Where are they now? Warren Feeney

Ever wondered what former Swans stars have been up to since hanging up their boots?

Well you are in the right place.

As part of a regular feature, we take a look at what some ex-Swansea City favourites have done since leaving SA1.

This week we catch up with Warren Feeney, who shone during a loan spell with the Swans.

In September 2007, former Northern Ireland international striker Warren Feeney followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Jim Feeney by signing for Swansea City.

Jim had made 88 league appearances for the Swans – then known as Swansea Town – between 1946 and 1950.

Meanwhile, Warren made his debut for the club against Carlisle United over half a century later, after arriving on loan from Cardiff City.

“I’ve got a big connection with Swansea and Wales as a whole,” says Feeney, who won 46 caps for Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2011, scoring five times.

“My granddad played for Swansea and my dad (Warren Feeney Sr) was born in Swansea during that period.

“I played for Cardiff City and Swansea City myself, while I’ve also worked as both manager and assistant-manager at Newport County. Two of my children were born in Wales and my family home remains in the Newport area.”

Feeney made a brief but significant impact with the Swans, scoring five goals in 10 league appearances during the League One title-winning season of 2007-08 under Roberto Martinez.

“It was great to play a small part in the club’s success that season,” smiles Feeney, who also scored for the Swans in a 6-2 victory over non-league Horsham in the second round of that year’s FA Cup.

“I really enjoyed my football at Swansea. It was a fantastic dressing room with so many great characters and so many good players too. Many of them went on to play in the Premier League.

“The only disappointment during my time at Swansea was an injury I sustained from a bad tackle in a match against Southend United.

“The injury saw me ruled out for about four months and with it went my chance of signing for the Swans permanently.”

Feeney only experienced one defeat in 13 appearances in all competitions in SA1.

Perhaps his most memorable performance came when he netted twice in a 4-1 victory over former club Bournemouth in October 2007.

“It’s always a good feeling scoring against your old club,” reflects Feeney.

“Towards the end of the game, we were 2-1 up and I remember getting on the end of a through ball from Darren Pratley. Neil Moss came out, but I was able to get there first and dink it over the top of him.

“Then a few minutes later, we got a penalty which I scored. It was a fantastic result for us to win 4-1 at somewhere like Bournemouth.”

Feeney made his senior debut for Bournemouth in a 1-0 victory over Bury back in March 2001.

At the time, he was on loan from Leeds United, where he failed to make a first-team appearance, and he made his move to the South Coast permanent the following summer.

“Funnily enough, my first ever league goal was scored at Vetch Field,” adds Feeney, who netted in just his second Bournemouth appearance in a 3-0 victory over the Swans.

Feeney netted 37 times in 125 games for the Cherries before moving to Stockport County in 2004.

He then turned out for the likes of Luton Town, Cardiff, Oldham Athletic and Plymouth Argyle, as well as having loan spells with Dundee United and Sheffield Wednesday, during a career that saw him play more than 350 league matches.

A spell as player-assistant manager at Salisbury City followed in 2013, while he became player-manager at Linfield the following year.

He hung up his boots in 2015 and took up the post of assistant-manager at Newport.

It was with the Exiles that Feeney gained his first taste of management in the Football League in January 2016, taking charge of 34 matches.

In the summer of 2017, he became assistant to former Leeds United team-mate Harry Kewell at League Two side Crawley Town.

“I have known Harry for the best part of 20 years,” Feeney adds.

“I think it’s rare for friendships in the game to last that long, but Harry and I have always kept in touch.

“One of the main aspects of my role here is looking at the opposition ahead of playing them and helping the manager get an understanding of how they are likely to play.

“That’s all about trying to take the pressure off the manager, so he can focus on our team.

“I’m really enjoying what I’m doing and I’m learning something new every day.”