Dear Jack Army,
Welcome to today's match against Blackburn Rovers. As always, your unwavering support is greatly appreciated and vital to our club. This week has been busy and hectic for many different reasons, and this game marks an end to that as we get back to focusing on the team and the important fixtures ahead.
There have been significant changes. We have parted ways with our head coach, Luke Williams. We thank Luke, as well as Ryan Harley and George Lawtey, for their contributions and wish them all the best for the future.
In the interim, Alan Sheehan will step in as caretaker head coach. Alan is well-acquainted with the team, and we are confident he will guide us through this transitional period effectively. He’s a very talented coach, and we all need to get behind him and the players.
Due to the recent developments, we have had to reschedule our Fans’ Forum from its original date. The new date is Monday, March 3.
We look forward to engaging with you and discussing the future direction of our club. I’m aware the decision to change the date was taken late and apologise if any inconvenience was caused to our fans – we will share further details on the rescheduled Fans’ Forum soon.
In addition to the coaching changes, we have undertaken a restructuring of our football operations. We are excited to welcome Richard Montague as our new director of football and Tom Gorringe as our new chief operating officer. Strengthening our football operations is crucial, and we believe these additions will serve us well for the future.
Today's fixture is dedicated to our official charity partner; Swansea Bay Health Board’s Cwtsh Clos Appeal.
This initiative aims to raise funds for the refurbishment of homes which accommodate families with babies in Singleton Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), allowing parents to stay close to their newborns during challenging times.
Your support can help transform these spaces into a cosy home away from home for these families, I was so proud to see our players actively supporting the appeal in the community this week.
Thank you for your continued support. Please get behind the team today – your backing really makes a huge difference!
Best regards,
Andy
Good afternoon and welcome to the Swansea.com Stadium as we face Blackburn Rovers.
It goes without saying that this has been a very difficult week for everyone connected with Swansea City.
We have seen Luke, Ryan and George leave the club and we all have to accept our part the responsibility for that. Just as we all share in any wins and successes, the same goes for defeats and failures.
We wish them all the best for the future, they are excellent coaches and good people, and it is a tough part of the industry we work in when we find ourselves in these situations.
We know the position we are in is not acceptable, and we have to change that through our performances and results.
We are motivated to do that, and we have to take a long, hard look in the mirror, acknowledge we need to be better and pull together to deliver for you, the supporters.
I know you will get behind the players, as you always do, and it really does make a difference.
In good moments and in difficult moments, it gives us energy to feed off and gives the players that little extra per cent.
We will need it against a Blackburn side who entered the weekend sitting in the play-off places, and who come here off the back of consecutive wins.
We want to perform with discipline, but also with energy and intensity and hopefully give you all a display you can respond to and get behind.
I also want to just take a moment to encourage you to look around the stadium today and keep an eye out for information and activities for our partner Swansea Bay Health Charity’s Cwtsh Clos Appeal.
The homes they provide, which are situated adjacent to Singleton Hospital and in the process of undergoing a facelift and refurbishment, provide a valuable home from home for families who have babies and young children requiring intensive care.
We pride ourselves on the work we do as a club in the community, and Cwtsh Clos – which are the only homes of their kind in Wales – are a perfect example of how we can use the profile of the football club to help those around us.
Enjoy the game,
Alan
Welcome to the Swansea.com Stadium for today’s game against Blackburn Rovers; it’s been a difficult period for the club and, like today’s opponents, we find ourselves in the process of searching for a new head coach.
Earlier this week the Trust were informed by the club of their intention to relieve head coach Luke Williams of his duties, alongside his coaching team of Ryan Harley and George Lawtey, at Swansea City.
I rarely see departures like this as positive as it ultimately means we are underperforming on the field and none of us revel in that.
However, as we stated in our Trust release on Tuesday here, neither performances or results have been consistent enough of late to warrant staying the course, and so we understand and support the decision taken.
We’d like to reiterate our sincere thanks to Luke, Ryan and George and wish them and their families all the very best for the future. I really hope to see them back in football before very long.
And so, the search for a replacement head coach is now under way. There’s no magic wand to ensure the next appointment will be a success but I do feel we need to have a clear vision as to the type of football we’d like to see once again.
This was touched upon when new director of football, Richard Montague, took part in his first full interview earlier this week that I’d recommend supporters take a few minutes to watch here.
Personally, while I understand the importance of the so-called ‘Swansea Way’, we have seen how the failure to implement it has held back our performances and results, and how enthusiasm amongst supporters has dropped.
We must be progressive and positive in our play, as I believe that is how we will bring supporters back into the stadium in numbers, both for the remainder of this season and for the 2025-26 campaign.
Our Trust Board officers have shared your views to the club, emphasising the need to seek out those who know the Swans both inside and out to define what we want in a head coach. To me this should include playing positive, attacking and a quicker style of football than what we have perhaps seen over the past few seasons, which can re-connect the team with the Jack Army.
Football has been through a long period of being possession-based and, whilst that has its merits, it was recently pointed out to me that in Nottingham Forest’s 7-0 demolition of Brighton a couple of weeks ago, they only had 37 per cent of the ball!
Football is cyclical, and it appears that the fundamentals of the game are changing again, and we should take this as a real opportunity to carefully re-assess what we want to see from the Swans.
I must admit that since the New Year totting up a 120-mile round trip from mid-Wales to our home games with my 13-year-old son has become more a sense of duty than something to look forward to at times, and that is simply not a sustainable way forward for a club of our size to compete in the Championship.
We need the stadium to be full of supporters and their families from right across south, west and mid-Wales and beyond enjoying themselves again. I fear that without this, the next generation of the Jack Army will be few and far between and matchdays won’t be something to look forward to again. That simply has to change.
But while the search for a new gaffer goes on, I urge all of our supporters to get behind caretaker head coach Alan Sheehan and the team. Today’s game against play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers is going to be another tough encounter, but Alan has stood in before and was instrumental in steadying the team around a busy festive period in 2023, including an exciting 1-0 win against promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion.
I’m sure we’d all be delighted with something similar to provide us some breathing space so we can aim to finish the season well.
As supporters who only want the best for the team, we can play our part by generating a positive 90-minute atmosphere to help the players raise their game and begin to make us feel proud to be a Jack once again.
Dave
Swansea City AFC Foundation has named Jamie Bessant as its Premier League Community Captain for the 2024-25 campaign.
Jamie is the Police and Crime Commissioner coordinator for Swansea City Foundation, working closely with Dyfed-Powys police across the Premier League Kicks sessions that he runs.
Jamie leads Premier League Kicks sessions in Seaside (Llanelli), Aberystwyth, Newtown, and Ammanford every week, clocking up almost 500 miles to deliver free football to communities that may not otherwise have access.
Throughout his time with the Foundation, Jamie has grown relationships with partner organisations and participants, helping to develop the impact of Premier League Kicks across these areas, and inspire the young people he supports down a number of different positive pathways.
Club ambassador Lee Trundle presented the award to Jamie at the Swansea.com Stadium, handing him the Community Captain trophy, armband, pennant, and bespoke More Than A Game shirt.
Jamie was surprised to receive the award and expressed his pride in representing Swansea City across Wales.
“I’m really really shocked, I wasn’t expecting it at all, so I’m really taken aback.” said Bessant.
“Everyone in our staff does a phenomenal job, they are out there in the community in all weathers and all conditions.
“It’s a major honour to represent the Swans, the club has a major following all across the local area, so it really is a privilege to represent the Foundation.
“To receive the award from Lee Trundle was a major honour, as well.”
Tom Williams, head of programmes at Swansea City AFC Foundation, was delighted to be able to recognise the work Jamie does and praised his commitment and passion.
“Jamie is a real positive force in young people’s lives,” said Williams.
“Quite a lot of the sessions that Jamie covers are quite far from our base, so he covers over 500 miles a week.
“But Jamie is really passionate about the power of Kicks and programmes like it, and the impact that it can have on young people.
“Jamie develops amazing relationships and rapport with the young people he works with, I think he really understands the young people he works with.
“He goes the extra mile to create a supportive environment for the young people who attend the sessions.”
Swansea City would like to provide supporters with a further update on finance options for 2025-26 season tickets.
Last week the club announced plans for an interest-free finance payment option.
As detailed in that announcement, the new payment scheme allowed supporters to split their season ticket payments into equal monthly payments - up to a maximum of five - with no extra fees.
Following supporter feedback, the club are pleased to confirm supporters will now be able to spread the costs of a season ticket over up to eight monthly payments.
The plan is now available and to give all supporters a fair chance to take advantage of this new payment option, we have revised the season ticket windows of sale as per the below:
- Early-bird (until April, 30): All supporters can take advantage of the lowest prices, and season ticket holders can keep their seats.
- General Sale (From May, 1): Unrenewed seats become available to all supporters, with general sale pricing applied
Try the South Stand
Swansea City are offering 2024-25 season ticket holders a chance to move to the South Stand for a fixture, free of charge, and those who wish to bring along their family, the chance to buy additional tickets alongside them.
The South Stand is filled with exclusive activities for our Junior Jacks; from interactive activities with the Swansea City AFC Foundation, to meet and greets with Cyril and Cybil, to dance competitions with our resident DJ Heaven sent parties - there is plenty to keep the kids entertained!
As part of a new feature in our digital matchday programme for the 2024-25 campaign, we are calling on all Swans fans to share their memories and experiences of supporting the club by submitting your stories and pictures. We will publish a selection over the course of the season, and you can share your stories with us through the link below.
Swansea City supporters can get their hands on a unique match worn shirt from today's Championship fixture against Blackburn Rovers with an online auction to raise money for Swansea Bay Health Charity's Cwtsh Clos appeal.
Bidding will open for the shirts match-worn at kick-off, with all money raised from the online auction will go to Swansea Bay Health Charity's Cwtsh Clos appeal. The auction will conclude at 7pm on March 4.
The auction makes up part of an array of activities which are taking place at the fixture dedicated to the appeal.
The appeal is aiming to raise funds for the refurbishment of five homes that are used by the families of sick and tiny babies in Singleton Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The houses provide a home away from home for the families of babies being treated in the intensive care unit, allowing them to stay nearby during what is an extremely difficult and stressful time.
The link to the auction, which will go live at 3pm on Saturday, is below.
Why we’re supporting Cwtsh Clos…
The Cwtsh Clos appeal is aiming to raise funds for the refurbishment of five homes that are used by the families of sick and tiny babies in Singleton Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The houses provide a home away from home for the families of babies being treated in the intensive care unit, allowing them to stay nearby during what is an extremely difficult and stressful time.
The NICU provides care for around 500 babies a year, with families from all over Wales relying on the unit at Singleton - not just from the Swansea Bay area. Many live hours away by car and even longer by public transport, so it’s not practical to travel to and from the unit every day.
With babies spending weeks, or even months in the NICU, it’s beyond the reach of the vast majority of families to stay in a hotel or similar accommodation.
It’s extremely important that parents spend as much time as possible bonding with their baby during this time and that’s why the free-to-use houses prove to be a real godsend.
Swans fans can support the appeal at Saturday’s game by donating to the bucket collection or in advance by donating via the link below.
Link: Swansea Bay Health Charity: Cwtsh Clos Appeal
Michael Smith’s goal was enough to condemn Swansea City to defeat against Sheffield Wednesday as the hosts were denied a stoppage-time equaliser at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Harry Darling, Ben Cabango (captain), Hannes Delcroix, Ronald (Sam Parker 74), Jay Fulton, Lewis O’Brien, Josh Tymon; Jisung Eom (Ollie Cooper 74), Myles Peart-Harris (Liam Cullen 63), Žan Vipotnik (Florian Bianchini 63).
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Josh Key, Gonçalo Franco, Cyrus Christie, Kyle Naughton.
Sheffield Wednesday: James Beadle, Max Lowe, Svante Ingelsson (Nathaniel Chalobah 88), Josh Windass (captain), Ike Ugbo (Michael Smith 58), Callum Paterson (Stuart Armstrong 58), Marvin Johnson, Michael Ihiekwe, Yan Valery, Djeidi Gassama (Ibrahim Cissoko 80), Shea Charles.
Unused Substitutes: Pierce Charles, Liam Palmer, Jamal Lowe, Pol Valentin, Gabriel Otegbayo.
Referee: Elliot Bell
Attendance: 14,149
Swansea City fell to defeat despite taking the lead against Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Ben Cabango (captain), Kyle Naughton (Harry Darling 76), Hannes Delcroix; Ronald, Gonçalo Franco, Lewis O’Brien, Josh Tymon; Jisung Eom (Josh Key 89), Ollie Cooper (Jay Fulton 76); Liam Cullen (Florian Bianchini 68).
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Žan Vipotnik, Josh Ginnelly, Cyrus Christie, Myles Peart-Harris.
Stoke City: Viktor Johansson (captain), Ben Pearson (Lewis Baker 62), Michael Rose, Wouter Burger (Tatsuki Seko 77), Ali Al-Hamadi (Nathan Lowe 86), Bae Junho, Lewis Koumas (Million Manhoef 62), Jordan Thompson (Josh Wilson-Esbrand 87), Junior Tchamadeu, Andrew Moran, Ashley Phillips.
Unused Substitutes: Jack Bonham, Andre Vidigal, Ben Gibson, Emre Tezgel.
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Attendance: 21,256
Blackburn Rovers were founded in 1875 and became a founding member of The Football League in 1888.
Rovers have spent most of their existence in the top-flight of English football, winning three league titles - the most recent of which came in the 1994-95 season under Sir Kenny Dalglish.
The Lancashire club have also won six FA Cups and one League Cup, with the latter being their most recent major trophy after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in 2002.
Rovers were last in the Premier League 12 years ago, and did have a solitary season in League One during the 2017-18 campaign, but returned to the second tier at the first time of asking.
They have been in the Championship ever since.
EWOOD PARK
Built: 1882
Location: Nuttall Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JF
Capacity: 31,367
Experienced coach David Lowe is in caretaker charge of Rovers following John Eustace’s departure to Derby.
The 59-year-old made over 550 league appearances during his 17-year playing career. He former winger won two caps for England Under-21s and featured for Wigan Athletic, Ipswich Town, Port Vale, Leicester City, Wrexham and Rushden and Diamonds as he featured in all of the top-four divisions.
Originally joining the Professional Footballers’ Association, Lowe then moved into coaching as he returned to Wigan Athletic in 2002 to work under Paul Jewell, who he then followed to Derby County, where he headed up the academy.
He took charge of the Rams for one game following Jewell’s departure, leading them to victory over Manchester United in the first leg of a League Cup semi-final.
Lowe then went on to work for United, and then joined Rovers as head of youth coaching in 2011.
He was added to the first-team coaching staff in 2017, and has been part of the set-up ever since.
Midfielder Lewis Travis took over the club captaincy when Darragh Lenihan departed for Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022, having previously been vice-captain to the Irishman.
A Liverpool and Rovers academy product, Travis has been a mainstay in the midfield since being promoted to the senior side by Tony Mowbray in 2017.
He fell out of favour during the middle part of the 2022-23 season, and then spent the second half of last term on loan at Ipswich Town.
But he has returned to the fold at Ewood Park and enjoyed a strong run of form after resuming captaincy duties during the current campaign.
Full-back or wing-back Callum Brittain has been one of the most consistent performers for Blackburn this season, and has three assists to his name.
Bedford-born Brittain came through the MK Dons academy to make over 100 league appearances in a five-year stint at the club.
Brittain then joined Championship side Barnsley where he was part of the team knocked out in the play off semi-finals by the Swans in 2021.
He then joined Rovers in 2022 after the Tykes relegation to League One, since making 105 appearances in all competitions, and Brittain has been back at his best during the 2024-25 campaign.
Defender Dominic Hyam led Rovers through much of last season and is a key figure at the back for the Ewood Park side.
Starting his career in Reading’s academy, Hyam had loan spells at Hemel Hempstead Town, Basingstoke Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, Portsmouth and Aldershot before joining Coventry City in 2017.
The Scotsman made 169 league appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring eight times and played a key role in their promotion to the Championship during the 2019-20 season.
Hyam then joined Rovers in 2022, and he has made over 100 league appearances for the Lancashire club.
The defender made his senior international debut in 2023, coming on as a substitute in Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifying match against Norway.
Senegal’s Makhtar Gueye has the most goal involvements of any Blackburn player so far this season, having scored six goals and set up five more for the Lancashire club.
The Dakar-born forward started his career in his homeland with US Goree, before moving to Europe as he linked up with St Etienne’s youth system.
He progressed to the first team, and scored on his debut after coming on as a substitute in a draw against Strasbourg.
Following a loan spell with Nancy, he had a productive three-year stint with Belgian club Oostende, which also included a season-long loan at Spanish club Real Zaragoza.
He scored 11 goals in 32 league appearances last season after returning to Belgium with RWD Molenbeek, with his form attracting the interest of Rovers, for whom he signed last summer.
As part of our matchday dedicated to our official charity partner – Swansea Bay Health Charity’s Cwtsh Clos Appeal – instead of our regular player feature, we have asked Swansea City fans Pepsi and Scott to share their Cwtsh Clos story with us, after using the homes when their sons Louie and Jacob required Neonatal Intensive Care Unit care at Singleton Hospital.
Their experiences underline just why the fundraising to improve the homes for families with babies requiring intensive care is so important.
My name is Pepsi, and I would like to share our family’s journey at Singleton Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Cwtsh Clos housing.
We live in Merthyr Tydfil, and are a family of Swansea City fans. Our story started back in November 2019, this was my first pregnancy and everything was going amazingly with no concerns.
On November 18, I was 22+6 weeks gestation and spontaneously went into labour. As I was below 'viability' they were unable to do anything to try and stop my labour until I reached 23 weeks.
I held on for a few hours until midnight on November 19, where they were finally able to give me medications to try and stop labour but, by that time, it was too late.
Louie Scott Paul James was born at 2.58am weighting just 1lb 8oz at exactly 23 weeks. We were quickly transferred down to Singleton (which is an hour away).
When we arrived we were told that as we lived so far away, and because Louie was so poorly, we were able to have free accommodation just minutes from the hospital. We were then given the key for house 3A in Cwtsh Clos.
Louie unfortunately passed away at six days old on November 25, due to being extremely premature.
If we had not been able to stay in the accommodation, we would have missed Louie's final moments, and wouldn't have had the chance to say our goodbyes. The phone call to come and be with him came at 2am, had we been at home in Merthyr Tydfil, we simply would not have had that precious time with him.
Fast forward to October 2020, during the height of Covid, and I was pregnant again. I was monitored very closely, but there had been no signs of any complications.
Then, on October 3, I again went into spontaneous labour, this time at 26 weeks exactly.
As I was a little further along than I had been with Louie, there was a lot more they could do for me and I was immediately transferred down to Singleton Hospital whilst in labour, as it is has a specialist neonatal unit.
Jacob Scott Paul James was born via emergency C-Section at 9.13am on October 4 2020, weighing 2lb 2oz at 26+1 weeks gestation.
Again it was explained that we were able to use the accommodation to be close to our baby. We were then given the keys, once again, to house 3A in Cwtsh Clos.
At this point I was full of anxiety. I was back in the same hospital, in the same house, not even 11 months after our journey with Louie, convinced that history was about to repeat itself.
Thankfully that was not the case, Jacob stayed in hospital for 117 days and then come home on oxygen. Our stay was a huge rollercoaster, but today we have a happy, healthy four-year-old with no health conditions.
This was at a time when lockdown was at its strictest, and you were not able to cross county borders. In these circumstances, the accommodation was absolutely crucial for us as a family.
I do not know how things would've played out if we had to travel to and from home everyday. It also give us the opportunity to isolate ourselves, to reduce the risk of spreading Covid.
The accommodation at Cwtsh Clos helped us immensely, but it would be fair to say they lacked any real home comforts at that time. They felt quite clinical.
We will be forever grateful for the service, but they were in need of a revamp even then. The sofa in the house we were in was peeling, and we did try and leave a few things like throws and pillows for the next family to use in house 3A to try and make it feel a bit more comfortable, although I don’t know whether those were removed once we left giving it was during Covid.
But I do believe things such as pillows, rugs, and more homely and personal touches would've just increased the already massive help the homes provide; just things like a few plants, and overall just a bit of colour.
The house allowed us to say our goodbyes to Louie, and be close to Jacob when he needed so many procedures done (which quite often would be the result of a 3am phonecall asking us to come over to the unit).
We were able to be there when he needed lumbar punctures, laser eye surgery, when he needed to go back on to the ventilator, and also be there for many of his first milestones (first bath, first feeding, when he first opened his eyes).
I owe my son’s life to the unit, and all of the staff that helped us along the way. We will never be able to truly show how much I appreciate everything they have done for us.
But we hope that telling our story and being involved in this campaign to raise money for the refurbishment of those homes in Cwtsh Clos, allows us to help in some way.
We lost my mother in July, and in lieu of flowers, we asked for donations to the unit and in total raised £500 which went towards making the baby’s stay a little more comfortable. It was used for items such as muslin cloths, blankets, bouncers, dummys and even snack for the staff, but now it’s time to revamp these houses to give parents some home comforts when they are terrified, vulnerable and so full of anxiety over their little miracles.
We will be at the game on Saturday, and we hope the campaign between Swansea Bay Health Charity’s Cwtsh Clos Appeal and Swansea City can make a big difference, and that the profile of the football club in our community can raise awareness and value funds, with the appeal around halfway towards its target of £160,000.
My partner and his best friend are huge Swans fans, so it is a great honour to help the campaign and share our story with you.
Thank you so much; Pepsi, Scott, Lyla, Noah and, of course, Jacob.
Swansea City Under-21s were beaten on home soil as Queens Park Rangers took the spoils in their Professional Development League encounter at the Joma High Performance Centre.
Former Swansea scholar Kieran Petrie netted a hat-trick for the visitors, whilst his R's teammate Emmerson Sutton also grabbed two goals within the space of seven minutes.
The Swans were left to rue wasting a number of first-half chances, with Sam Parker and Sammy Henia-Kamau among those to be denied by QPR keeper Joel Halliday.
Nathan Tjoe-A-On and Parker came into the team from the senior set-up to get valuable game time, while first-year scholar Harlan Perry was also among the starters.
And the hosts started brightly, with Parker's lovely ball finding Henia-Kamau's run, only for Jack Leahy to cover and clear for the away side.
Parker was soon showing his pace again, gliding away from his man after being found by Josh Pescatore and setting up Henia-Kamau, who saw his shot blocked by Halliday.
Parker's close-range effort from a Dan Watts' lay-off was also saved, while Henia-Kamau saw one effort blocked and a header cleared off the line as the Swans carved out chance after chance.
Petrie headed a chance straight into the gloves of Kit Margetson at the other end, but it was a brief respite for QPR.
Parker and Ramon Rees-Siso fired over before Halliday was at the ready again to parry away a powerful drive from Henia-Kamau.
Having spurned those openings, the Swans were punished just before the break as Petrie's long-range effort found the net via the inside of the far post.
QPR doubled their lead early in the second period, Petrie on hand to convert after a corner had found him at close range.
Sutton then put the game to bed with a pair of fantastic strikes from distance, both of which found the top corner of the net in the space of a matter of minutes.
And Petrie would round off the scoring in stoppage time as he lofted the ball over Margetson after being found in space.
Swansea City Under-21s: Kit Margetson, Josh Pescatore, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Harlan Perry, Jack Fanning (Richard Faakye 63), Arthur Parker (captain), Sam Parker (Zac Jeanes 45), Dan Watts (Caio Ifans 73), Sammy Henia-Kamau, Ramon Rees-Siso, Maliq Cadogan (Aimar Govea 63).
Substitutes: Sam Seager.
Swansea City Women were knocked out of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup as they suffered a heavy quarter-final defeat to Wrexham.
Abbie Iddenden slotted home 28 minutes in, before Ava Suckley converted from the penalty spot just before the break to make it 2-0 to the hosts at half-time.
Olivia Fuller made it three quickly after the break, before Iddenden added her second soon after.
Rosie Hughes rounded off the scoring when she won the ball in the Swans box and converted from close range.
The Swans had been looking to bounce back from their Genero Adran Trophy final defeat to TNS, but it was the hosts who made the running from the first whistle.
Wrexham had a chance early on when the lively Iddenden won the ball high up the pitch before blazing over the bar.
Swansea captain Katy Hosford came close 10 minutes later, a lofted ball from Stacey John-Davis picked her out on the left, but her low drive flashed past the post.
Suckley had the next big chance after finding space on the edge of the box, but her lofted effort sailed over.
However, the hosts would get the break through just before the half-hour mark, Iddenden latched onto a through ball before slotting home.
Aimee Deacon almost got an instant reply for the Swans after a good ball from John-Davis sent her through on goal, but she dragged her effort wide of the post.
Instead, Wrexham would double their lead before the break, a flicked up ball into the box hit the hand of Sammy Wynne and the referee pointed to the spot.
Suckley stepped up to take the penalty and powered the ball into the top left corner.
Swansea needed a strong start to the second half, but instead Fuller capitalised on a loose ball before firing in Wrexham’s third.
Wrexham continued to apply pressure to the Swans, and Iddeden soon converted from close range for her second of the game.
Swansea substitute Emily Richards tested Wrexham goalkeeper Liz Craven, but her long-range effort was held as the contest headed into its closing stages.
John-Davis had an effort blocked after a purposeful run into the penalty area, as the visitors sought a consolation.
But it was Hughes who had the final word as she added a fifth late on after pouncing on a loose ball to finish.
Wrexham AFC Women: Liz Craven, Olivia Fuller (Phoebe Davies 71), Erin Lovett, Abbie Iddenden, Brroke Cairns, Amber Lightfoot, Carra Jones (Rebecca Pritchard 71), Natalie Clark, Katie Sharp (Mari Gibbard 65), Ava Suckley, Lili Jones (Rosie Hughes 54).
Unused subs: Delyth Morgan.
Swansea City Women: Verity Jones, Lauren Davies, Sophie Brisland-Hancocks, Sammy Wynne (Steph Turner 65), Robyn Pinder (Emily Richards 56), Katy Hosford (captain) (Taite Trivett 56), Stacey John-Davis, Maddy Murray (Jess Williams 65), Aimee Deacon, Caitlin Williams (Maisie Miller 56), Nia Jones.
This afternoon we have the somewhat unusual situation of both technical areas being occupied by interim coaches. Alan Sheehan for us and David Lowe for our visitors, Blackburn Rovers, both find themselves in short-term charge following the departures of Luke Williams and John Eustace respectively.
A tale of two temporary managers is about to play out.
In what can only be described as an unusual move, the visitors, fifth-placed Blackburn, lost Eustace last week to Derby County, a side 16 positions lower than them in the Championship table.
Here at Swansea City, we parted ways with Williams after 13 months in charge.
Football is brutal. It’s a results business and while the managerial merry-go-round is a constant in the sport, the frequency with which changes happen rarely sits well, least of all for the many casualties.
Williams always struck me as a thoroughly decent bloke and the fact that it didn’t work out for him here is going to be very disappointing to him. I’m sure we all wish him and his family well and I hope it won’t be too long before he’s back in management, doing what he loves.
Sheehan has had experience of this gig before. He was in temporary charge prior to Williams’ appointment following the departure of Michael Duff.
As someone who has ‘acted up’ a number of times in my career, I know what a difficult thing it is to do, and I’m sure we all wish him the best as he tries to get the side back to winning ways. If we can get a few decent results between now and the next appointment coming in, everyone will be very relieved.
But that will also be the mentality of Lowe, whose side are in good form following two wins with him at the helm. Lowe was last in the position of caretaker boss 16 years ago, back in January 2009, when his Derby side beat Manchester United 1-0 in the League Cup semi-final first-leg.
It’s honours even in terms of previous meetings between the two sides – in 16 games it has been six wins apiece and four draws, so I’m hoping that sets both sides up for what could surely be a lively, entertaining game with plenty to prove.
In his press conference on Thursday, Sheehan acknowledged that it had been a difficult week for players and coaching staff, but he called for a galvanised approach: “We need to find some positive energy, and we need the backing of everybody involved.
“In difficult times people pull together, and the staff have been exceptional in their support this week, as have the players in their attention to detail.”
Let’s hope it will be the best of times, not the worst of times for the men in white this afternoon, and that Sheehan can mastermind a bounce which helps catapult us up the table and away from the danger zone.
JULIE KISSICK
Supporters can use this space to share photos, stories and updates with the rest of the Jack Army.
Add your submission by clicking the button below.
I think I am something of a rarity when it comes to sports fans in Wales.
Most people I talk to are either big rugby fans or big football fans, but relatively few are both.
Talk to dyed-in-the wool rugby fans about football and the phrase “Wendyballers” will often be used.
Talk to die-hard football fans about rugby and you may well hear the term “egg-chasers” bandied about.
But in terms of my support, I would consider myself to be a “Wendyballer” and “egg-chaser” in equal measure.
This afternoon, I’ll be keeping one eye on events 40-odd miles up the road as Wales take on Ireland in the Six Nations. Then again, considering the national rugby team’s recent form, perhaps not!
One thing the Swans and the Welsh rugby team have in common at the moment is they’re both searching for a new head coach.
As a fan of both sports, I for one have been more than happy over the past 20 years for my two favourite club sides – the Swans and the Ospreys – to share the Swansea.com Stadium.
Of course, that will all come to an end next season when the Osprey fly the nest to make a new home at a refurbished St Helen’s ground on the other side of the city.
There will be plenty who will be happy for the Swans to be the sole tenants of the Swansea.com Stadium.
The near Biblical amount of rain we have experienced in recent months will have played its part in affecting the condition of the pitch.
But playing football and rugby on the surface during that time may not have helped – although for the vast majority of the past 20 years it has had a reputation for being one of the very best in the UK, and has been recognised as such.
The ‘Swansalona’ tag handed to the football team may have been inspired by the deeds of a series of managers and players, but they benefited from weaving their magic every other week or so on a snooker table of a pitch.
Whatever your views on sharing the stadium, there can be no denying that the football and rugby arrangement has meant it has boasted an incredible array of occasions since opening in 2005.
Even when you take away the dazzling array of music stars who have also played here, the round and oval ball codes of football have provided a wealth of entertainment.
One particular weekend back in 2012 sticks in my mind. It’s a double-bill I think few other venues will ever be able to emulate.
The then Liberty Stadium hosted the reigning European football champions and the reigning European rugby union champions in competitive matches within the space of 24 hours.
At 3pm on Saturday, November 3, 2012, the Swans entertained Chelsea, who just a few months earlier had beaten Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
At 4pm the following afternoon, the Ospreys were taking to the same pitch to face Leinster, who had beaten Ulster in the European Cup Final at Twickenham the previous May.
What made it an extra special weekend for local supporters was that the home teams emerged from the two matches unbeaten.
In the Premier League fixture, the Swans welcomed the likes of Petr Cech, Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres in the European champions’ line up.
Victor Moses put the visitors in front, but the Swans deservedly earned a point when Pablo Hernandez scored an 88th minute equaliser in front of 20,527.
The following day, the Ospreys went one better as they beat their Irish opponents, who have since gone on to conquer Europe four times, 19-10 in front of a crowd of 9,246.
Surely there can’t be many, if any, sports stadiums that can boast hosting the European champions of two different sports in top flight matches on consecutive days?
For those of us who support both teams, it was quite a European weekend and all on our doorstep!
But spare a thought for the various stadium staff, who on the final whistle of the Chelsea game had to start the process of transforming the ground from a Premier League football venue into a Pro 12 rugby venue in less than 24 hours.
Posts, pitch markings, marketing materials and any number of other amendments had to be made in order to ensure the stadium was fit to host another set of European champions.
Special mention should be made to all the ground staff since 2005 for ensuring both the Swans and the Ospreys have enjoyed the best possible playing surfaces during this time.
Granted there have been rare occasions it has struggled to cope with the rigours of hosting rugby and football pretty much every weekend through the season, sometimes on the same weekend as in November 2012.
But the vast majority of that time, the pitches prepared by the ground staff have been in pristine condition, especially when you consider the amount of rain which falls on this part of the United Kingdom.
They have attracted a number of awards for their quality, beating off the challenge of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, despite being the only venue to host top-flight football and rugby teams.
The busy schedule, which has seen the stadium host between around 55 and 65 matches a year, has brought other challenges.
During the 2013-14 season, it struck me that the stadium staff, particularly stewards really had to widen their linguistic skills.
They would have been well used to the Ospreys hosting French and Italian supporters during their league and European matches, but the Swans’ Europa League campaign posed a whole new set of challenges.
With the club hosting Malmo, Kuban Krasnodar, Petrolul Ploiesti, St Gallen, Valencia and Napoli, they had to up their game even further with Swedish, Russian, Romanian, German and Spanish being added to the usual French and Italian.
If you think the stadium has been versatile during the past 20 years, it’s a particularly fitting weekend to remember a player from Swansea, who could also turn his hand to both the round and oval ball.
Back in 1915, today’s visitors Blackburn Rovers travelled to the Vetch Field as reigning English champions for an FA Cup tie.
Rovers were sitting second in the top-flight, while the Swans, who had only turned professional in 1912, were in Division Two of the Southern League.
The visitors boasted a line-up sprinkled with England and Scotland internationals, while the Swans were a team of largely inexperienced pros.
Their centre-forward was an amateur who had been playing rugby union for Swansea RFC until just a few months earlier.
Ben Beynon swapped the oval ball for the round one due to the suspension of amateur rugby union following the declaration of the First World War.
Professional football was continuing because players were expected to see out their contracts. So, Beynon turned to football.
But he was to become the most unlikely of heroes in the 20th minute when he scored what turned out to be the winner in front of a 16,000 crowd at the Vetch.
After the war, Beynon returned to rugby once again, taking the outside-half berth at Swansea RFC. His sporting career was about to become even more remarkable.
On January 17, 1920, he made his international debut against England on his home St Helen’s ground in the first full Wales international after the war.
In front of a 40,000 crowd, he helped Wales to a 19-5 victory and retained his place for the away match against Scotland on February 7, which Wales lost 9-5.
Beynon was dropped for the next fixture, against France and it is thought this prompted his decision to almost immediately cross the town again to Vetch Field.
This time, he signed as a professional, incurring the wrath of the Welsh Rugby Union, which reportedly decided to withhold his international cap.
Undeterred, Beynon once again showed his goal-scoring prowess with the round ball, scoring nine goals in 12 games during the first half of the 1920-21 season. He was even selected for a Welsh trial at Wrexham.
Unfortunately, a knee injury wrecked the remainder of his season, and he was never the same player again, making just 13 appearances the following campaign.
However, there was another fascinating twist in this remarkable career.
When the Swans released him at the end of the 1921-22 season, he was offered a rugby league trial with Oldham. Typically, he scored a try in that match and earned himself a £325 move “up north”.
In the 1925 Rugby League Challenge Cup Final, played in front of 28,335 people at Leeds, Beynon helped Oldham beat Hull Kingston Rovers 16-3.
So, as we prepare to say goodbye to our rugby cohabitators next term, hopefully the Swans can invoke the spirit of a star of both codes who once shocked today’s opponents to their core.
C’mon you Swans!
The 2024-25 campaign marks Swansea City’s 20th season at the Swansea.com Stadium following the ground’s opening in 2005. Throughout the campaign, club historian Gwyn Rees will reflect on some of the notable moments and personalities that have shaped the history of our home. We continue with a game that saw the Swans record their highest score at the stadium to date.
Swansea City 8 Notts County 1 – FA Cup fourth-round replay – February 6 2018.
The 2017-18 season was proving a slog for the Swans, who had been in a relegation fight almost from the outset of the campaign.
But, in the early stages of the new year, there was a growing optimism as results improved under Carlos Carvalhal, who had replaced Paul Clement in December.
Carvalhal, who had previously taken Sheffield Wednesday to the brink of promotion to the top-flight, only for them to lose the 2015 play-off final to Hull City, had overseen wins over Watford, Liverpool and Arsenal to lift the Swans put of the relegation zone.
While the league was understandably the main focus, the Swans had reached the fourth round of the FA Cup after seeing off Championship leaders Wolves after a replay, and they would need a replay to see off League Two Notts County after a John Stead strike had helped them hold the Welsh side to a 1-1 draw in the original contest.
But it quickly became clear that the rematch was going to be a far tougher affair for the plucky visitors, who were captained by former Swan Richard Duffy.
Tammy Abraham headed in at the near post to give the hosts the lead, and he quickly turned provider for Nathan Dyer to double Swansea’s advantage just two minutes later.
The goals started to flow, Dyer’s fine finish from 20 yards made it 3-0 and, although Noor Husin pulled a goal back, Abraham’s second goal of the night had the Swans’ three goals to the good at the interval.
The pressure on the visiting goal continued almost unabated in the second half, and Kyle Naughton soon volleyed home a fifth goal for the home side after County had failed to deal with a corner.
Wayne Routledge then got in on the act as he picked up a clearance and ran at the defence before firing beyond the helpless Nathan Collins in the Notts goal.
Tom Carroll’s delightful curling strike into the top corner proved a magnificent seventh, but the biggest cheer of the night would arrive with eight minutes remaining.
Academy prospect Dan James, on in place of Dyer for his senior debut, fired into the bottom corner to round off the scoring and complete a record FA Cup win for the Swans.
Barely 16 months later, the youngster would be a Wales international and a Manchester United player.
First Football Shirt?
Wales Kappa, early 2000s.
First Football Game?
Swans v Everton
First Football Club?
Tenby
First Appearance for Swansea City / Pro Appearance?
Welsh Cup for Port Talbot / vs Blackpool in the League
First Football Hero?
Zinedine Zidane. Great player.
Guest One: Tiger Woods
Guest Two: Lee Evans
Guest Three: Freddie Mercury
We are all Jacks is Swansea City’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion both within the club and throughout the local community.
Working with international and local charities, as well as supporter groups, Swansea City strives to ensure that a visit to the Swansea.com Stadium is a welcoming experience for everyone regardless of sex, sexuality, gender identity, religion, race, disability, or age.
The club takes a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment, victimisation, bullying and abuse.
Supporters are encouraged to report instances of abusive and discriminatory language within the stadium by using the anonymous safe text number 88440, starting the message with the word SWANS and providing details of the incident.
Messages will be charged at the standard rate for your network provider.
The details from the message will be received at the match control room, where any necessary investigation and/or action will be taken. The club will also record the mobile number of the individual reporting an incident to aid with any inquiries.
An audio commentary service is available for blind and partially sighted fans – provided by Radio City, the Swansea University Health Board Hospital Radio Service.
Radio City has a long association with the football club dating back to the days when the club was known as Swansea Town.
Since moving to the Swansea.com Stadium, the broadcaster has provided a live descriptive commentary service for free at all Swansea home matches, meaning that blind and partially-sighted supporters in both the home and away ends can follow the action.
In order to book a headset for the match, supporters can contact the accessibility team in advance by emailing accessibility@swanseacity.com, or contacting the ticket office from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm by calling 01792 616629 and selecting option one.
Supporters can also book headsets in person in advance at the ticket office, or on the day by speaking to a Disability Liaison Steward on the day.
To learn more about Radio City, visit www.radiocity1386am.co.uk. To learn more about accessible facilities at the stadium, please click here.
The inclusion room at the Swansea.com Stadium is open every matchday for supporters who may require a quiet space during games.
Supporters will be able to attend live matches at the Swansea.com Stadium with the comfort of knowing there is a designated area should they need it. The room is available to any supporter that may require a quiet space.
The space will be monitored by a designated disability liaison steward and provides a safe space with a disabled toilet, a projector to watch the live game, and dignity packs for those who need it.
While some supporters who require a time away from the crowds may prefer to use this room as a quiet space, it will also be possible to watch the match live on a screen projected onto the wall meaning supporters who require the space for any reason don’t have to miss a moment of the match action.
The room is located in the West Stand and, while supporters who feel they may benefit from the use of the space will be recommended to sit in that stand, it will be accessible for anyone in any part of the stadium.
Any supporter who feels overwhelmed by the matchday environment for any reason can gain access to the room by making themselves known to a steward or disability liaison steward.
Croeso Junior Jacks,
Welcome back everyone, and a special ‘croeso’ to all the amazing young people (and adults) from Cwtsh Clos who are at the game today.
We can’t wait to meet you all in the family stand before you take part in the guard of honour.
Don’t forget Junior Jacks, the family stand opens at 1.30pm on Saturday and the first person to score two penalties in a row in the Swans Foundation goals will get to take part in the Pure Football Challenge on the pitch at half time.
This week’s quiz is all about sports:
Don’t forget to let us know how you get on by posting your scores online using #JuniorJacks.
Our prediction for today is a 1-0 and we think Ollie Cooper will score the goal.
Uppa Swans,
Cyril and Cybil
Caretaker Head Coach Alan Sheehan
2 Josh Key
3 Kristian Pedersen
4 Jay Fulton
5 Ben Cabango ©
6 Harry Darling
7 Joe Allen
8 Lewis O'Brien
9 Žan Vipotnik
10 Jisung Eom
11 Josh Ginnelly
14 Josh Tymon
17 Gonçalo Franco
19 Florian Bianchini
20 Liam Cullen
21 Nathan Tjoe-A-On
22 Lawrence Vigouroux
23 Cyrus Christie
25 Myles Peart-Harris
26 Kyle Naughton
28 Hannes Delcroix
31 Ollie Cooper
33 Jon McLaughlin
35 Ronald
36 Ben Lloyd
37 Aimar Govea
40 NUMBER RETIRED
41 Sam Parker
43 Dan Watts
50 Filip Lissah
Interim Head Coach David Lowe
1 Aynsley Pears
2 Callum Brittain
3 Harry Pickering
4 Yuri Ribeiro
5 Dominic Hyam
6 Sondre Tronstad
8 Todd Cantwell
9 Mahktar Gueye
10 Tyrhys Dolan
11 Joe Rankin-Costello
12 Balázs Tóth
14 Andreas Weimann
15 Danny Batth
16 Scott Wharton
17 Hayden Carter
19 Ryan Hedges
20 Harry Leonard
21 John Buckley
23 Yuki Ohashi
24 Owen Beck
26 Connor O’Riordan
27 Lewis Travis
28 Adam Forshaw
31 Dion Sanderson
33 Amario Cozier-Duberry
35 Jordan Eastham
42 Emmanuel Dennis
45 Cauley Woodrow
47 Augustus Kargbo
Referee - Gavin Ward
Assistant Referee 1 - James Wilson
Assistant Referee 2 - Robert Hyde
Fourth Official - Tom Nield
STAFF LIST
Chairman - Andy Coleman
Honorary Club President - Alan Curtis MBE
Directors
Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt, Jason Cohen, George Popstefanov, Chris Sznewajs, Tyler Morse, Nigel Morris, Todd Marcelle, Martin Morgan, Paul Meller.
Chief Operating Officer: Tom Gorringe
Executive Director and Company Secretary: Ken Gude
Associate Directors: Diane Hughes
FIRST-TEAM STAFF
Caretaker Head Coach - Alan Sheehan
Head of Goalkeeping – Martyn Margetson
First Team Coach - Kris O'Leary
Head of Medical - Dr Jez McCluskey
Staff: Ailsa Jones, Bethany Chaddock, Matt Murray, Thomas Gittoes, Michael Eames, Shaun Baggridge, Jake Dayus, Patrick Orme, Aden King, Maxwell Cambridge, Lewis Binns, Chris Watkins.
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM
Tom Gorringe (Chief Operating Officer)
Richard Montague (Director of Football)
Ken Gude (Executive Director and Company Secretary)
Andrew Davies (Head of Operations and Facilities);
Richard Morris (Head of Commercial)
CLUB STAFF
Head of Football Operations and Administration: Ben Greenwood
Football Operations & Administration Manager: Rebecca Gigg
Head of Commercial: Richard Morris
Head of Media & Communications: Kieran Watkins
Head of Marketing: Katie Doyle
Head of Partnerships: Lee Merrells
Head of Hospitality: Catherine Thomas
Head of Retail: Andrea Morris
Head of Ticketing: Lewis Bullen
Head of Safeguarding: Rebeca Storer
HR Manager: Nicola Butt
Head of Facilities: Gordon David
Grounds Manager: Evan Davies
Head of Swansea City AFC Foundation: Paul France
Club Ambassador: Lee Trundle
PROGRAMME PRODUCTION
Contributors: Andrew Gwilym, Rachael Tucker, Cerith White, Jack Otter, Sophie Davis, Mackenzie Squires, Dom Hynes, Sammy Wynne, Hayley Ford, Owen Morgan, Gwyn Rees, Julie Kissick.
Designers: Callum Rothwell, Lewis Ward, Jac Elsey.
Photography: Athena Picture Agency,
Natalie John-Davis, Alamy.