Josh Key | Music, faith and hitting the right notes for Swansea City

Josh Key has wasted little time making an impression since his arrival at Swansea City earlier this summer.

Here, the wing-back talks proudly of the rich sporting heritage in his family, reveals how his sisters have ended up playing the Glastonbury festival with their band, and underlines why he is willing to play wherever he is needed for his new club.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a man coming from a musical family, it hasn’t taken Josh Key long to hit the right notes following his move to Swansea City.

The wing-back was among the first arrivals in SA1 during the summer transfer window, joining the Swans after eight years on the books at Exeter City.

The 23-year-old defender has played on both sides of the defence over the opening weeks of the season, and capped a memorable away win at Plymouth Argyle by scoring his first Swansea City goal.

His energy has marked him as a stand-out performer, with head coach Michael Duff praising Key’s attitude towards his task.

Heading into this international break, he ranks seventh of all Championship defenders for combined interceptions and tackles.

Indeed, according to football stats experts WhoScored.com, Key is right up there among Swansea’s best performers so far this season. Out of players to start for than five games, only midfielder Charlie Patino can top his average match rating of 7.00 out of 10.

Key is committed to his craft and determined to continue to learn and improve, but he is as far removed from the stereotype of the one-dimensional footballer as it is possible to be.

Spend any time speaking to him and you quickly realise you are encountering a thoughtful, measured and rounded individual.

While a career in football was always Key’s goal, he did have moments where he pondered other options in life, and he has a number of hobbies and interests outside the game; be that exploring the great outdoors or his aforementioned love of music.

While Key has been focusing on getting a tune out of his performances on the left flank, his two sisters – Beth and Emillie - and a cousin – Meghann - have enjoyed playing at the world famous Glastonbury festival.

Their band, Wildwood Kin, were at one point signed to Sony and have won acclaim for their Americana-flavoured brand of music.

They were nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, and – in addition to Glastonbury – played the Cambridge Folk Festival.

They have released two well-received albums and, when you then add in that Key’s father Myles played rugby union for Exeter Chiefs, while his great-grandfather Myles Abraham was an Ireland rugby international, boxing champion and decorated First World War hero, then it’s fair to say they are family of many talents.

“We have always been a musical family,” says Key with a smile.

“I play guitar, I can also play a bit of piano and we can all sing in my family. We can harmonise together.

“My father is the only one in the family who does not play an instrument, although he can sing.

“I did music at GCSE and got an A, the theory part of it was a bit much for me. I didn’t play in a band, I used to play with my family and with friends. One of my friends is a drummer and a session musician.

“My cousin is also a musician, and she is in the band with my two sisters. We always used to play music in the house, in the car.

“We listened to all genres and it just stuck. We liked things like Stevie Wonder and James Taylor. There was Crosby, Stills & Nash, there were so many but those stand out as we speak now.

“They all picked up instruments at an early age, we were always around each other and it grew from there.

“I just remember them playing gigs at a place called The Church House, and someone was watching them there and – a bit like football for me – things kicked off from there and they got a record deal.

“They are still working hard, they played at Glastonbury a few years ago but I had to miss that which was a real shame as I would have loved to see it, but I have seen them play quite a few gigs locally where we are from.

“I always love it, but football does make it difficult to follow them around but they are great and I hope people check them out.”

Key is also a Christian, and he credits his faith with giving him a sense of perspective on the highs and lows of a career in professional sport.

“I have grown up in a Christian family, so that has always been there for me. People may look at it from a standpoint of it being about your morals and how you conduct yourself, but for me it is about how I live my life,” he said.

“That part of my life and who I am would not change based on what I do. I am a footballer, but it would not be any different to be me if I was a musician or whatever else I might have done or might do in life.

“I understand that not everyone has that faith, but it’s very important to me and is a central part of who I am.

“It gives me a sense of peace, a sense of perspective, but it is not something I would want to force on anyone. I feel like it’s a very personal thing.

“It’s a foundation for me in terms of my values. Everyone is different but it is important to me, and it is something I draw on in my life.”

While Key’s sporting heritage is mainly rooted in rugby, and the south-west is something of a union hotbed, his sporting dreams always revolved around football, and he credits playing on hard-top surfaces with his friends as a child with forming his all-action style of play.

Torquay-born Key initially joined the academy of his local club, but made the move to Exeter when the Gulls closed their youth set-up.

It was at that time he briefly considered whether there were other avenues he wished to pursue, but football was always going to win out ultimately.

“All my family are Irish and pretty much all played rugby,” he said.

“My father did play football too, though, and my school in Torquay – while a good rugby school – did also offer plenty of football and I used to play a lot with my mates on hard courts too, so I fell into the game that way.

“I did still play rugby, and I did have some trials because I was athletic. I used to play full-back or centre.

“But, in terms of football, I just played pretty much every day, you couldn’t really play rugby on the surfaces we were playing football on! I think that played a big part in developing the way I play because my earliest experiences were of having the ball and dribbling with it and getting up and down the pitch.

“It wasn’t until I was 13 or 14 that football got a bit more serious for me, but up until then it was about athleticism, having the ball at your feet and taking people on.

“I did play local league football for Waldon Athletic. We had a successful side. Callum Morton was there with me, he is a good mate who is at Salford after being at West Brom.

“I did not take it seriously really until I joined an academy, but there was a period when I did question whether I really wanted to follow on with football, which I know probably sounds a bit crazy.

“I had always dreamed of being a footballer, of maybe one day playing in the Premier League.

“But after Torquay’s academy folded, I thought about whether I wanted to go to university, or explore a different side of things.

“I loved things like physics in school, but I also love music. My sisters did music at college level. I would have liked to pursue that, but you cannot do that and football!

“But joining Exeter was a really good move for me, I loved it and I really just wanted to press on from there.

“I had a broken hipbone when I joined Exeter, at the time Plymouth and Yeovil had offered me scholarships but when I was at Torquay we had played against teams from Exeter and lost very heavily.

“It stuck in my mind, and when I got fit I immediately felt like I was improving there, I was developing all the time. The coaches were fantastic and pushed me really hard, and when I got the scholarship I just knew it was an opportunity I did not want to waste.

“I wanted to give it absolutely everything. If it had not have worked out, then I would have had to find another path to pursue, but I knew if I could make it work then there was a chance for me to have a career in the game I had dreamed of playing from a young age.”

He has certainly made the most of that opportunity.

Key had loan spells with Bideford Town and Tiverton Town, before being offered his first professional contract in the spring of 2018.

The defender made his Grecians debut in November 2018 with a substitute appearance against Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy, and enjoyed two further outings in that competition the following season.

The 2020-21 campaign proved to be his breakthrough season as he made 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring his first senior goal in an EFL Trophy victory over Forest Green Rovers.

He made another 49 appearances the following season as Exeter finished second in League Two to secure promotion, and he remained an integral figure as the Grecians finished 14th in League One.

Now he is a Swan, and has quickly settled into life in south Wales on and off the pitch.

“It’s my first time changing teams really, and it is a completely different environment to what I have been used to,” he said.

“There is a really good atmosphere in the changing room, the lads have made it very easy for me to settle in. It’s lively, but the guys have just helped me get to know everyone and settle in and find my way around things.

“The biggest challenge is the football side of things, the step up from League One to Championship level is a big one.

“I have played in League Two and in League One and I did not find the step up to be a big one, but the one to the Championship is.

“I have to adapt to it, I have to get used to quickly but this is the step I wanted in my career.

“I feel confident I can do it, there’s been a lot to take on board but I am enjoying it and I just want to keep improving.

“Off the pitch it’s my first time living outside the south-west. But I don’t feel too far from home because on a clear day when I look out from where I live I can see the south-west!

“I am an independent person, I like my own space and company and the nice thing about here is that it’s very similar to home with nice beaches, some lovely scenery and places to explore.

“I like doing a lot of walking, playing golf. I’ve already been over to Rhossili which was beautiful and, like I say, reminds me a lot of home.

“I am an outdoors person, so it’s great to be in an area to explore.

“I am enjoying life on and off the pitch at the moment, and long may that continue.”

If Key can build on his encouraging start to life with the Swans, it won’t only be his sisters' band who prove to be a hit.