I hope you all had a happy start to the new year with friends and family, and are ready to cheer on the Swans as we look to bounce back from our recent 4-0 loss away to Portsmouth.
While the result was disappointing, it is important to remember the progress we have made this season and the resilience our team has shown previously.
There has been some unhelpful speculation regarding our head coach, Luke Williams, and links to today’s opponents. I want to assure you that Luke remains fully committed to Swansea City. I know that his focus is on guiding our team to success, and we are united in our efforts to achieve our goals for the season.
As we enter the new year, there is still much to be optimistic and excited about. We have won our last two home games in exciting fashion, and today's match is another opportunity to showcase our ambition and determination as we continue our journey through the second half of the season.
West Bromwich Albion will undoubtedly provide a tough challenge, but I have every confidence that we will rise to the occasion.
Your unwavering support is the heartbeat of this club, and I encourage you to bring your passion and energy to today's game.
Let's create an electric atmosphere that will inspire our players to give their all on the pitch and bounce back from last Wednesday’s result.
Thank you for your continued support. Come on you Swans!
Andy
Welcome to the Swansea.com Stadium as we take on West Bromwich Albion in our first home game of 2025.
I hope you were all able to enjoy the festivities at the turn of the year, but it goes without saying that we certainly did not start the new calendar year in the way we wanted to at Portsmouth.
We had a fantastic sold-out away end cheering us on, with some 1,900 travelling Jacks making the long journey amidst inclement weather and delays on the road. They turned up, and we did not and we got punished for that.
We had previously produced two excellent performances – in differing circumstances – to beat Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town at home over Christmas, but we did not show the same levels of focus, concentration and intensity at Fratton Park. We made too many errors and we paid the price.
We fell well short of the levels and identity we are striving for, that we are trying to build as a team and display on a consistent basis week in and week out.
That identity was very clear to see against QPR and Luton, and we want to be in a position where we are producing that every time we take to the field.
We are not there yet, but we will continue to work, and continue to try and improve because I believe the signs are there that we are capable of being a very good team in this division. I love working with this group of players and I am grateful for the work and effort they show every single day.
This is a test of our mentality, we are back on home turf and we know we will have to be better if we are to secure a positive result in this game.
The players have shown their ability to respond strongly to setbacks, and we need to do that again against a West Brom team who are in the play-off places heading into this round of fixtures.
I, and the whole group, still have plenty to prove as we head into this new year but, despite the disappointment of defeat on New Year's Day, I am excited about the future and what we are all trying to build at this football club.
The indicators are there that we are heading in the right direction, I hope those are signs that you can see and recognise too, and it is a privilege to try and deliver a team that you are proud of and excited to come and watch.
Enjoy the game,
Luke
Happy New Year to all Swans supporters and welcome to our first game of 2025 at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Today we host West Bromwich Albion and hope to avenge our 1-0 defeat in the corresponding fixture at The Hawthorns last August.
The hallmark of our season so far has been inconsistency. While visiting Swansea in December I saw examples of our best and worst performances, notably the disappointing 3-2 home loss to Sunderland and our dominant 3-0 home win over QPR on Boxing Day.
These games illustrated the importance of factors that the best teams, and captains and managers in particular, consistently get right – mentality and determination, concentration and focus, confidence and belief, assertiveness and adaptability to changing circumstances during matches.
Our poor performance and heavy defeat at Portsmouth on New Year’s Day, coming soon after our thrilling home win over Luton, serves as the latest reminder that as a club we have a number of areas for improvement.
Player quality and squad depth of course play a role. With the transfer window now open there may be opportunities to strengthen the team in a financially responsible manner, amid the inevitable rumours and speculation about incomings and outgoings.
With games in the Championship coming thick and fast, consistent performances can build momentum and quickly change perceptions and league position. A positive run of results in the coming weeks will place us within touching distance of the play-off places, which will feel a lot better than finding ourselves sitting near the drop zone.
So there is plenty to play for this season and we as supporters should never underestimate the important role we can play as ‘12th player on the pitch’ by being loud and proud in supporting the team.
We have plenty of memorable history against WBA. Many of us will remember our masterclass under floodlights in November 2012 in the Premier League, when Michael Laudrup’s team ripped the Baggies apart with a stunning display of attacking football, during a season when we won the League Cup.
The first half was one of Swansea’s best 45 minutes of football ever, with Michu opening the scoring and Wayne Routledge netting twice, and the final score of 3-1 did not do justice to our superiority.
Further back in time, in September 1981 we experienced a 4-1 ‘welcome to Division One’ defeat at The Hawthorns at the start of our first-ever season in the top-flight. John Toshack’s team rectified that result at the Vetch later that season in April 1982 when we came from behind to secure a fine 3-1 win, with goals from Chris Marustik, Alan Curtis, and Bob Latchford, on the way to our highest-ever top-flight finish of sixth position.
Looking back at 2024, the most significant event for the football club has been the changes within Swansea Football LLC, the majority owners of the club.
These changes, which the Trust views very positively, have resulted in far greater decision-making authority residing in Swansea in the hands of chairman Andy Coleman, who in 2023 demonstrated his significant personal commitment to the club by relocating from the USA with his family to live in Swansea.
The Trust continues to effectively fulfil its role in representing the interests of Swans supporters through ongoing engagement with Andy and senior club staff on all key matters related to Swansea City.
The Trust has a range of projects, events and activities planned for 2025 in conjunction with local stakeholders, building on the progress and successes of 2024.
These include the Matchday Experience Working Group, our Swans Heritage work, and the updated Trust Strategy. Trust members will hear more in the coming weeks.
I encourage you to join the Trust at www.swanstrust.co.uk to receive our regular communications to members, or to become directly involved in the work of the Trust.
All the best for 2025!
Rupert
There were times during Louise Horton's treatment for breast cancer when she felt she would not come through her illness.
Months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and undergoing a mastectomy were all part of a gruelling period following Louise's diagnosis with stage three breast cancer.
Now, just over two-and-a-half years after starting her chemotherapy, she has been giving the all-clear and recently completed Swansea City AFC Foundation's FIT Jacks programme.
For Louise it feels like she has been given a new lease of life.
She first became aware of the Foundation's work through its partnership with the National Autistic Society.
That programme offered parents of autistic children an opportunity to take part in health and wellbeing activities that could be balanced around their caring duties.
During those sessions, Louise heard about the FIT Jacks programme, which offers a 12-week course focused on improving the physical and mental health of participants through physical activity and education on healthy lifestyle choices.
She had already been on the lookout for such an initiative after getting the all-clear.
And FIT Jacks proved to the ideal outlet after an incredibly challenging and difficult few years for Louise and her family.
“I signed up because last year I completed chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer,” she said.
“I wanted to do more fitness and look after myself, and that’s why I joined the programme.
“I am a year cancer-free now, I started chemotherapy in May 2022, it was nine months of chemotherapy with sessions every week. I then had a left-sided mastectomy, followed by three weeks of radiotherapy every day.
“Having had stage three breast cancer, I think I was one of the lucky ones, because I don't think I or the team at Singleton - who were amazing - thought I would be here.
“I had the all-clear last May, and once I got over my treatment I decided that it was time to grasp life, live for each day, and look after myself, not just my physical wellbeing but also my mental wellbeing.”
Over the course of the programme, Louise lost five kilograms, as well as learning ways that she can manage her health and wellbeing at home, and opening her eyes to a number of different activities that she hadn’t previously explored.
“Doing the programme has just brought life into me, it’s opened a load of avenues that I wouldn’t have gone down without it," she added.
"I’ve joined the gym now, I’m out walking nearly every day, it’s given me a new lease of life and the team have been so supportive.
“I’m a single Mum with four children and two grandchildren, my granddaughter is two and my grandson is 15 months old, so to have a life and be fit enough and well enough to spend each day with them, you can’t put money on it.
“It’s benefited me and my family because I can do more with them now.
“I come every week to learn tips on how to be healthy, how to look after myself physically and emotionally.
“It was a very long process, there were days where I didn’t think I would wake up in the morning, to be here living life and enjoying life, and being here with a great team every week gives me so much to live for.”
Shauna Thornhill leads the FIT Jacks sessions in Gorseinon, and is thrilled that the programme has had such an impact on Louise after her brave battle with cancer.
“Louise’s story is so inspiring, it’s amazing to see her come so far and to be doing everything she can to live life to the fullest after everything she has been through," said Thornhill.
“You can already see what an impact the programme has had on her, and to hear abut the impact that it’s having outside of the sessions on her family life is exactly what we look to do.
“This is the first step for a lot of people, so for her to now be taking what we’ve done here at New Lodge and continuing it across other activities, that shows she has really taken on board what we have been saying here.”
You can find out more about FIT Jacks and sign up for 2025 sessions by following the link below.
Swansea City season tickets are now on sale for the 2025-26 season, offering fans incredible value with prices frozen across all categories.
The club is pleased to announce new family-friendly ticket options, reductions on previous family ticket options, and can confirm an increase in age ranges on select concessionary categories giving young Swans the opportunity to watch live football for less.
To launch the 2025-26 season ticket campaign, Swansea City will be encouraging fans to make new memories, whilst also celebrating twenty years since the Swansea.com Stadium first opened.
For the first time in recent years, season tickets will be available for all supporters to purchase from day one of launch. Of the exciting new offers available for next season, an adult and child (Under 14) package will mean that they can attend all home games for just £350 per season in the South Stand, which is just over £15 per game combined. This is a significant saving from this season’s current offer of £420, providing a £70 saving.
The Swans will continue to offer one of the most affordable season ticket packages in the Championship after the price freeze, with a standard adult season ticket costing just £411 - the lowest average adult season ticket price when compared to fellow Championship clubs. All Swansea City season ticket price classes (adults, seniors, youth, junior, and child) are below the league average, with adults £91.67 below.
Andy Coleman, Chairman of Swansea City, said:
"We want to offer our supporters exceptional value both on the pitch, and off the pitch, and that is why we’ve decided to defy inflation and freeze season ticket prices. We’re also going one step further and introducing new family-friendly options to get the South Stand bouncing in the 2025-26 season. Our commitment to keeping football accessible and affordable remains, and we look forward to what we are sure will be another exciting season at the Swansea.com Stadium."
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.
MATT GRIMES |
10 YEARS AT THE SWANS
Ten years ago, Matt Grimes became a Jack!
🦢 328 appearances
©️ 266 games as captain
🎯 16 goals
🅰️ 35 assists
🤍 7 South Wales derby wins
😮💨 Started 194 of our last 200 Championship games
YJB.
Myles Peart-Harris struck a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Swansea City came from behind to beat 10-man Luton Town at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Josh Tymon; Matt Grimes (captain), Gonçalo Franco (Jay Fulton 54), Liam Cullen; Ronald (Azeem Abdulai 90), Jisung Eom (Myles Peart-Harris 77); Florian Bianchini (Žan Vipotnik 77).
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Cyrus Christie, Kyle Naughton, Ben Lloyd.
Luton Town: Thomas Kaminski, Amari'i Bell, Mark McGuinness, Tom Krauss (Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu 84), Carlton Morris (captain), Elijah Adebayo (Reuell Walters 71), Marvelous Nakamba (Zack Nelson 65), Tahith Chong, Jordan Clark, Tom Holmes, Joe Johnson.
Unused Substitutes: Tim Krul, Victor Moses, Cauley Woodrow, Erik Pieters, Joe Taylor, Daiki Hashioka.
Referee: Farai Hallam
Swansea City started 2025 with a defeat as they were well-beaten by Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Kyle Naughton (Cyrus Christie 65), Ben Cabango (Josh Key 78), Harry Darling, Josh Tymon; Matt Grimes (captain), Jay Fulton (Myles Peart-Harris 65), Liam Cullen; Ronald, Jisung Eom; Florian Bianchini (Žan Vipotnik 73)
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Joe Allen, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Ben Lloyd, Azeem Abdulai.
Portsmouth: Nico Schmid, Connor Ogilvie, Ryley Towler, Marlon Pack (captain), Freddie Potts, Colby Bishop (Christian Saydee 90), Andre Dozzell, Zak Swanson, Josh Murphy (Terry Devlin 84), Paddy Lane (Matt Ritchie 71), Callum Lang (Elias Sorensen 90).
Unused Substitutes: Jordan Archer, Jordan Williams, Tom McIntyre, Owen Moxen, Sam Silvera.
Referee: James Linington
Established in 1878 as West Bromwich Albion by workers from Salter’s Spring Works, the Baggies were one of the 12 founding members of the Football League and have surpassed 5,000 EFL fixtures as a club.
Albion have spent much of their history in the top-flight of English football, winning their only league title during the 1919-20 season, whilst enjoying success in the FA Cup on no less than five occasions.
During the 21st century they have had spells in the Premier League, including an eight-year stint which was ended by relegation in 2018.
Six managers in six seasons followed and a return to the top-flight in 2020 proved shortlived as they dropped back to the second tier after one season.
Last season saw the Baggies finish fifth in the Championship under Carlos Corberan, and they are in the play-off hunt again this term although the Spaniard recently left to join Valencia.
THE HAWTHORNS
Built: 1900
Location: Halfords Lane West Bromwich B71 4LF
Capacity: 26,688
Following Carlos Corberan's departure to Valencia on Christmas Eve, former Baggie skipper Chris Brunt, Damia Abella and ex-Wales goalkeeper Boaz Myhill have been in interim charge of the Baggies.
Brunt, who recently turned 40, spent the majority of his playing career at The Hawthorns, making 421 appearances and scoring 48 goals across 13 years in Baggies colours.
During that time he helped them to three separate promotions to the top-flight.
He also had spells with Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City over a 19-year career that came to an and in 2021.
After hanging up his boots Brunt - who also won 65 caps for Northern Ireland - returned to West Brom as an academy coach and is now part of the group in temporary charge as they search for a successor to Corberan.
Jed Wallace. The former Millwall midfielder has been a regular since his arrival at The Hawthorns, although he has been used mainly as a substitute of late.
He came through the youth ranks at Portsmouth and progressed all the way to first-team level, where he scored 30 goals in 121 appearances in all competitions.
From the south-coast he went to Wolves, where he spent two seasons before his move to Millwall, having already enjoyed two successful loan spells with the London Club.
Having already helped them win the League One play-offs, he continued to be an integral and influential figure in the Championship, regularly being a reliable contributor in terms of goals and assists.
However, his spell in south London ended when he moved to West Brom after his contract expired.
The left-sided centre-back, who can also cover the full-back positions, arrived from Swedish top-flight club IF Brommapojkarna in the summer and has been among Albion's most consistent and reliable performers this season.
Born in Trondheim, Heggem's talent with local club Astor saw him picked up by Rosenborg at youth level and he featured in the Uefa Youth League for the serial title winners as he rose through the ranks.
An impressive loan spell with Ranheim followed and set up a permanent move to Sandnes Ulf, where he played mostly as a full-back, underlining his versatility.
The switch to IF Brommapojkarna followed in 2023, while Heggem has also won three caps for the Norwegian national team.
A player with bags of Championship appearance, midfielder Alex Mowatt has caught the eye for the Baggies, and has four goals and two assists to his name in the second tier this season.
The 29-year-old came through the academy ranks with Leeds United, and went on to make more than 100 league appearances for the club during a tough period in their history.
He made the move to their Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in January 2017 and went on to spend four-and-a-half years at Oakwell.
Initially viewed as a successor to Conor Hourihane, he was sent on loan to Oxford United during the 2017-18 season, but returned to Oakwell to help the Tykes secure promotion back to the Championship the following campaign.
After avoiding an immediate relegation courtesy of a last-day win over Brentford in 2020, Mowatt was a key figure as Barnsley reached the play-offs, eventually losing the Swans over two legs in the semi-finals.
A move to West Bromwich Albion, following coach Valerien Ismael from Oakwell, followed that summer. Mowatt spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Middlesbrough, but has now firmly established himself in Albion's midfield with his tireless displays.
The striker made a red-hot start to the new campaign with four goals in three games, including a hat-trick in the opening-day win over Queens Park Rangers. He has since increased that tally to 12 with a brace in the win over Preston last time out.
A Sunderland academy product who progressed all the way through to the Black Cats first team during a challenging time for the Wearside club, he went on to join French club Bordeaux in January 2019.
Loan spells with Fulham and Stoke followed, before his switch to The Hawthorns in summer of 2023.
A bad ankle injury curtailed his first season with the Baggies, but he is doing a good job of making up for lost time this term.
Joe Allen has played at three major international tournaments, won 76 caps for his country and made over 450 league appearances across an illustrious career, but the midfielder enters 2025 still with a burning motivation to deliver success for club and country.
The 34-year-old is just back from a minor injury having featured 15 times in all competitions this term, and hungry to return to action.
Allen and Swansea head into this first home fixture of 2025 six points off the play-off places, while on the international front, Wales will head into qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in high spirits following a bright and encouraging Nations League campaign under Craig Bellamy.
And Allen is excited about the year ahead for club and country.
“That’s a big thing for me, and it’s the same with Swansea. It would mean a lot to me to bring more success to Swansea and to help Wales too. That definitely drives me,” he said.
“With Swansea, I think it feels like we are very close to being one of the teams threatening to get into those top-six places, but there is also frustration at chances missed and points dropped along the way.
“It’s cost us, but I do feel there is a lot to be positive about as long as we learn from those going into this second half of the season. If we can find a way to turn those narrow defeats into draws, and some draws into victories then those disappointment may prove to be defining games in our season. There is still a long way to go.
“This is an important time of year, we want to come out of it on the positive side in terms of taking the opportunity to put a lot of points on the board in a short space of time. It’s a great period in the season, there is a lot of chopping and changes of positions and we can still come out of the period with a good haul of points.
“Things are very exciting with Wales too. Every manager has different methods, but I think I can say that the manager here and with Wales want to play to win games.
“By that, I mean they want to be on the front foot with and without the ball, they want to press high. They want to try and dominate the ball and out teams under constant pressure and create chances.
“It’s great I get to experience both camps, it’s not like going from one extreme to another, there are a lot of similarities, there are a lot of Swans boys in the set-up and that is great too.
“Now the qualifying group has been named it’s a lot more real. The games are around the corner and the way things have gone and developed, we are in a good place and raring to go.
“Qualifying for a World Cup is incredibly hard but we have a belief we can do it, we have done it before, we know what it takes.
“We can take confidence and inspiration from that. Everyone will be thrilled if we can do it.”
Allen has previously spoken of feeling like Luke Williams’ approach to the game chimes with the way Swansea teams have played the game over recent years.
And he believes the strides that have been made since the head coach’s appointment a year ago are clear to see. Indeed, the Swans had the seventh-best Championship record over the course of the 2024 calendar year.
“I definitely have the feeling that the way we are playing is how Swansea’s teams should play and have played over the years,” says Allen.
“We have had a year of working with the manager and trying to get to a situation where it looks like a Swansea team, a team with a clear and consistent approach to playing. You know what you are going to see when you come to the game.
“We have come a long way, there are bumps and frustrations along the way because that is the nature of building anything. I think as players we can feel how much we have improved.
“We are at the halfway stage and if you take stock of the whole period you can see we are improving and there is so much to play for. We can be excited about the future, if we are all fully committed and focused on doing something special this year.
“When the gaffer came in and the message was clear. He is a smart guy and he knew the foundations had to be laid. There was never any question of him coming in and hedging his bets or anything like that, it was clear from the outset, and I believe that long-term that is how you have to be.
“Thinking short term benefits no-one. We had tough results against some of the top teams last season, and while we have not had the results we wanted against those teams this season, but the difference in performance levels has been night and day.
“We have at least matched those teams and I believe there is more to come from us.”
Allen sees similarities between how Williams and Wales boss Craig Bellamy approach the game, and he admits that was one of the reasons behind his decision to come out of international retirement to feature for his former teammate.
“I had a great relationship with Craig, I played with him and I had a conversation with him in the summer and he told me how he wanted to play, and it sounded exciting to me,” he said.
At that time, the all-conquering Blues were arguably the dominant force in the domestic game, boasting the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack to name but a few.
In Peart-Harris’ age group there were talents of the calibre of Tino Livramento, Levi Colwill and Jamal Musiala.
The on-loan midfielder did not get the chance to make a senior appearance for the Blues before he made the switch to Brentford in the summer of 2021, but nevertheless he is incredibly grateful for the grounding and foundations his decade at Cobham gave him when it came to forging his career.
“To be at an academy of a club of that size is such a great experience for any young player,” he said.
“I am very thankful for it, you are constantly around top coaches and top players and it definitely set me on the path to have a career in the game, which is what I had always wanted.
“I trained with guys like Tino Livramento, Levi Colwill, Jamal Musiala was in and around it. You can see how things have panned out for them. It gives me confidence, I believe in myself and that one day I can be in the sort of positions they are.
“I always used to watch and admire players like Frank Lampard, Paul Pogba and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, powerful players who had the ability to get in the box and score goals. I would love to be a player like that.
“But the thing is I have to be the best player I can be. I admire other players, of course, and seeing someone like Joelinton up close in the Premier League you realise just how high the level is.
“But I cannot be anyone else, I can only be me, so the focus has to be on improving myself and helping the team I play for. It’s as simple as that because that’s the way I can achieve the most and that’s the way I can provide the best possible life for my family.”
“He asked the question and he explained how he felt I could help at the start of his reign. I was sold on it, to be quite honest, and excited to experience it first-hand.
“When the manager of your country asks you to play for him I think there is a sense of duty to accept.
“I am really glad I did, the camps I have been in have been excellent, there have been some great performances and results. There is a real buzz of excitement and I am lucky to have had the chance to come back into it.
“Until I spoke to Craig it had not crossed my mind, I had moved into the role of being a fan and watching on. I thought my time in a Wales shirt was over, so it caught me by surprise a little bit. I have loved it.”
Allen’s return to international duty saw him become one of 10 Swansea City academy products to feature in Wales squads under Bellamy.
Ollie Cooper, Ben Cabango, Liam Cullen, Connor Roberts, Dan James, Joe Rodon, Ben Davies, Josh Sheehan, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Allen himself all came through or spent time in the Swansea development system.
“It’s a massive credit to the club and anyone involved in the process and development of those players over a number of years. I am proud of it, which means the club should be so proud of producing so many players in a Wales shirt,” says Allen.
“I hope we continue to see that. It’s quite a feeling when you come on in a game and see all those faces and know they are all Swansea products.
“Those relationships certainly make things easier, to see guys like Ollie Cooper, Ben Cabango and others get their first call-ups and starts is brilliant. They have been playing some great football.”
But before he thinks of Wales and the World Cup, Allen knows he has a job to do for his club, and admits the battle for midfield places is a fierce one.
“We have a lot of competition for places in midfield, so I know I have to be at my best. It’s what you need if you want to achieve anything,” he added.
“The lads who have played the majority of games have been consistently brilliant, I think. Grimesy has been excellent as always, and I have been so impressed with Franco and how he has settled in. He brings a lot to us, and the rest of us are grafting away every day in training to try and force our way in because we all want to play. It’s a great problem for a manager to have.”
Happy New Year to everyone reading this, especially members of the Jack Army. I hope you all have a healthy and peaceful 2025 and I hope that this year is the year of us getting a play-off place.
There. I said it.
And special wishes go to all those fans who travel the length and breadth of the country in support of our team. I’ve done a few of those journeys myself over the years and they’re not always easy, as fans who went to Portsmouth will testify.
The January weather wasn’t kind, and neither was the traffic, nor the result.
Many fans were stuck after a collision on the A34 and reported the road closed around lunchtime, which held up travel to the ground.
And for those supporters living further west, an accident on the M4 just after junction 47 also lead to delays at the start of their journey.
The online parking platform Your Parking Space published research last February which showed fans of teams in the Championship clocking up 138,440 miles annually.
We ranked 38th across all divisions, with our fans covering a distance of just under 7,000 miles across the 2023-24 season.
On Wednesday, over 1,900 Jacks made the long trip on New Year’s Day - a bank holiday – and, naturally, there was disappointment at such a heavy defeat.
I saw a question on a social media post which pictured the travelling fans and it got me thinking. The question posed, I assume by someone who wasn’t a football fan, was simply ‘why?’
Sometimes that is a difficult question to answer in a satisfactory fashion, even for supporters.
What makes fans decide to spend their hard-earned cash, give up part of their weekends and sometimes weekdays and evenings, to travel to watch their team when there is no guarantee of a positive result?
The balance of probability might have suggested that given the two wins before Wednesday and the league position of our opponents, fans were more likely to see a Swans victory. But, we all know that nothing in football is certain.
American psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky published their prospect theory in 1979. They concluded that ‘losses loom larger than gains’. In football parlance, a defeat hurts more than a loss brings joy.
A 2018 study by researchers from the University of Sussex supported this as it showed that the pain felt after a defeat was more than double the joy of winning.
As football fans we are largely irrational beings who follow our side through thick and thin. Sometimes making significant economic and emotional sacrifices in order to physically turn up and offer our support to the team we love.
“Countless marriages have been ruined over the last 100 years because football fans love their teams more than their partners,” according to The Ball is Round blog.
I can’t verify the numbers, but I wouldn’t argue with the sentiment. We are peculiar creatures who loyally follow our team, regardless of the fact that even when the odds are in our favour, victory is never guaranteed.
Here’s to 2025!
Julie Kissick
Midfielder Jacob Cook has put pen to paper on a first professional deal with his hometown club.
The 18-year-old has signed a contract through to the end of June 2026, and also has an option for an additional 12 months.
Cook first joined the Swans at under-nine level and he is in the second-year of his scholarship at the club.
He has impressed with his composure in possession and his ability to read the game, receiving recognition at youth level with Wales.
He helped the Dragons reach the 2023 European Under-17 Championship finals, and featured at the finals in Hungary.
Welcome to the world Alfie Henry Wyn Hopkins. Born at 11.05pm and weighing 6.8 - we are so proud to welcome him to the Swansea city family.
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.
Well, Santa certainly delivered a mixed sack of results over the Christmas holiday period, didn’t he?
An outstanding performance against QPR on Boxing Day, a thrilling last-gasp win against Luton last Sunday and a shock heavy defeat at Portsmouth on New Year’s Day.
That final result went down like a stale turkey sandwich and left a bad taste in the mouth as we enter 2025, but I’m going to stay optimistic overall.
The reason? Well, partly because of two moments which particularly stood out for me over the festive period, involving players experiencing very different emotions.
Ben Lloyd was desperately trying to stop smiling, while Gonçalo Franco was doing his best to fight back the tears.
What impressed me were the reasons for their extremely mixed emotions.
Some people accuse modern day players and staff of not caring enough for their clubs – not showing enough passion and commitment.
That opinion may have been reinforced in the eyes of some fans after the Portsmouth defeat.
But the two particular moments I have in mind certainly challenge that theory.
The first one came in the dying moments of the 3-0 win over in-form Queens Park Rangers.
A brilliant first-half performance had ensured the three points had long been safely tucked away in the Swans’ back pocket.
But a late substitution provided a hugely significant moment for young Swans academy product Lloyd.
I was delighted for the youngster when he came on in the 86th minute to replace another academy product, Liam Cullen, who had himself scored twice.
It’s always a great moment to see “one of our own” graduate into the first team. Even better, if the player in question isn’t just a local lad, but someone who has grown up as a Swans fan.
As well as playing for the club since the age of 12, he is a long-time season ticket holder and his Swans-supporting family were there to see his big moment.
After the brief cameo, Lloyd said all the right things you would expect from a young professional footballer.
The Wales age-group international thanked his family, the academy staff, the gaffer and his teammates.
But it was an additional comment, which I particularly liked.
Asked what was going through his mind when he got the call to go onto the pitch, the 19-year-old, grinning from ear to ear, said: “Try not to smile, try not to look too excited!”
I thought it was a lovely, human, response from the player.
On the one hand he was trying to be the model modern pro - don’t show emotion... you’re there to do a job... don’t let your opponents see how excited you are.
But I loved the fact that he did want to smile and was brimming with excitement to be making his league debut for the Swans.
As fans, these are just the kind of emotions we imagine we would experience if given the opportunity to pull on the white shirt.
Yes, we want the players to be professional in their outlook, but we also want to see that it matters to play for this club.
We also want to see that players like Lloyd are coming through the academy, adding to the conveyor belt of talent like first-team regulars Cullen, Ben Cabango and all the other home grown players who have gone before them.
The continued productivity of the academy is vital for the future success of the club.
The incident involving Franco was a very different one but illustrated similar passions to Lloyd.
The Portuguese player’s route to the Swans first team couldn’t be further removed from his teenage teammate.
Franco’s youth career was spent entirely in Portugal at Boavista, Porto, Rio Ave and Leixões, before moving on to Moreirense in 2020.
It was from there he left his home nation to chance his arm in British football with the Swans.
But in the few short months he has been in south Wales Franco has become a firm fans’ favourite. A position he reinforced against Luton.
Franco has been involved with the Swans for a fraction of the time Lloyd has. But the emotions he showed during the Luton game were no less intense than those experienced by the academy product and lifelong Swans fan.
Early in the second half, the 5ft 9ins midfielder, who had earlier equalised for the Swans, was involved in a shuddering collision with Luton’s burly 6ft 4ins former Cardiff City centre-half Mark McGuinness.
The 24-year-old was left in a heap on the Swansea.com Stadium grass with blood pouring from his mouth.
After lengthy treatment on the pitch and then at the touchline, a clearly shaken Franco bravely returned to the fray.
But the gritty midfielder soon had to concede defeat and was substituted before being taken to hospital for further treatment to his gruesome mouth injury.
After the match, Swans manager Luke Williams said of Franco’s injury and subsequent substitution: "He was in tears because he wanted to play.
"But he had four teeth in the bottom row that were in a completely different position to where they were when the game kicked off.
"The guy's a monster. An absolute monster. So, he's not crying because his teeth have been rearranged and he's hurt.
"He's crying because he wants to carry on playing. I know that when he comes off, he's worried that it's going to keep him sidelined for longer than he wants to.
"That's the only reason he's in tears, because he's desperate to stay on. But he's dizzy and he can't close his mouth properly. But that's the character of Gonçalo."
Two very different players, two very different backgrounds and two very different situations.
But those two incidents over the Christmas period have provided me with optimism for the new year ahead – despite the events of Fratton Park.
With players like Lloyd and Franco showing such passion and emotion for the club, I still feel there is something special beginning to build at the Swans.
That may seem to be an over-optimistic take in the wake of a 4-0 defeat, but if you can’t be optimistic at the start of a new year, when can you be?!
Whatever happens, there’s a lot to look forward to in the New Year. That continues today with the visit of West Bromwich Albion.
It’s a chance for everyone involved in the defeat on the south coast to once again show how much it means to be part of this club.
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 thumping south Wales derby victory under the lights in February 2014.
Swansea City 3 Cardiff City 0 – February 8, 2014 – Premier League.
Earlier in the 2013-14 season, Swansea City and Cardiff City had created history when November’s south Wales derby had become the first Premier League fixture not to be contested by an English club.
On that day at Cardiff City Stadium, it had been Cardiff who had triumphed courtesy of a header from former Swan Steven Caulker, with the visitors ending with defender Angel Rangel in goal following Michel Vorm’s red card.
Three months later and Swansea entered the return game with Garry Monk in interim charge for the first time following Michael Laudrup’s exit.
Cardiff were locked in a relegation battle and Swansea were trying to ensure they did not get dragged into one. The visitors also had the chance to complete a first league double in the fixture’s history. The build-up had a pressure cooker feel to it and that was matched by a raucous, hostile atmosphere at the then-Liberty Stadium.
On a sodden evening, the Swans tore into their opponents from the off and it, surprisingly, seemed to catch Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side off-guard.
Within a minute Wayne Routledge had worked David Marshall with a shot following a Marvin Emnes break. Marshall was soon clawing the ball away from the feet of Wilfried Bony as the Ivorian broke into the area.
But, after surviving the frantic opening, Cardiff began to settle and briefly threatened with a Kenwyne Jones header and, while Swansea were still having the better of things, it was goalless at half-time and the visitors would have been the happier of the two teams.
All of that changed within 90 seconds of the restart. Pablo Hernandez, on as a substitute for the injured Emnes, produced a magical slide-rule ball to get Routledge in behind his man and send a low shot past the despairing dive of Marshall.
Cardiff sought to respond, Craig Bellamy crashing a 20-yard strike against the crossbar to remind the Swans that the game was far from done.
After that scare, Swansea settled down and took control of proceedings and began to cut the Bluebirds apart at will.
The second goal eventually arrived 11 minutes from time, Routledge was the provider as his hanging cross saw the Cardiff defence hesitate, and Nathan Dyer nipped in between Ben Turner and Declan John to head home.
It was left to Bony to put the icing on the cake, producing a towering header over Turner from a corner five minutes from time which saw the ball fly into the back of the net via a small kiss off the underside of the bar.
Interim boss Monk spoke of his feelings of relief post-match, but how the focus of his players in training had left him certain that victory would be theirs. How right he proved to be.
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 nol, Junior Jacks!
Welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium! It’s officially 2025 and we are now more than halfway through the season.
We can’t believe how fast the time is going!
We hope you’re enjoying every game as much as we are. We have a good feeling about today’s game and we think we’ll win 1-0 with skipper Matt Grimes scoring the goal.
We have another short quiz for you this week and it’s all about FOOTBALL!
Uppa Swans,
Cyril and Cybil
Head Coach Luke Williams
1 Andy Fisher
2 Josh Key
3 Kristian Pedersen
4 Jay Fulton
5 Ben Cabango
6 Harry Darling
7 Joe Allen
8 Matt Grimes ©
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
29 Nathan Broome
31 Ollie Cooper
33 Jon McLaughlin
35 Ronald
36 Ben Lloyd
37 Aimar Govea
40 NUMBER RETIRED
41 Sam Parker
42 Evan Watts
43 Dan Watts
47 Azeem Abdulai
50 Filip Lissah
Coaches Chris Brunt, Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill
1 Alex Palmer
2 Darnell Furlong
3 Mason Holgate
4 Callum Styles
5 Kyle Bartley
6 Semi Ajayi
7 Jed Wallace ©
8 Jayson Molumby
9 Josh Maja
10 John Swift
11 Grady Diangana
12 Daryl Dike
14 Torbjorn Heggem
17 Ousmane Diakite
18 Karlan Grant
20 Uros Racic
21 Paddy McNair
22 Mikey Johnston
23 Joseph Wildsmith
24 Gianluca Frabotta
27 Alex Mowatt
30 Ted Cann
31 Tom Fellows
35 Dauda Idrissa
44 Devante Cole
Referee - Sam Allison
Assistant Referee 1 - Hugh Gilroy
Assistant Referee 2 - Carl Fitch-Jackson
Fourth Official - Sunny Singh Gill
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, Gareth Davies.
Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy: Ken Gude
Associate Directors: Diane Hughes
FIRST-TEAM STAFF
Head Coach - Luke Williams
Assistant Head Coach - Ryan Harley
Assistant Head Coach – Alan Sheehan
Head of Goalkeeping – Martyn Margetson
First Team Coach Analyst - George Lawtey
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.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP
Andrew Davies (Head of Operations);
Gareth Davies (CFO).
CLUB STAFF
Head of Football Administration: Ben Greenwood
Head of Women's Football: Alice Weekes
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, Alun Rhys Chivers.
Designers: Callum Rothwell, Lewis Ward
Jordan Morcom.
Photography: Athena Picture Agency,
Natalie John-Davis, Alamy.