u/SoLostnLonely

It is only a start, but what a start

There is no evidence that Dylan Thomas ever said or wrote that Swansea was the graveyard of ambition. But the Britannia/bet365 has been the cemetery of points for the Swans in Staffordshire. Only one win (and that was during the time without a crowd) in 15 consecutive seasons, time and time again Stoke would bully and dominate, and eventually come away with three points. Not this time. And it was thoroughly deserved.

In the first half-hour, we had 70% possession. We ended the game with 60%, including more than double the amount of successful passes in the final third. Stoke's first goal came against the run of play, and it would have been easy to retreat, as we have so many times before. We had the better of the first half, and looked comfortable holding the 2-1 lead for the last half-hour. Stoke came out more strongly in the second half but Matos' triple change paid off immediately. A perfect Championship away performance.

⚽️ We have attacking depth

Even though Stoke were looking threatening, it was still quite early for a triple change (Eom, Idah and Widell). Seconds later, good work from Ji-Sung Eom led to a chance for Josh Tymon to cross, and Adam Idah was there for a first-time finish. Idah completed his role for the remaining time, holding up the ball when possible to relieve pressure, and Melker Widell showed some nice skill on the ball. I am very happy for Eom, who contributed to one of the brightest cameos I can remember from him. Whatever you think of Ronald, he was an ever-present for the past three seasons, starting or coming off the bench for over 100 games in a row. The fact he did not appear today highlights the dramatic shift in the attacking third from the end of last season to this new campaign.

Likewise, after a shaky first 10 minutes, Josh Key handled Sorba Thomas quite well when he came on. Thomas is an excellent Championship player, and was player of the season last year. He had some excellent runs and caused problems, but overall, Filip Lissah - until the yellow card and subsequent substitution - and then Key dealt with him as well as could reasonably have been hoped for. Matos must be thrilled with the whole squad today.

⚽️ Men of the Match

Matos made a beeline for Marko Stamenic after the full-time whistle and hugged him off the ground. This is not a surprise, as Stamenic was excellent going forward and offering protection to the defence. I have written previously that I think the New Zealander's ceiling is very high, and we could be about to see that development over the coming weeks and months. His midfield partner Jay Fulton slipped for the first goal, but made up for it with a lovely drag-over and through ball contribution to the equaliser. Similarly, captain Ben Cabango was very good throughout, providing a sense of calm during what could have been an onslaught.

However, of the several potential candidates, the man of the match for me was Joseph Opoku. You can see why Matos wanted him, because he was a tireless presence throughout the game. He was a constant nuisance for Eric Bocat at left-back, combined well with first Lissah and then Key, and Eli Just was always drifting to the right to help with probing passing combinations. Zan Vipotnik's headed flick-on found him in space, and his deflected shot got Swansea back in the game. Not only that, he tracked back relentlessly, at one point getting a crucial back-post touch to hinder Sorba Thomas from getting a tap-in. You can tell he enjoyed himself too, at one point geeing up the travelling Jacks when winning a corner in the second half. A fantastic league debut.

⚽️ Ethan, what's the score?

As mentioned above, Stoke has never been a happy hunting ground for the Swans. Despite this, and with a wave of summer optimism behind us, almost 3,000 Jacks made the journey to the Potteries. Perhaps my ear is more attuned to the sounds of Hymn and Arias et al, but from the television coverage, you could only hear the Swansea fans throughout the game.

As expected, Ethan Galbraith was roundly booed with every touch. Stamenic and Fulton did a superb job of controlling the midfield, but that's not to say Galbraith had a poor game. Indeed, three of the best through balls of the game belonged to the Northern Irishman, and all three were different - one a pitching-wedge loft over the top, one through ball along the carpet, and one deft outside-of-the-boot touch. It is only one game in, and his close control will be missed at times, but the first signs of a new midfield combination are very promising. You could just tell the fans revelled in this one.

⚽️ Pressure and Expectations on Matos

This is now Vitor Matos' squad. Every fit and permanent new signing started this game (five in total), with all the remaining starting and substitute players featuring at some stage last season. Only Cabango, Vipotnik and Stamenic remained in the starting XI from last season's final game against Charlton Athletic. There will be more changes to come in the coming weeks, with rumours of another centre-back and centre-midfielder on the radar. It was reported in some circles that the manager was disappointed to miss out on two targets last week, but an alternative option for centre-midfield could be incoming next week. We can assure everyone he takes it all on the chin, a shrug of the shoulders, and ‘We move on’ Nothing more.

With Cameron Burgess' injury and Goncalo Franco out for another few weeks, these would be welcome additions. Fulton was excellent today, and I hope he will still get game time. He has been with the Swans for 12 years, and can now be considered an honorary Welshman - we will take what we can get, since Sam Parker and Ollie Cooper are out on loan, and Liam Cullen and Cameron Congreve were moved on, leaving Ben Cabango as the sole senior Welshman in the squad. However, the bench options for midfield and centre-back were thin on the ground today. 17-year-old Carter Heywood was the defensive cover, while the attack-minded Leo Walta came on for Fulton late in the game. Get set for an interesting and busy 17 days.

We will leave it to a Stoke City supporter to sum up their day.

By Rhys Clayton (@AustrianJacks on X).

Swansea Independent.

Link to the article: https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66608/swansea-independent-oh-what-a-brilliant-day-in-stoke-!

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." This quote can be attributed to either the Nobel prize winning Danish physicist Niels Bohr or legendary baseballer Yogi Berra.

I am in good company, then, when I look back at my fantasy predictions in last week's Indy, in which I foresee the Swans getting promoted in second place with a little help from Joe Allen. My prediction that we would beat Birmingham in the first round has already fallen by the wayside, but is the promotion dream more likely?

Perhaps. Seeking out neutral observers, from the most popular EFL social media pages to podcasts and print media, I would say the majority of them put Swansea somewhere between 6th and 12th place. Let's say that makes an average of 8th, which brings into play the possibility of featuring in the new expanded play-off system.

Some fans of mid-sized EFL clubs seem excited by the idea of finishing in the top eight. This doesn't make sense to me as every other club is thinking exactly the same thing. The fierce run-in battle to finish 6th has now just been extended by two places. Last season, Derby would have been the beneficiaries of the expanded play-offs, in theory. In reality, the change of format alters the mindset of every club with a chance of making the top eight.

The Swans finished in 11th place, level with Birmingham City on 64 points. On January 31st, the Blues beat Oxford to move within five points of the play-offs. They had already spent £15m in the winter window. Would they have spent £20m, £25m, or £30m if the carrot of an eighth place finish was more realistic? On the same day, Millwall drew with Sheffield United. Millwall ended the day in 5th, eight points off the top two, while the Blades were 11 points off the play-offs. The Championship has the sixth highest revenue in Europe; there are many teams with cash to burn. Perhaps these two teams would also have invested more readily, one with the chance to consolidate their position and avoid the extra round of games, the other with a chance to make a late surge. The permutations are endless.

That is before you consider that the team sneaking into the play-offs in last place does not often make it through anyway. Since the last changes in 1989, the team ending in 6th place have been promoted just seven times. Hull City, the most recent team to achieve this - and the first for 16 years - will try to avoid the fate of Blackpool and Crystal Palace (twice), who came straight back down the following season. In this summer's expanded World Cup, Norway made their first-ever quarter-final and Switzerland their first since 1954. The semi-finals featured only previous winners. In the end, bigger is often not better or fairer.

England did make it to the last four, with a squad littered with previous EFL talent. One of the 20 EFL graduates was Marc Guéhi, who started in the semi-final against Argentina, and was previously on loan at the Swans for 18 months. In total, 36 players were at the World Cup from Championship clubs, the ninth-highest total of any league. The Swans contributed three players to this sum, and have subsequently signed Eli Just from Motherwell. After scoring a brace against Iran, Chris Sutton said he had "added a couple of zeros to his value". In that context, I think the Swans can be happy with the £6m fee.

Just made his competitive debut against Birmingham, and should be in from the start against Stoke City. His midfield opponent will be one Ethan Galbraith, the recent £10m signing from the Swans. The Northern Irishman played 65 minutes last week in their 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic. Ex-Swan Ben Wilmot featured in defence, and Stoke's 2025/26 player of the year Sorba Thomas started on the right-wing. Expect all three to start again tomorrow.

The Swans' record in Staffordshire is poor. You could view this as a great chance to get some points, with patterns and combinations still at a very early stage for both teams. Stoke's pre-season also featured a win over a top-tier club, beating Everton 1-0 and also a draw against Valencia, giving the fans hope for a much improved year. The Potters have shown remarkable consistency since their relegation in 2018, finishing between 14th and 18th in the subsequent eight seasons. Before a ball is kicked tomorrow, Stoke start in 17th and Swansea in 18th. I predict both teams to finish higher up this term, and I would not be surprised if they are still separated by one place 46 games later. But then again, it is hard to predict the future.

The Swans new players will be introduced to the Championship at its toughest. The testing heat and conditions every team that visits the old Victoria ground will be telling. Ethan Galbraith has been mentioned but the Swans danger man for this game we think is Joseph Opoku, a versatile winger who displayed his competency last week against Birmingham City in the League Cup. Despite his aggressive running at the Blues defence a whole load of chances were passed up by the Swans.

Vitor Matos has been backed for the coming season with attacking options and the promotion to the first team of Filip Lissah comes with huge credit to the academy. Stephen Welsh coming down from Scotland has ensured defensive stability with Cameron Burgess out for most of this season. There may well be another centre back brought in as back up and indeed that elusive midfielder that the Swans have been chasing down for three weeks at least. Tomorrow is a big test to the longevity of a Swans side over a full ninety plus minutes. They will face robust tactics from Stoke boss Mark Robins with the usual extreme tackles - and of course a huge crowd, nearly three thousand in the away end. Safe journey to every one of the Jack Army.

By Rhys Clayton (@AustrianJacks on X)

Swansea Independent.

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66599/potters-v-swans-can-the-swans-break-their-terrible-return-at-stoke-

​

Last week the Indy looked at Udinese Calcio. I described Le Zebrette as the club Swansea aspire to become. On Saturday, the Swans face the club perhaps most similar to them in Spain.

Leganés, a municipality of Madrid and a city in its own right of around 200,000 people, is proud of its football club. Club Deportivo Leganés experienced all three top divisions in the 21st Century, were no stranger to the fourth level during the 70s and 80s, and almost went out of business in 2008 before being rescued by new ownership. But their high point came in a glorious spell during the previous decade, when they continued to defy the odds in La Liga and gave all the big boys a bloody nose. Sound familiar?

The club can boast one of the most unique nicknames in world football. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Leganés was famous for its cucumber farms. Local farmers regularly supplied cucumbers to Madrid—including the Spanish Royal Household. As a result, people from the town became known as "pepineros", and the football club proudly adopted the nickname. "The Cucumber Growers" ascended to their greatest height in the summer of 2016.

On 4th June that year, Leganés earned their first ever promotion to La Liga, to complete one of the biggest fairytale stories in recent Spanish football. They might have footballing parallels with the Swans, but geographically, Stockport, a town in Greater Manchester, has a similar population to Leganés, and has to fight for attention from City and United. Imagine County ascending to the Premier League and taking on the two Manchester giants on their doorstep?

Leganés' highest finish was 13th in 2018/19 under one-time Liverpool centre-back Mauricio Pellegrino. But perhaps the peak of the whole era came one season earlier in the Copa de Rey. Facing 20-time winners and behemoth neighbours Real Madrid in the quarter-final, they lost the first leg at home 1-0. But in the return leg at the famed Bernabéu, the Cucumbers played Champagne football. Nereo Champagne that is, as the appropriately named goalkeeper kept Madrid to the single goal, while his teammates humbled Zidane's reigning European champions to go through on away goals 2-1 for their first ever Copa del Rey semi-final. A Guardian article at the time opens, "Leganés were still on the Bernabéu pitch close to midnight, long after Real Madrid players and their fans had departed head down and in silence".

Those halcyon days seem long ago now. Leganés lost 4-1 to Madrid in a pre-season game just a few days ago. Los Blancos just spent £100m to bring Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, who in turn spent €20m to buy him previously from Leganés. The Segunda División side finished 16th last season and rely mostly on free transfers. But it will not stop the fans coming out for their team. The supporters are known for their loyalty, and even after their most recent relegation in 2025, attendance remained high, and the club has continued to set membership records at their charming and intimate ground. The phenomenon has become known locally as "Legamanía," reflecting the deep bond between the club and its community.

Swansea City fans also know it is not all about money. Ex-Leganés players include Gorka Pintado, Borja Bastón, and Roque Mesa (below). The former signed for the Swans for £200k and left a very popular figure. The latter two were signed for huge fees and failed.

In the summer before Pintado arrived, Swansea played a Spanish team at home in a pre-season friendly; a team also beginning with L that have hovered between the top-two leagues in the 21st Century. Roberto Martinez's Swansea beat Levante 2-0 in the final game before the 2007/08 season began. That season ended with promotion. We can but hope.

By Rhys Clayton, Austrian Jacks/Swansea Independent.

Link: https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66504

By Rhys Clayton:

Udinese are the club Swansea City aspire to become - in their country's highest league, housed in a small, modern stadium with passionate fans, renowned for spotting and developing young talent, and constantly punching above their weight.

Udinese Calcio, to give them their full name, are based in the small city of Udine. It might be located in Italy but the region - like Swansea - has a strong and proud local identity. The Slovenian border is a mere 20km to the east, while Austria is 57km to the north. The greater region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of five "autonomous regions with special statute" along with Aosta Valley, Sardinia, Sicily, and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

Their footballing philosophy is equally distinct compared to their league rivals. For such a smartly and efficiently run club, it may surprise readers to know that Giampaolo Pozzo is the owner of Udinese. His son, Gino Pozzo, is now the owner of Watford FC, a club famed for their hiring and firing under the Pozzo regime. It is this link that led South Wales Derby hero Ben Wilmot to a short loan spell at Udinese during his time at the Hornets. Current Udinese manager, Kosta Runjaić, has been in situ since taking over from World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro in 2024.

Italian football has long had a reputation for being sceptical of young, precocious talent. Udinese buck that trend, putting faith in inexperienced, untested players. Nowadays we call that Moneyball, previously it was called doing what you can to survive. And they have survived a long time. The second longest of any club, to be exact. Only Genoa Football and Cricket Club can assert to be older. Genoa, however, can claim to have won nine Scudetto league championships; Udinese have never won one, sort of. The club was founded before the Italian Football Federation even existed, meaning that, since the current FIGC was not yet created, their victory in the 1896 national football tournament does not count as an official title - their forever "forgotten Scudetto", as most fans call it.

Fast forward to today, and the Swans' opponent later this afternoon will be hoping for another year free of relegation danger. Last season's 10th place finish was their highest since a 5th place finish in 2012-13, achieved under ex-Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin. Back then, club legend and double Serie A golden boot winner Antonio Di Natale was still firing in the goals for Le Zebrette ("The Little Zebras"). Di Natale played alongside the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Fabio Quagliarella, Bruno Fernandes, and Juan Cuadrado in the early stages of their careers. Erling Haaland narrowly missed out on adding his name to their roll of honour. Club scouts identified a young Haaland in Norway with Molde, but deemed his fee too risky for their budget. Udinese's loss would be Salzburg's gain.

Speaking of which, this afternoon's game will be in the Salzburg region. Mittersill is a stunning little village nestled in the Austrian Alps. The Swans have not shown too much in their first two games in Austria and it will not get any easier today. Unlike many top-flight clubs, Udinese were almost entirely unaffected by the World Cup (insert joke about Italy not qualifying here). Indeed, the Swans had more players involved. Only Sweden's Jesper Karlström featured, playing in the group games against Tunisia and the Netherlands.

Another World Cup star, Elijah Just will most likely make a cameo this afternoon, alongside other new boy Joseph Opoku. The Swans apparently beat top-flight interest to secure their signatures, so fans will be expectant of a fast start.

Legend has it that the hill in Udine city centre was built by Attila the Hun. Swansea won't need to conquer any mountains in Mittersill this afternoon, but producing their most competitive performance of pre-season would be a welcome start.

Come and find out for yourself.

Link: https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66477

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66451/swansea-city-steady-start-for-the-swans-in-austria

Odysseus started his 10-year odyssey in Troy. Swansea City's players and fans started their 10-month journey in Tirol.

And what a beautiful place to start the voyage. Kufstein is a city I know well. Now the Swansea players and a handful of fans are familiar with the stunning surroundings as well, with steep, imposing mountains enclosing the small city in all directions.

The first hit-out was against Holstein Kiel, a team in the 2nd Bundesliga. Germany and Austria might sound close, and they do indeed share a 500-mile border, but Kiel is as far from Tirol as possible for a German team, sitting on the Baltic Sea. Copenhagen is a four-hour drive away, but talking to some opposition fans, the 13-hour drive south was long but worthwhile.

Kiel's team bus was delayed in traffic, but after a short delay, the game started, with the Swans in a customised pre-season Death Row Records all-white kit. The positive reaction on the ground and online led many to ask why we do not adopt this style all season? Vitor Matos decided to start with his best team. There will be more comings and goings before 15th August, but the starting team against Stoke City will most likely be very similar to yesterday. Which would mean a new centre-back pairing.

After Cameron Burgess' own-goal against the USA in the second World Cup group game, (he was pulled at half-time) and did not feature again. He is still on his summer break. This gives new boy Stephen Welsh a chance to impress in pre-season and most likely start the league season. His first appearance in a Swansea shirt was a positive one. A Matos team will circulate the ball around the backline and he looked calm in possession. I counted three times when Welsh played a sharp, direct ball into the feet of a midfielder that beat the Kiel press, which will be music to the ears of the many Swans fans who were crying out for such qualities last season. He did get turned once when pressing higher up, and did not look that fast when chasing back, which is something to keep an eye on. He was the only starting player to emerge for the second-half, and played another 10-15 minutes.

His centre-back partner, Ben Cabango, provided the flashpoint of the first-half with a late, sliding challenge. In real time it looked mistimed rather than malicious, but watching back on the (now viral) video clip, he really does clatter him. He was lucky only to get a yellow card.

The other new lad, Moussa Yeo, played the first half (the most football he has played since early March), showed some nice touches and drew in some fouls. He played his part in the press and can expect plenty of game time over the next weeks and months. Both of Swansea's goals came from awful errors from the Kiel defence and goalkeeper, but the pressing from the front three can take some credit for that. The only other clear chance fell to Ronald, who missed a one-on-one when through on goal alone.

Not a new signing but the other new face for the fans was Filip Lissah. Seeing him for the first time live reminded me of Nico O'Reilly. Although Lissah is around four inches shorter, he is still 6ft and cuts an athletic figure, and moves with an easy speed. And like the City full-back, he seems at ease receiving the ball in any position, and also looked comfortable in individual duels with his winger. Given the recent troubles in the right-back slot, Lissah has a huge chance to make the position his own this season.

For what it's worth, in the first pre-season game, Adam Idah was the standout player. He looked sharp and played with intelligence, linking up well several times with the willing Ronald. He looks to have continued where he left off from his impressive end-of-season form.

This could be very important due to the continued uncertainty around Zan Vipotnik's future. The Slovenian saw his country's flag in the stands and came over to chat to the fans at full-time. He fielded questions/demands not to leave us with good grace and a smile. According to the man himself, his niggle will stop him playing in Austria but he should be fit for the first game back in Wales against Leganes. Make of that what you will.

The Swans players and Matos came over to the small corner of Swansea fans to applaud, but Vipotnik was the only player to come to the edge for a chat and photos. This was in contrast to the Kiel players who came en masse over to the stand of fans, to mingle, engage and take selfies. Not to mention the fact that club affiliates were handing out club caps, keyrings and playing cards to the supporters during the game, a small gesture that goes a long way. All the best to their team and fans for the season.

The second-half featured a host of youngsters who are pushing for league minutes, like Cameron Congreve and Sam Parker. The inexperienced team fought hard to keep the score at 2-2, and can be pleased with their afternoon's work.

⚽️ Vitor Matos : "There were some really good things that we saw already, and it's important that we keep building and have an idea of what team we want to be. I'm really impressed with both, and they both played really well. It's also good now that the team will also start to understand them as well. And to understand their strengths and how we can use that in our game. It was also good to see players from the academy, a lot of new faces which allows us to know them better."

A solid start to the 2026/27 Odyssey.

⚽️ Swansea City first half : Lawrence Vigouroux, Jay Fulton, Ben Cabango, Josh Tymon, Liam Cullen, Leo Walta, Stephen Welsh, Filip Lissah, Adam Idah, Ronald, Moussa Yeo.

⚽️ Swansea City second half : Andy Fisher, Josh Key, Melker Widell, Stephen Welsh (Carter Heywood 60), Zeidane Inoussa, Ollie Cooper, Sam Parker, Daniel Watts, Thomas Woodward (Bobby Wales 84), Cameron Congreve, Arthur Parker.

The left one is from January 2026, and the right one is from today, May 2026.