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Swansea City AFC is a Welsh football team currently playing in the Football League League One. Swansea City and arch-rivals Cardiff City are the only Welsh football clubs to have played at the highest level of English football.

Nicknamed "The Swans", the club played from its formation in 1912 (as Swansea Town) until 2005 at the Vetch Field in Swansea city centre. In the summer of 2005, Swansea City moved to a new 20,280 all seater ground, the Liberty Stadium, with often impressive attendances.

The stadium's 'official' name is not popular amongst supporters, many of whom refer to it either as the Morfa Stadium or as the White Rock Stadium: the former was the name of the athletics stadium which stood on the site from the 1970s until construction began on the current structure, whilst the latter was the working title used by the developers.

Financial difficulties through much of the last two decades appear to be a thing of the past, in part due to the club's recent surge in support.

Club honours

Club records

Current squad

At 15 July 2006:

Club history

Early years

Swansea Town AFC was formed as a professional club in 1912 when the town was invited to send a team to join the Southern League, as many other South Wales towns were already represented.

J. W. Thorpe was the club's first chairman, Walter Whittaker its first manager. Its first secretary was S. B. Williams, who was to serve in this capacity for some 35 years.

The club's first professional match was at the Vetch Field against Cardiff City on 7 September 1912; the result was a 1-1 draw.

1965-1977: A downward spiral

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 see the club progress. The new manager was former Liverpool 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 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. 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 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 inagural 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 Sharp 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 Shapre 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 roud 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 in the final minute. The following season began poorly and Mølby was sacked after a handful of games. 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 in his stead. Despite a poor start to the 1998/99 season, 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 Third 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 Third Division 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 the club was relegated again a year later. However, worse was to follow...

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.

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, its crooked floodlights and irreplaceable acoustics.

Many thought it fated that Swansea would win promotion during the final season at the Vetch, given so many prior false hopes both for promotion and for the new ground itself. One week after the Shrewsbury game, Swansea did indeed clinch promotion to Coca Cola League One with another 1-0 win, this time at Bury, where over 5,000 Swans fans had made the journey north.

The last game of any sort at the Vetch Field was a 2-1 win against Wrexham in the final of the 2005 FAW Premier Cup; it was the Swans' first trophy win since the Third Division Championship in 2000 but the first Cup triumph since 1994's Autoglass Trophy.

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.

Legendary players

Four Swansea-born men were named among the Football League's 100 legends, to mark the 100th season of League football in 1998. All four began their careers with the club. They were Ivor Allchurch, John Charles (signed by Leeds before making his first-team debut), Trevor Ford and Cliff Jones.

Ivor Allchurch is the subject of the first statue to be placed at the Liberty Stadium. Funded by the club's Supporters' Trust, it was unveiled in October 2005 and stands outside the ticket office.

Many of Swansea's greatest players were part of the squad that, between 1978 and 1981, won promotion from the old 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 have made him a firm favourite.

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

Rivalry

The club’s main rivals are considered to be Cardiff City. The ‘South Wales Derby’ is generally considered to be one of the most passionate affairs across the Football League. Swans supporters have traditionally enjoyed rivalry with Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Newport County too.

List of club managers

Name Tenure
Walter Whittaker July 1912 to April 1914
William Bartlett May 1914 to April 1915
No manager (First World War) April 1915 to June 1919
Joe Bradshaw June 1919 to August 1926
No manager August 1926 to July 1927
James Thomson April 1927 to August 1931
No manager August 1931 to July 1934
Neil Harris July 1934 to June 1939
Haydn Green June 1939 to September 1947
Billy McCandless September 1947 to July 1955
Ron Burgess July 1955 to August 1958
Trevor Morris August 1958 to May 1965
Glyn Davies June 1965 to October 1966
Billy Lucas February 1967 to April 1969
Roy Bentley August 1969 to October 1972
Harry Gregg November 1972 to February 1975
Harry Griffiths February 1975 to February 1978
John Toshack March 1978 to October 1983; December 1983 to March 1984
Colin Appleton May to December 1984
John Bond December 1984 to December 1985
Tommy Hutchison December 1985 to June 1986
Terry Yorath July 1986 to February 1989
Ian Evans March 1989 to March 1990
Terry Yorath March 1990 to March 1991
Frank Burrows March 1991 to October 1995
Kevin Cullis February 1996 (six days)
Jan Mølby February 1996 to October 1997
Micky Adams October 1997 (15 days)
Alan Cork October 1997 to June 1998
John Hollins July 1998 to September 2001
Colin Addison October 2001 to March 2002
Nick Cusack March to September 2002
Brian Flynn September 2002 to March 2004
Kenny Jackett April 2004 to present

League positions and Cup results since World War II

Cup Winners' Cup'''
Season Division Position FA Cup League Cup Welsh Cup '''European
1946-1947 Second Division 21st (relegated) 4th Round 6th Round
1947-1948 Third Division South 5th 3rd Round 5th Round
1948-1949 Third Division South 1st (promoted) 2nd Round Runners-up
1949-1950 Second Division 8th 4th Round Winners
1950-1951 Second Division 18th 3rd Round 6th Round
1951-1952 Second Division 19th 5th Round 5th Round
1952-1953 Second Division 11th 3rd Round 7th Round
1953-1954 Second Division 20th 4th Round 7th Round
1954-1955 Second Division 10th 5th Round 6th Round
1955-1956 Second Division 10th 3rd Round Runners-up
1956-1957 Second Division 10th 3rd Round Runners-up
1957-1958 Second Division 19th 3rd Round 6th Round
1958-1959 Second Division 11th 3rd Round 6th Round
1959-1960 Second Division 12th 4th Round 6th Round
1960-1961 Second Division 7th 5th Round 3rd Round Winners
1961-1962 Second Division 20th 3rd Round 2nd Round Semi-final 1st Round
1962-1963 Second Division 15th 3rd Round 2nd Round Semi-final
1963-1964 Second Division 19th Semi-final 3rd Round 6th Round
1964-1965 Second Division 22nd (relegated) 5th Round 4th Round Semi-final
1965-1966 Third Division 17th 1st Round 1st Round Winners
1966-1967 Third Division 21st (relegated) 2nd Round 3rd Round 5th Round 1st Round
1967-1968 Fourth Division 15th 4th Round 1st Round 6th Round
1968-1969 Fourth Division 10th 3rd Round 3rd Round Runners-up
1969-1970 Fourth Division 3rd (promoted) 3rd Round 2nd Round Semi-final
1970-1971 Third Division 11th 4th Round 2nd Round 6th Round
1971-1972 Third Division 14th 4th Round 1st Round 5th Round
1972-1973 Third Division 23rd (relegated) 1st Round 1st Round 4th Round
1973-1974 Fourth Division 14th 1st Round 1st Round 4th Round
1974-1975 Fourth Division 22nd 1st Round 1st Round 5th Round
1975-1976 Fourth Division 11th 1st Round 1st Round 5th Round
1976-1977 Fourth Division 5th 1st Round 4th Round 5th Round
1977-1978 Fourth Division 3rd (promoted) 3rd Round 1st Round 4th Round
1978-1979 Third Division 3rd (promoted) 3rd Round 3rd Round 5th Round
1979-1980 Second Division 12th 5th Round 2nd Round Semi-final
1980-1981 Second Division 3rd (promoted) 3rd Round 1st Round Winners
1981-1982 First Division 6th 3rd Round 2nd Round Winners 1st Round
1982-1983 First Division 21st (relegated) 3rd Round 2nd Round Winners 2nd Round
1983-1984 Second Division 21st (relegated) 3rd Round 2nd Round Semi-final Preliminary Round
1984-1985 Third Division 20th 1st Round 1st Round Semi-final
1985-1986 Third Division 24th (relegated) 2nd Round 2nd Round 5th Round
1986-1987 Fourth Division 12th 4th Round 2nd Round 3rd Round
1987-1988 Fourth Division 6th (promoted via play-offs) 2nd Round 1st Round 4th Round
1988-1989 Third Division 12th 2nd Round 1st Round Winners
1989-1990 Third Division 17th 3rd Round 1st Round 3rd Round 1st Round
1990-1991 Third Division 20th 3rd Round 1st Round Winners
1991-1992 Third Division 19th 2nd Round 2nd Round 5th Round 1st Round
1992-1993 Second Division 5th 4th Round 1st Round 3rd Round
1993-1994 Second Division 13th 1st Round 2nd Round Semi-final
1994-1995 Second Division 10th 4th Round 2nd Round
1995-1996 Second Division 22nd (relegated) 1st Round 1st Round
1996-1997 Third Division 5th 1st Round 1st Round
1997-1998 Third Division 20th 1st Round 1st Round
1998-1999 Third Division 7th 4th Round 1st Round
1999-2000 Third Division 1st (promoted) 2nd Round 2nd Round
2000-2001 Second Division 23rd (relegated) 1st Round 1st Round
2001-2002 Third Division 20th 2nd Round 1st Round
2002-2003 Third Division 21st 1st Round 1st Round
2003-2004 Third Division 10th 5th Round 1st Round
2004-2005 League Two 3rd (promoted) 3rd Round 1st Round
2005-2006 League One 6th 1st Round 1st Round

Miscellaneous

Swansea City and its supporters are unofficially known as the 'Jacks'. One explanation for this name is that during the 17th century, sailors from Swansea were extremely well respected and any 'Swansea Jack' was allowed to join the crew based simply on the town's reputation for great seamen. Another is that they take their name from a famous dog from the city (See: Swansea Jack). Swansea City has a loyal and proud following and had easily the highest average attendance in League Two during the 2004-05 season.

The club's somewhat flamboyant mascot is Cyril the Swan who was joined in 2005 by Cybil the Swan, a doyenne of equal opportunity. She is not, in fact, a swan but a duck. The couple were "married" on the pitch at the Vetch Field as half-time entertainment at a game 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.

References

External links

Swansea City A.F.C. | Welsh football clubs

Swansea City | Swansea City Association Football Club | Swansea City AFC | Swansea City F.C. | Swansea City AFC | 斯旺西城足球俱乐部

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Swansea City A.F.C.".

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