth in successive seasons. After five seasons in non league, they were promoted in 2014, and successive promotions in League Two and League One soon followed.
That sequence has seen them emerge undefeated from games against the top three, with Luton taking three points off Bournemouth and sharing the spoils with Fulham and Blackburn Rovers. Their away form has been decent enough, taking 16 points from 13 games, which puts them in the top 10 in the Championship for points on their travels.
PAGE 17
ONES TO WATCH
ONES TO WATCH ONES TO WATCH
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PELLY-RUDDOCK
MPANZU
POSITION
CM
NATION
AGE
SHIRT NO.
27 17
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 18
M
idfielder Mpanzu started his career in the youth system at non-league Boreham Wood, and got his big chance when he joined West Ham in 2011. He made a solitary first-team appearance for the Hammers in the League Cup against Burnley, and had a spell on loan with Luton – then in the National League – before bring quickly snapped up on a free transfer in January 2014. He has not looked back since, maturing into an accomplished deep-lying playmaker with an ability to read the game and spot danger. Mpanzu has racked up 316 appearances in total for Luton and been part of their trio of promotions back up to the second tier.
HARRY CORNICK POSITION
RW
NATION
AGE
SHIRT NO.
26 7
T
he Poole-born former Bournemouth attacker is enjoying a fifth season with Luton, having helped them to two promotions. Started his career with Christchurch in the Wessex League, and quickly attracted the attention of the Cherries. Made just a solitary appearance for Bournemouth – in the FA Cup – and had a number of loan spells in non-league were followed by stints at Yeovil Town, Leyton Orient and Gillingham. His switch to L uton in 2017 proved a successful move for both player and club, and he’s got 200 appearances in sight.
ELIJAH ADEBAYO POSITION
ST
B
NATION
AGE
SHIRT NO.
24 11
orn in London but of Nigerian descent, Adebayo started his career at Fulham, having joined them at under-9 level.
Spent loan spells in non league and with L e a g u e Two c l u b s C h e l t e n h a m Tow n , Swindon Town and Stevenage before a permanent move to Walsall paid dividends. He struck 18 league goals over two seasons for the Saddlers, and a move to L uton followed midway through last season. Is no stranger to the Swans, having struck two goals in the 3-3 draw between the sides earlier this season.
PAGE 19
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WATCH HIGHLIGHTS
SWANSEA 1 PRESTON NORTH END 0
RYAN MANNING’S STUNNING STRIKE SAW SWANSEA CITY RETURN TO WINNING WAYS AS THEY SAW OFF PRESTON NORTH END AT THE SWANSEA.COM STADIUM.
TEAM LINEUPS Swans: Ben Hamer; Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, Ryan Manning; Cyrus Christie (Jay Fulton 84), Flynn Downes, Matt Grimes (captain), Joel Latibeaudiere; Korey Smith, Olivier Ntcham (Hannes Wolf 46); Joel Piroe (Kyle Joseph 74). Subs not used: Andy Fisher, Ryan Bennett, Michael Obafemi, Liam Walsh. Preston: Daniel Iversen, Sepp van den Berg, Greg Cunningham, Ben Whiteman (Ryan Ledson 84), Patrick Bauer, Alan Browne (captain), Ched Evans, Daniel Johnson (captain), Joe Rafferty (Scott Sinclair 63), Emil Riis Jakobsen, Tom Barkhuizen (Matthew Olosunde 36). Subs not used: Connor Ripley, Liam Lindsay, Ali McCann, Sean Maguire. Referee: Joshua Smith Attendance: 16,842
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WATCH HIGHLIGHTS
QUEENS PARK RANGERS 0
SWANSEA 0 SWANSEA CITY HAD TO SETTLE FOR A POINT ON THEIR TRAVELS AS THEY WERE HELD TO A GOALLESS DRAW BY QUEENS PARK RANGERS DESPITE BEING REDUCED TO TEN MEN.
TEAM LINEUPS QPR: David Marshall; Lee Wallace (Albert Adomah, 60), Rob Dickie, Yoann Barbet, Stefan Johansen (captain); Luke Amos (Lyndon Dykes, 60), Sam Field, Jimmy Dunne, Chris Willock (George Thomas, 82), Moses Odubajo; Charlie Austin. Subs not used: Joe Lumley, Jordy de Wijs, Dominic Ball, Andre Dozzell. Swans: Ben Hamer; Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, Ryan Manning; Cyrus Christie, Flynn Downes, Matt Grimes (captain), Joel Latibeaudiere; Korey Smith, Hannes Wolf (Jay Fulton, 66); Joel Piroe (Michael Obafemi, 66). Subs not used: Andy Fisher, Ryan Bennett, Kyle Joseph, Liam Walsh, Azeem Abdulai. Referee: Andy Davies Attendance: 12,770 (818 Away Fans)
PAGE 23
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.
EFL.com
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS
HULL CITY 2 SWANSEA 0 SWANSEA CITY SUFFERED THEIR FIRST DEFEAT IN FOUR GAMES AS THEY WERE BEATEN BY HULL AT THE MKM STADIUM.
TEAM LINEUPS Hull City: Nathan Baxter, Jacob Greaves, Richie Smallwood (captain), Greg Docherty, Tom Eaves, George Honeyman (Callum Jones 90), Keane LewisPotter, Ryan Longman, Sean McLoughlin, Brandon Fleming (Regan Slater 81), Di'Shon Bernard. Subs not used: Matt Ingram, George Moncur, Tyler Smith, Tom Huddlestone, Festus Arthur. Swans: Ben Hamer; Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, Ryan Manning; Cyrus Christie, Korey Smith (Liam Walsh 63), Matt Grimes (captain), Joel Latibeaudiere; Jay Fulton (Michael Obafemi 45), Hannes Wolf (Olivier Ntcham 45); Joel Piroe. Subs not used: Andy Fisher, Ryan Bennett, Kyle Joseph, Azeem Abdulai. Referee: Leigh Doughty Attendance: 13,101 (383 Away Fans)
PAGE 25
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STILETTOS AND STUDS BY JULIE KISSICK
B
y the time you are reading this the transfer window will be closed and the inevit able speculation and stress about who is coming, going and staying will be over for a few months at least. A huge sigh of relief for everyone involved in professional football, no doubt. The thing about the January transfer window is that that there are so many variables and, while it might provide plenty of discussion points, it causes uncertainty at a time when the season is in full swing and the options for moves are limited. Whatever business is concluded by the time the window closes, let’s hope the players that come in integrate swiftly into the squad and those who go out do so with great memories of their time with the club. There are very few professions where u n c e r t a i nt y i s g u a ra nt e e d at q u i t e the level it is in football and whatever part a player has in the history of the club it has always been the philosophy at Swansea City to make people feel welcome and ‘at home’. This is such an important part of the process of integrating new players into the squad successfully, because we all know that if we don’t feel settled in our personal lives then our professional lives can suffer. It was great to see the interview with new Manchester City loanee F inley B urns on the weekend, bec ause he certainly appears to have had a warm Swansea City welcome. “I’ ve had a chanc e to speak to the manager and his staff and they’re all great. They’re delighted to have me here and I feel looked after already so I’m just looking forward to learning under him and progressing,” he said.
I f yo u fe e l “ l o o ke d aft e r ” f r o m t h e start , the settling in process should be swift and hopefully that will be the case for all the new recruits. And that stands for us as fans too – we all have a role to play in making s u r e eve r yo n e w h o we a r s t h e s h i r t feels valued for doing their job. B urns t alked about getting the c all with news of the move while he was in London visiting his grandparents. He then drove back to Manchester to collect what he needed and get back on the road to make the long trip to south west Wales. Kudos to every player who has ever had to pack up their lives like that . And, welcome to Swansea City, Finley. To n i g h t ’ s g a m e , L u t o n u n d e r t h e lights at the Swansea.com Stadium, will be another big challenge for the b o y s , p a r t i c u l a r l y a ft e r t h e d e f e a t against Hull at the weekend. The visitors arrive fresh from a goalless draw against one of the Championship's automatic promotion chasers, Blackburn Rovers. The result meant Luton remain in 10th plac e and are six point s adrift of a play-off place. Welshman Nathan Jones’ side have had three wins, a draw and a defeat in their last five mat che s and have a n i m p r e s s i ve r e c o r d o f r e m a i n i n g unbeaten when scoring first . Town have not lost a Championship match when netting the opening goal since a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest back in January 2020. Let’s hope if there are goals in t h e g a m e, t h e y d o n ’ t c o m e v i a t h e Hatters first .
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ASTUDIA YM MHRIFYSGOL ABERTAWE DRWS I DDYFODOL DISGLAIR DYSGWCH FWY
FFRAMWAITH RHAGORIAETH & DEILLIANNAU MYFYRWYR PAGE 30
(Y dyfarniad uchaf am Ragoriaeth Addysgu ym mhrifysgolion y DU)
WELSH COLUMN BY IAN MITCHELMORE, WALESONLINE
D
oedd trawsnewidiad tîm pêl-droed Abertawe o dan Russell Martin byth yn mynd i fod yn hawdd.
Cafodd y cyn rheolwr MK Dons ei gyhoeddi fel rheolwr newydd yr Elyrch chwe diwrnod cyn dechrau’r tymor Pencampwriaeth presennol, gan adael iddo ychydig o amser gwerthfawr i roi ei ddulliau ar waith cyn y gêm agoriadol yn erbyn Blackburn Rovers yn Ewood Park. Dros gyfnod o amser, mae Martin wedi gallu mowldio ei dîm i gyd-fynd â'r hyn y mae ei eisiau, ac mae perfformiadau wedi addasu o ganlyniad. Mae ffenestr drosglwyddo mis Ionawr unwaith eto wedi profi’n un brysur i Abertawe – yn enwedig o ystyried y ffaith bod Martin wedi bod yn benderfynol o roi cyfle i chwaraewyr ifanc chwarae’n rheolaidd drwy eu hanfon allan ar fenthyg. Ond mae hefyd wedi golygu bod eraill wedi dod i fewn, megis - ar adeg ysgrifennu golwr Andy Fisher, amddifynnwr Cyrus Christie ac ymosodwr Hannes Wolf. Ond i ffwrdd oddi wrth y wynebau newydd hynny, un dyn sydd wedi dechrau dangos gwir arwyddion o addewid o dan y staff hyfforddi presennol yw Ben Cabango.
Ac, yn hollbwysig, gallai Cabango fod yn amseru ei rediad trawiadol o ffurf i berffeithrwydd.
Mae'r amddiffynnwr wedi bod yn ffigwr hollbwysig yn dechrau cynghrair trawiadol Abertawe i 2022.
Mae’r amddiffynnwr wedi ennill tri chap dros ei wlad ond ni chwaraeodd un munud yn Ewro 2020 yr haf diwethaf ar ôl cael ei gynnwys yng ngharfan 26 dyn Rob Page ar gyfer y cystadleuaeth.
Helpodd yr E lyrch i gadw ’n dda yn erbyn Preston North End a Queens Park Rangers tra’i fod yn dangos hynny – nid yn unig y gall amddiffyn yn gymwys – ond ei fod bellach yn llawer mwy cyfforddus yn ei feddiant nag y bu o’r blaen.
Soniodd Martin yn ddiweddar am awydd C abango i fod yn rhan o’r llwyfan rhyngwladol, ac os gall y dyn o Gaerdydd gynnal ei safonau uchel d i we d d a r, fe fyd d y n a n o d d i P a g e anwybyddu chwaraewr Abertawe.
O ystyried pa mor gyflym y daeth Cabango yn dîm cyntaf rheolaidd o dan Steve Cooper, mae'n hawdd anghofio mae'r seren a aned yng Nghaerdydd yn 21 oed.
Yn y tymor byr, mae'n rhaid mai unig ffocws Cabango yw parhau i ddisgleirio o flaen cefnogwyr Abertawe a helpu i wthio ei dîm i fyny tabl y Bencampwriaeth.
Mae ganddo yrfa hir o'i flaen, a bydd Abertawe yn ei weld fel ased hynod werthfawr a all fynd ymlaen i gyflawni pethau gwych yn y dyfodol.
Pe bai’n parhau i ennill clod gan Martin ac eraill, fe allai’r Wal Goch fod yn gweld llawer mwy o Cabango mewn crys Cymreig yn y dyfodol agos.
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CYRUS CHRISTIE HAS MADE AN IMPRESSIVE START TO LIFE AT SWANSEA CITY. HERE, HE TALKS US THROUGH THE REASONS BEHIND HIS LOAN MOVE FROM FULHAM, HIS HUNGER TO SUCCEED IN SA1, AND THE MOTIVATION BEHIND HIS RECOGNISED WORK OFF THE FIELD. CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE....
Cyrus, welcome to Swansea City. How pleased were you to get the move done and how do you feel you have settled in?
Yo u m e nt i o n e d t h e s t y l e of play there, what is it about how Swansea play that stands out to you?
I t i s s o g o o d t o b e h e r e. I t took a little while for the move to get done but I am just happy to be here and I have just been looking forward to playing football again.
The first thing is keeping the ball re ally well, which a lot of sides want to do but it’s a lot easier to do it than it is to say it.
I spoke to the manager and straight away he almost made my mind up for me. It’s always great when a manager rings you and outlines everything he wants from you and how he sees you fitting in. He spoke about his ideas and as a footballer it goes a long way when you feel wanted by a manager. T his is a big club, playing b r i l l i a n t fo o t b a l l . I t h o u g h t Swansea did really well at Fulham, it’s about those fine margins in the Championship and I hope I can bring some experience to the team, because it’s a young team that is going places and playing football the right way. I feel I have settled well, it’s been really easy to settle with the way the lads have been and the way the manager has been. I am just happy t o be here, happy t o be playing, I have been made to feel welc ome and I am buzzing. I love it here, my family love it here so we are comfortable and it’s great to be playing again.
I fe e l Swa n s e a g et fo r wa r d really well, there is a lot of patience in the play too but I view it as football being played the right way. When you play that way you are taking risks, but it ’s not such a risk when everyone buys into it and everyone is on the same page. I t ’ s d e f i n i t e l y a n att ra c t i ve way to play and when it’s right it’s great on the eye and great to be involved in. The building blocks are there, we have a lot of games in hand and it’s now about getting results on the board and hopefully moving up. And there are a few familiar faces in the Swansea dressing room for you? Yeah, I know a few of the lads, I know Ritson Lloyd in the medic al team from my time at Coventry, and I also know J amie P aterson from there, we were a lot younger then. It makes it easier when you c ome into a changing room where you know people, I know Ryan Manning from the R epublic of Ireland and Michael Obafemi too. I also spoke to Alfie Mawson and he only had good things
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to say about his time here, and t h at i s a l ways e n c o u ra g i n g and makes you feel you are making the right decision. I’ve also known Kyle Naughton through some mutual friends and you can see how well he is playing and the career he has had, so it all helps and makes it easier. You are a player with considerable experience in the Championship after spells with Coventry, Derby, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and now Swansea. What are the key factors to being successful in this division? It’s all about consistency. The games come thick and fast and it’s about finding the way to win. It will not be the perfect game every time and there will be times you have to put your backs against the wall, but those little 1-0 wins where you scrape a win are big things. It’s about the team playing together as a whole, as a unit, fighting for each other. The teams I have been in and done well have had that togetherness. Everyone is on that page, the fans are with you and you are all fighting as one. That is massive and in that instance that confidence comes and you can be playing your best football without realising it. It’s so important and you can see that from this club’s history and success over the last 10 or 15 years. This is a brilliant club that has been in the Premier L eague and everyone is pushing to get back there. This is a club that has the foundations in place to get back there. The identity is there and that makes it a lot easier for things to click.
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You are known as an energetic player, able to get up and down the flank and be effective at both ends of the field, but how do you view your attributes as a player? I like to get forward and get assists, that has maybe been what I have made my career on. When you do that some people do question your defensive side, but I have the numbers to back it up. B u t a s a n att a c k i n g p l a ye r growing up, it was about getting forward and I feel I can create chances and provide assists. I am a front foot player, I like to be on the front foot and I want to get up to match sharpness as quick as possible and fit right in and show my quality. It has been a tough time recently where I have not been able to show my full ability. The opportunity has been hard to come by, so I want to come here and show that quality and prove it. I want to help the lads push up the league, and this is a league where anything can happen, especially with those games in hand.. Off the pitch you have the Cyrus Christie Foundation, which you have set up to try and bring about positive social change in your community. Can you tell us a bit more about that? I started the foundation maybe 18 months to two years ago, with a guy from Coventry, and he was able to help me put things in place to help it grow and help more people, My end goal is to create a scholarship foundation that helps people who are underprivileged
and maybe don’t have the opportunities other people get to push through and succeed in their dreams.
T his world is about the next generation, they are c oming up and need the opportunity to suc c eed.
It’s not just people who want to be footballers, there are people who want to be musicians, to be lawyers, to go to univer sity and find those opportunities.
It was an honour to be named amongst such a group of people.
T here are many people who don’ t get the chanc e to get to certain places. It ’s about giving them the platform to reach their dreams and inspire the next generation. Your work with the fo u n d a t i o n s a w y o u n a m e d on the Football Black List for 2021, which recognises players the most influential individuals from the black community working within football. The likes of Marcus Rashford and Nikita Parris were among those also named on that list; that must have been a proud moment? Of course, I was proud of being named on the B l a c k L i st , i t i s g re at t o b e recognised among such great names and, like I said, it’s about being able to help people. Obviously, Marcus R ashford h a s a b i g g e r p l at fo r m t h a n me, but we are slowly making changes and you can see it.
F inally, C yrus, what do you hope you can achieve during your time at Swansea? On a personal level the main thing is to try and play as many games as possible and it’s been great to come straight in and be able to play. I want to play my part and I feel that is why I have been brought in and I want to regain that confidence and sharpness to find my best form. If I do that, there is no reason I cannot help the team. I know the club are aiming for promotion, and you can see there is an awful lot of talent and quality here. So I want to get Swansea as high up the table as possible and see where that takes us. It’s about those fine margins, and once those are there then it is possibly for special things to happen. Yo u h a v e t o a i m h i g h , b u t we have to be ready every Saturday and every Tuesday.
It’s one of the biggest achievements you can have, to put smiles on people’s faces and give them the opportunity that you did not have when you were younger.
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Transfers in:
TRANSFER ROUN
Andy Fisher - MK Dons (Undisclosed) Cyrus Christie - Fulham (Loan) Hannes Wolf - Borussia Mönchengladbach (Loan) Finley Burns - Manchester City (Loan) Nathanael Ogbeta - Shrewsbury Town (Undisclosed) Transfers out:
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Steven Benda - Peterborough United (Loan) Morgan Whittaker & Liam Cullen - Lincoln City (Loan) Lewis Webb - Shelbourne (Loan) Daniel Williams - Dundalk (Loan) Jake Bidwell - Coventry City (Free) Brandon Cooper - Swindon Town (Loan) Liam Walsh - Hull City (Loan)
NDUP GRAPHIC
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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.
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SWANS COMPLETE LOAN DEAL FOR FINLEY BURNS
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wansea City has completed the signing of defender Finley Burns on loan from Manchester City for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, subject to international clearance. The 18-year-old is Russell Martin’s fourth acquisition of the January transfer window following the arrivals of A n d y F i s h e r, C y r u s C h r i s t i e and Hannes Wolf.
B u r n s i s a t owe r i n g c e nt ra l d e fe n d e r, s t a n d i n g a t 6’5” and has been with Manchester City since the age of 13 after signing from Southend. An England Under-18 i n t e r n at i o n a l , t h e d e fe n d e r signed his first professional contract with the Premier League side in July 2020 a n d wa s a key p a r t of t h e i r FA Youth C up winning t e am
of 2020 and Premier L eague 2 title win in 2020/21. Burns has handed his first team debut by Pep Guardiola in Manchester City's 6-1 Carabao Cup win over Wycombe back in September and recently signed a new contract with the Premier L eague leaders until 2027.
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SWANS SIGN NATHANAEL OGBETA FOR UNDISCLOSED FEE
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wansea City has completed the signing of Nathanael Ogbeta f r o m S h r e w s b u r y To w n f o r an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance. The 20-year-old bolsters Russell Martin’s wide o p t i o n s w i t h t h e l e ft- s i d e d player bec oming Swansea’s fifth and final signing of the transfer window following t h e a r r i va l s of A n d y F i s h e r, Cyrus Christie, Hannes Wolf and Finley Burns. Ogbeta, who was due to be out of contract in the
summer, has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal at the Swansea.com Stadium. The England youth international spent 10 years on the books at Manchester C i t y, t h e m a j o r i t y o f w h i c h took in the period where Swans sporting director Mark Allen was the Citizens’ academy chief. He feat ured for the club’s under-21s in the EFL Trophy but did not get to make a first-team appearance for the Premier League champions.
Ogbeta – whose sister Naomi is a five-time defending British triple jump champion and European Under-20 Championship medalist - joined League O n e S h r ews b u r y i n J a n u a r y 2021, and has won praise for his showings. He has made 58 appe aranc e s for the Shrews, scoring two goals and contributing t h re e as s i st s .
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CARDIFF CITY U23s 1 SWANS U23s 1
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wanse a City U nder -23s picked up a point away at Professional Development L eague South table toppers Cardiff City with a 1-1 draw. Jaden Forrester’s first-half penalty saw the Swans go into the break in the lead, but Keenan Patten’s second-half header ensured the Swans would leave with just a point. The Swans took the lead after just nine minutes, as Joe Thomas put in a fantastic ball that found Lincoln Mcfayden at the back post and he pulled it back to Ben Lloyd but his effort was well saved by George Ratcliffe. However, Cameron Congreve picked up the ball on the rebound and was brought down in the box. Jaden Forrester stepped up from the spot and buried his fifth goal in his last five games. Max Watters had the chance to pull one back just three minutes later, as a long ball over the top found the forward but Nico Hansen made a good save from a tight angle. Swansea remained on top throughout the rest of the half, with Lincoln Mcfayden and Ben Lloyd causing trouble down the left hand side.
Joel Cotterill tried his luck from distance with a powerful shot, but the goalkeeper held onto the strike. The majority of Cardiff’s first half attacks came on the break and from set-pieces, but the hosts struggled to cause any real trouble for Nico Hansen as the Swans defence dealt well with balls into the box. But it was the hosts who started the second half on top, Watters winning the ball from Hansen in the box but a last-ditch tackle from Cameron Evans ensured the Swans maintained their lead. But the Bluebirds grabbed an equaliser after 60 minutes as a Kieron Evans delivery found Keenan Patten who powered a header into the back of the net. The Swans came agonisingly close to regaining the lead just six minutes later as Ben Lloyd’s effort from a tight angle hit the post before Congreve’s shot was cleared off the line by Patten. Swansea were handed a great chance to regain the lead with a second spot kick of the afternoon after Ibrahim Bakare handled Mcfayden’s cross, but this time Forrester’s penalty was saved after Ratcliffe guessed the right way to make the save.
Forrester had another chance to seal the points for the visitors with five minutes to go as Tarrelle Whittaker won the ball high up the pitch and played in the striker, but his chipped effort dropped agonisingly wide of the post. Cardiff had the chance to snatch the points with the last attack of the game, but Rubin Colwill’s effort was cleared off the line by Tivonge Rushesha. The result sees Swansea City's Under23s extend their unbeaten run to four games, having drawn all three of their games so far in 2022..
TEAM LINEUP Swans: Nico Hansen, Tivonge Rushesha, Joe Thomas, Joel Cotterill, Cameron Evans (captain), Trialist, Ben Lloyd, Sam Leverett, Jaden Forrester, Cameron Congreve (Tarrelle Whittaker 82’), Lincoln Mcfayden. Subs not used: Harry Jones, Trialist, Jacob Jones, Ben Erickson.
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CARDIFF MET LADIES 1 SWANS LADIES 1
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wansea City Ladies missed out on a place in the semi-final of the Genero Adran Trophy after a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Cardiff Met. The Swans went behind in the 40th minute as Emily Allen gave the home side the lead from the penalty spot. Chloe Chivers then equalised straight from the restart to level the scores going into the break. The result had to be decided by a penalty shootout which saw Swansea lose out on a spot in the final four of the competition which they won last season. The opening stages were evenly contested but it was Met who had the first sight of goal, but the strike from former Swan Sophie Hancocks went way over the bar. The Swans looked to have fo u n d a way t h ro u g h M et ’ s defenc e aft er K aty Ho sford played in Chivers, but she was deemed marginally offside.
Swansea broke quickly towards the end of the second half, which led to a shot from Chivers, but it was dealt with well by Sweeney. Cardiff Met were awarded a penalty in the closing stages of the first half after Elianna Chavez was fouled by Ellie Lake. Allen then converted from the spot despite Claire Skinner getting a touch on it. But Chivers equalised within a matter of seconds after she buried it into the far corner from the restart. In the second half, Chavez worked a yard of space in the box to get a shot away but Skinner was on hand to parry it away with a great save. Swansea had a good chance of their own at the other end as Laura Davies was picked out by Chivers’ free kick, however Sweeney was able to gather the header. Chris Church’s side looked the more threatening of the two sides and they created another promising attack after Chivers broke through but her effort flew over the bar.
Another chance then followed as a result of Rhianne Oakley releasing Chivers, but Sweeney put a stop to the move at the final stage with an acrobatic save. Straight after, Chivers saw her longrange shot clatter the crossbar as the visitors continued to press for a winner in normal time. However, the game went to penalties and Cardiff Met held their nerve to secure a 4-2 win in the shootout.
TEAM LINEUP Swans: Claire Skinner, Ellie Lake, Tija Richardson, Nieve Jenkins, Rhianne Oakley, Laura Davies, Kelly Adams, Nia Rees (Karmyn Carter 87’), Stacey John-Davis, Katy Hosford (C), Chloe Chivers. Subs not used: Gemma Border, Sarah Adams, Chloe Tiley, Gwen Horgan.
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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
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A H S S A
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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)
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THAT’S BETTING BETTER. THAT’S BETTING BETTER.
T
JACK THE LAD
he Swans playing Luton on the original date for this match over the festive season immediately took me back to my childhood Christmases. However, my reminiscences had little to do with football and more to do with TV comedy.
"Everything in America is for the patron. Over here, we're still a little backward - and this applies to Luton as well as any other town. I haven't been in a ground yet which gives me what I want."
No Christmas was complete in the 1970s until the whole family had sat down to watch the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special.
There's no doubting that while Morecambe used to play it for laughs most of the time, he had serious views on football, which were ahead of his time.
And for those of you too young to make the Luton connection, comedian Eric Morecambe - one half of the legendary Morecambe and Wise comedy double act - was a director at Kenilworth Road.
When you look at the standard of facilities in new stadiums up and down the country now, it's just a shame his visions didn't become a reality sooner.
Morecambe may have been known as one of Britain's most loved comedians, but he held some serious views on football - when interviewers could get him to stop cracking jokes for long enough. The comedian would regularly drop disparaging remarks about his beloved Luton into routines and sketches. But during an interview as far back as 1972, he was making the case for improved facilities for fans at football grounds. Asked what could be done to improve football, Morecambe said: "Well, I can only be perfectly honest here. I would say - and we can't do it at the moment at Luton, but it will come eventually - by (improving) comfort. "I saw a film on TV the other night and it took you to a baseball stadium in Los Angeles or somewhere which put Wembley to shame. They took you around it in
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the story and that stadium was like a palace compared with Wembley.
Of course Eric Morecambe isn't the only comedian to be connected to a football club in an official capacity. Midlands funnyman J asper Carrott was a director at Birmingham City for many years, while neighbours West Brom have a whole legion of comedians following them including professionals Frank Skinner and Lenny Henry! The Swans of course have Elis James as their resident jester, but somehow I can't see the Carmarthen comedian following the likes of Morecambe and Carrot into the boardroom. Our Elis strikes me very much as a pie in the stands kind of fan rather than one who craves a prawn sandwich in the boardroom. But he has done every bit as much as the likes of Morecambe and Carrot to promote his club - and also his country as an avid follower of the Wales national team.
Elis regularly talks of his exploits following the Swans and Wales in his myriad TV programmes and podcasts - including the brilliant Socially Distanced Sports Bar and the Radio 5 show which he hosts alongside John Robins. Guardian readers up and down the country are also given an insight into what it 's like to follow the Swans through Elis' column in the broadsheet. I'm not sure how Elis would feel about being c omp ared to an iconic comedian from the 1970s, but one thing he and E ric Morec ambe would undoubtedly have in common is a huge and genuine affection for the beautiful game. When Elis went to his first live game after lockdown - the Swans' Carabao Cup tie against Reading in August - he wrote with great eloquence and feeling about being back in a stadium... "As I walked to the away end at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday night , for a fixture that would stir the blood of any football fan (Reading v Swansea City in the first round of the Carabao Cup), I adopted the traditional football fans’ strut, a walk reserved exclusively for attending games and one so purposeful it would look insane at soft play or if you were buying a pot plant from Homebase. "I hadn’t been to a football match since the Swans lost 1-0 against Fulham at Craven Cottage in February 2020, and as I walked to the ground I experienced the same sharpening of the senses I have felt at every sporting event since I began attending games in 1988."
It's a feeling every sports fan knows well, but Elis has the talent to convey those feelings to his readers. In the same article, he summed up that feeling when your team scores a goal whatever the competition and whoever the opposition. "For Swansea’s second goal, a Ben Cabango header midway through the second half, I bec ame moment arily senseless, leaving my seat to run down the stairs towards the advertising hoardings, before thinking: “You’re 41 in November and Reading have seven teenagers in their side because of a transfer embargo, is this reasonable?” Of course it's reasonable Elis - in fact it's perfectly understandable behaviour and should be actively encouraged! Watching your team scoring a goal is a moment which i s g u a ra n t e e d - at t h e ve r y least - to put a smile on every football fan's face. Perhaps comedians-cum football fans like Eric Morecambe a n d E l i s J a m e s - w h at eve r generation or comedy genre they come from - appreciate that more than anyone. Hopefully the Swans and Luton can produce a game to put a smile on all of our faces this evening... just as long as home side enjoy the last laugh! C'mon you Swans!
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FORMER PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION PAGE 54
C
al l i n g a l l fo r m e r p l aye r s ! Swansea City Former Players’ Association is waiting for you to join. T h e F PA e x i s t s t o u n i t e t h o s e w h o have worn the club shirt and who want to continue or renew their links with the club. T he FPA is open to men and women who have played for the club. It is run by a working committee, including three former players c h a i r L e e Tr u n d l e , d e p u t y c h a i r L eon B ritton and lifelong president Alan Curtis - as well as Esme Allchurch, widow of Swansea City great, Ivor Allchurch. Its primary aims are to promote f r i e n d s h i p, s u p p o r t a n d c h a r i t a b l e work, including fundraising, by bringing together players from different generations and different eras.
It also offers an opportunity to add to the archives of Swansea City Football Club by giving former players a chanc e to share their stories of life as a Swan. It has already brought former teammates together after years apart and t h e fe e d b a c k f r o m t h o s e w h o h ave signed up already is that the FPA has given them a real sense of belonging. O w a i n Tu d o r J o n e s p l a y e d f o r t h e Swans between 2005 and 2009. He said: “It’s such an important thing for t h e S w a n s t o d o. A s s o o n a s I s a w the idea I knew how important it was going to be. “It means so much more than people think because you can feel that you’ve been forgotten about, definitely. “Not every player is still going to b e r e c o g n i s e d at fo r m e r c l u b s a n d
something like this gives players the opportunity to g o b a c k a n d h a ve a r e a s o n for doing so. “ Whether that’s speaking at a h o s p i t a l i t y l o u n g e a s a one off or meeting up with former t e am-mat e s and just catching up and having a r e a s o n t o d o t h at , i t m e a n s a l ot .” W h i l e To n y C o t t e y, w h o made a name for himself as a successful cricketer aft e r b e i n g r e l e a s e d by t h e Swans in 1985, believes t h e F PA h a s a v i t a l r o l e t o p l ay i n t h e we l l - b e i n g of ex Swans, regardless of when o r h ow l o n g t h ey p l aye d fo r t h e c l u b. “Life after professional spor t c a n b e a l on el y p l ac e,
n o m att e r h ow m u c h m o n ey you have in the bank or what you do after you finish.
and the players and the fans have always had a st ro n g c o n n e c t i o n .
“ The way you live your life is very different and for most people it takes some adjusting to, so having somewhere to belong and something to belong to is going t o be beneficia l t o al l tho s e who get involve d.
“ We want t h o s e w h o j o i n u s t o t ake what they want from it, whether that is a social connection or help with s o met h i n g mo re s p e c i f i c . ”
“ I t d o e s n’ t m att e r i f p e o p l e d o n ’ t k n o w e a c h o t h e r, they all have something in common and that opportunity to meet others who share that can have a positive impact on mental he alth and wellbeing.” The views are endorsed by FPA chair Trundle : “ We are a family club, we are approachable
The FPA will organise a range of social and fundraising events, and money raised by the fundraising events will be used to provide a fund for ex p l ayer s . Fo r m e r p l aye r s w i l l b e ke pt i nfo rme d ab o u t event s vi a a mo nt h l y n ews l ett er. Ex Swans who want to join c an d o s o HE R E .
PAGE 55
JUNIOR CYRIL'S HALF-TIME QUIZ QUESTION ONE
QUESTION TWO
What was the score when Swansea played Luton back in September?
Who scored Swansea’s first goal when the two sides meet at the Swansea.com Stadium last season?
QUESTION FOUR
QUESTION FIVE
What is Luton’s nickname?
Who scored a dramatic late equaliser for Swansea at Kenilworth Road back in September?
QUESTION THREE Luton boss Nathan Jones hails from which Welsh town?
QUESTION SIX Which club did we sign Finley Burns from on loan?
CYRIL AND CYBIL'S PREDICTION SWANS 2 LUTON TOWN 1
PAGE 56
PAGE 57 Cyril’s Half-Time Quiz Answers Question One - 3-3 Question Two - Connor Roberts Question Three - Merthyr
Question Four - The Hatters Question Five - Joel Piroe Question Six - Manchester City The player's is: Ryan Mannning
TUNNEL VISION: CAN YOU HELP CYBIL SEE WHO IS AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?
R JACKS
PLAYER SPONSORS 2021~2022 BEN HAMER
CYRUS CHRISTIE
OLIVIER NTCHAM
KYLE NAUGHTON
BEN LLOYD
ANDY FISHER
RYAN BENNETT
BEN CABANGO
MATT GRIMES
JAY FULTON
RYAN MANNING
FLYNN DOWNES
KOREY SMITH
TRAVEL
HOUSE .CO.UK
JAMIE PATERSON
CALL 01792 616 624 OR PAGE 58
MICAHEL OBAFEMI
JOEL PIROE
HANNES WOLF
EMAIL L.MERRELLS@SWANSEACITY.COM FOR AVAILABILITY
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
Bristol City A W 0-1
Fri, Aug 20, 7.45pm
Cabango
Bennett
Latibeaudiere
Bidwell
Smith 1
Cabango
B.Cooper
Latibeaudiere
Bidwell 3
Williams
Manning
Cabango
B.Cooper
Latibeaudiere
Bidwell
Downes
Benda
Manning
Cabango
B.Cooper
Latibeaudiere 3
Bidwell
Downes
Benda
Laird
Manning
B.Cooper
Latibeaudiere
Bidwell
Fulton
2
Plymouth Argyle (CC R2) H W 4-1
Tue, Aug 24, 7pm
Hamer
Manning 1
Joseph 3
Bennett
Latibeaudiere
Bidwell
Fulton
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 D 0-0
Wed, Sept 15, 7.45pm
Hamer
Naughton
Cabango
Bennett
Laird
Manning
Downes
Luton Town A D 3-3
Sat, Sept 18, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
R Williams 1
Bennett
Laird
Manning
Downes 3
2
Brighton & Hove Albion (CC R3) A L 2-0
Wed, Sept 22 7.30pm
Benda
R Williams
Cooper
Cabango 1
Latibeaudiere
Walsh 2
Fulton
Huddersfield Town H W 1-0
Sat, Sept 25, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Cabango
Manning
Laird
Bidwell
Downes
Fulham A L 3-1
Wed, Sept 29, 7.45pm
Hamer
Naughton
Cabango
Manning
Laird
Bidwell 3
Downes 2
Derby County A D 0-0
Sat, Oct 2, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Cabango
Manning
Latibeaudiere 1
Bidwell
Downes
Cardiff City H W 3-0
Sun, Oct 17, 12pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett 2
Manning
Laird
Bidwell
Downes
West Bromwich Albion H W 2-1
Wed, Oct 20, 7.45pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett
Cabango 2
Laird
Bidwell 3
Downes 1
Birmingham City A L 2-1
Sat, Oct 23, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett
Manning
Latibeaudiere
Laird
Smith 1 Smith
Peterborough United H W 3-0
Sat, Oct 30, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett
Manning
Laird 3
Bidwell
Coventry City A W 2-1
Tue, Nov 2, 7.45pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett
Manning
Laird
Bidwell
Smith
AFC Bournemouth A L 4-0
Sat, Nov 6, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett
Manning
Laird
Bidwell 2
Downes
Blackpool H D 1-1
Sat, Nov 20, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Cabango
Manning
Laird
Bidwell
Downes
1
Barnsley A W 0-2
Wed, Nov 24, 7.45pm
Hamer
Bennett
Naughton
Cabango
Laird
Bidwell 2
Downes 1
Reading H L 3-2
Sat, Nov 27, 3pm
Hamer
Bennett 2
Naughton
R Williams
Laird
Manning
Ntcham
Middlesbrough A L 1-0
Sat, Dec 4, 3pm
Hamer
Naughton
Cabango
R Williams 2
Laird 3
Downes
Manning
Nottingham Forest H L 1-4
Sat, Dec 11, 3pm
Hamer
Laird 1
Cabango
Bennett
Manning
Downes
Smith
Southampton (FA C R3) H L 2-3 (AET)
Sat, Jan 8, 5.30pm
Hamer
Naughton
Bennett
B.Cooper
Manning
Downes
Smith 5
Huddersfield Town A D 1-1
Sat, Jan 15, 3pm
Hamer
Cabango
Naughton
Manning
Christie 1
Latibeaudiere
Grimes
Preston North End H W 1-0
Sat, Jan 22, 3pm
Hamer
Cabango
Naughton
Manning
Christie 3
Latibeaudiere
Grimes
2
Queens Park Rangers A D 0-0
Tues, Jan 25, 7.45pm
Hamer
Cabango
Naughton
Manning
Christie
Latibeaudiere
Grimes
Hull City A L 2-0
Sat, Jan 29, 3pm
Hamer
Cabango
Naughton
Manning
Christie
Latibeaudiere
Grimes
Luton Town H
Tues, Feb 1, 7.45pm
Blackburn Rovers H
Sat, Feb 5, 5.30pm
Stoke City A
Tue, Feb 8, 7.45pm
Bristol City H
Sun, Feb 13, 1pm
Sheffield United A
Sat, Feb 19, 3pm
AFC Bournemouth H
Tue, Feb 22, 7.45pm
West Bromwich Albion A
Mon, Feb 28, 8pm
Coventry City H
Sat, Mar 5, 3pm
Fulham H
Tues, Mar 8, 7.45pm
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
Millwall A
Tues, Apr 5, 7.45pm
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 January 31, 2022.
PAGE 60
Match Statistics Key
2
Goal =
ASON 2021~2022 SUBSTITUTES Cullen 2
Lowe
Paterson
Grimes
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, Latibeaudiere, Manning 1, Fulton, Cullen, Obafemi 2
Grimes
Ntcham 1
Paterson 2
Piroe 3
Benda, Fulton, Obafemi 1, Cullen 3, Latibeaudiere, Bidwell, Walsh 2
Grimes
Walsh 2
Paterson
Obafemi
Benda, Cabango 1, Fulton, Smith, Ntcham 2
Bidwell
Smith 3
Whittaker
Cullen
Webb, Manning 1, Rushesha, Laird, Downes 2
Grimes
Ntcham 3
Piroe
Grimes
Ntcham 1
Piroe
Grimes
Smith 3
Piroe 2
Grimes
Smith 1
Piroe
3
Grimes
Smith
Piroe
3
Paterson
Benda, Latibeaudiere 3, Williams 2, Walsh, Ntcham 1, Cullen, Whittaker
Grimes
Ntcham 2
Piroe 3
Paterson
Benda, Cabango, Williams, Fulton, Walsh 2, Cullen 3, Obafemi 1
Grimes
Ntcham
Grimes
Ntcham 1
Grimes
Ntcham
Grimes Grimes
Grimes
1
2
2
, Whittaker
, Piroe 3
, Latbeaudiere
, Dhanda 3, Piroe
Paterson 1
Benda, Cooper, Latibeaudiere, Fulton 3, Smith 1
Paterson
Benda, Cooper, Latibeaudiere 3, Fulton, Smith 1, Walsh, Cullen 2
Paterson
Benda, Williams, Laird 1, Fulton, Walsh, Cullen 2, Whittaker 3
Paterson
Benda, Cabango 2, Latibeaudiere, Walsh, Ntcham 1, Cullen 3, Whittaker
, Walsh, Cullen 2
Paterson
Piroe
1
Benda, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Downes 2
, Whittaker 3, Obafemi 1, Cullen
Paterson
Piroe
2
Benda, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Downes 2
, Whittaker, Obafemi 1, Cullen
Paterson
Piroe
Ntcham 2
Paterson
Piroe
Smith
Paterson
Piroe 3
Benda, R.Williams, Latibeaudiere, Manning 2, Walsh, Ntcham 1
Grimes
Smith 1
Paterson
Piroe
Benda, Downes 1, Cooper, Cullen 2, Latibeaudiere, Bidwell, Walsh
Grimes
Smith 1
Paterson
Piroe
Benda, Bennett, Obafemi 2, Ntcham 1, Cullen, Latibeaudiere 3, Bidwell
Grimes
Ntcham
Paterson
Piroe
Benda, R. Williams, Latibeaudiere 1, Bidwell, Walsh, Obafemi 2, Cullen
3
Benda, Cabango, Latibeaudiere, Smith 1, Walsh 3, Whittaker 2, Cullen Benda, R.Williams, Latibeaudiere, Smith 2, Walsh, Obafemi 1, Cullen
1
, Cullen 3
Cullen 3
Obafemi 4
Piroe
Benda, R. Williams 5, Abdulai, Bidwell, D. Williams, Fulton 4, Grimes 1, Ntcham 2, Dhanda 3
Downes
Smith
Ntcham 2
Piroe
Fisher, Bennett, Abdulai, Fulton, Walsh, Joseph 2, Obafemi 1
Downes
Smith
Ntcham 1
Piroe 2
Fisher, Bennett, Fulton 3, Walsh, Wolf 1, Joseph 2, Obafemi
Downes
Smith
Wolf 2
Piroe 1
Fisher, Bennett, Abdulai, Fulton 2, Walsh, Joseph, Obafemi 1
Fulton 1
Smith 3
Wolf 2
Piroe
Fisher, Bennett, Abdulai, Walsh 3
Walsh
1
of the longest running Hospital
Liaison Team, who will collect the
Radio Services in the country.
unit after the game finishes. To
They
long
request this free service please
at the Swansea.com Stadium
association with Swansea City
email accessibility@swanseacity.
via
dating back to the days of
com or contact the ticket office.
“Swansea Town” and the Vetch.
To get more information on Radio
Supporters
a
visual
can
improve
their
day
experience
match a
audio
Captain =
with
impairment
City
Hat-trick =
, Ntcham 2, Joseph, Obafemi 1
special 1386AM
service.
Radio
has
provided
commentary
service
have
enjoyed
a
City 1386AM visit their website
for supporters with a visual
They cover all Swansea City home
on
impairment since the opening of
games with live commentary
or email sport@radiocity1386am.
the stadium in 2005, while it has
of the action Anyone with a
co.uk
broadcasted to the patients, staff
visual impairment can request a
and visitors to the Health Board
headset which will be delivered
Hospitals since 1968 and is one
to your seat by the Disability
Sub = 2 (number denotes player replaced) Booked =
Sent off =
www.radiocity1386am.co.uk
Carabao Cup = CC FA Cup = FA
PAGE 61
TABLE 2021~2022
POS TEAM 1
Fulham
28
P W D 17
7
L 4
74
F
26
A GD PTS 48
58
2
Blackburn Rovers
29
15
8
6
45
30
15
53
3
Bournemouth
28
15
7
6
44
24
20
52
4
Queens Park Rangers
28
15
6
7
44
31
13
51
5
West Bromwich Albion
29
12
9
8
34
24
10
45
6
Middlesbrough
28
13
6
9
32
26
6
45
7
Huddersfield Town
29
12
9
8
38
34
4
45
8
Nottingham Forest
29
12
7
10
39
31
8
43
9
Coventry City
27
11
7
9
35
31
4
40
10
Luton Town
27
10
9
8
38
32
6
39
11
Sheffield United
26
11
6
9
35
32
3
39
12
Stoke City
28
11
6
11
33
30
3
39
13
Preston North End
28
9
10
9
33
35
-2
37
14
Blackpool
28
10
7
11
29
33
-4
37
15
Millwall
27
9
9
9
29
29
0
36
16
Bristol City
29
9
7
13
38
51
-13
34
17
Birmingham City
29
8
9
12
32
44
-12
33
18
Swansea City
26
8
8
10
28
34
-6
32
19
Hull City
28
9
5
14
25
31
-6
32
20
Cardiff City
27
7
5
15
30
48
-18
26
21
Reading*
28
8
4
16
33
55
-22
22
22
Peterborough United
27
5
5
17
23
55
-32
20
23
Derby County*
28
8
12
8
28
28
0
15
24
Barnsley
27
2
8
17
17
42
-25
14
Correct as of Jan 31, 2022.
*Derby County deducted 21 points and Reading deducted 6 points under EFL Regulations.
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THE TEAMS SWANS
Head Coach: Russell Martin 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 22 23 26 27 30 33 35 47
Ryan Bennett Ryan Manning Flynn Downes Ben Cabango Jay Fulton Korey Smith Matt Grimes Michael Obafemi Olivier Ntcham Jamie Paterson Hannes Wolf Kyle Joseph Nathanael Ogbeta Joël Piroe Ben Hamer Tivonge Rushesha Yan Dhanda Joel Latibeaudiere Cyrus Christie Kyle Naughton Josh Gould Finley Burns Andy Fisher Lincoln Mcfayden Azeem Abdulai
LUTON TOWN
Head Coach: Nathan Jones 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 32 35
James Shea James Bree Dan Potts Kal Naismith Sonny Bradley Glen Rea Harry Cornick Luke Berry Danny Hylton Elijah Adebayo Carlos Mendes Gomes Tom Lockyer Reece Burke Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu Jordan Clark Peter Kioso Harry Isted Allan Campbell Henri Lansbury Fred Onyedinma Jed Steer Admiral Muskwe Elliot Thorpe Amari’i Bell Gabriel Osho Cameron Jerome
NEXT UP AT Blackburn Rovers Saturday, Feb 5 Kick-off: 5.30pm
NEXT AWAY Stoke City Tues, Feb 8 Kick-off: 7.45pm
FOLLOW US
~ Referee: Oliver Langford ~ ~ Assistant Referees: Daniel Leach and Matthew Jones ~ ~ Fourth Official: Andy Woolmer ~
Correct as of January 31, 2022
PAGE 64
