Swansea City Football Club President, Professor David Farmer published in 2000 the Official Biography of the Swans, The Swans Town & City. Next week a supplement to his book, covering the last seven seasons will be published by Colin Jones.
Apart from editorial/line-ups covering the last seven seasons and an updated club records section, new features include a list of the Victory Season Appearances 1945/46, Final League Results season by season, Swansea Town/City Complete Results Record against all Teams in an A-Y format, Managers at the Vetch Field/Liberty Stadium, and an editorial of the Swans at the Vetch Field.
As well as the editorials, included in the book are photographs of players, managers and teams during the club’s history. One such photograph on the back cover features seven of the Welsh side that drew 2-2 with Scotland at Ninian Park Cardiff on 20/10/1956.
All of the seven players were born in Swansea and during their playing career, six of these players made appearances for the Swans. Jack Kelsey(Arsenal), Terry Medwin(Spurs), Trevor Ford(Cardiff City), John Charles(Leeds United), Cliff Jones(Swans), Ivor Allchurch(Swans), Ray Daniel(Sunderland).
John Charles never played a first team game for the Swans, only the youth and reserve sides prior to joining Leeds United in January 1949. Former Winch Wen keeper Kelsey played all of his league games with Arsenal.
Some other record breaking statistics included in the book;
The game against Bristol City on the 14/12/1957 saw the Swans field an All Welsh line-up, with TEN of their players born in Swansea.
Team: King, Griffiths, Jones, Charles, Peake, Nurse, Allchurch, Lewis, Price, Allchurch, Jones. Keeper King was born in Blaenllechau, Ferndale.
The Swans playing squad during the 1949/50 season included 10 Full Internationals. Feeney, Keane, Paul, O’Driscoll, McCrory, Richards, Lucas, Scrine, Parry, Clarke.
By the end of season 1981/82 the Swans had 14 Full Internationals on their playing staff apart from manager John Toshack. Stewart D, Davies D, Hadziabdic D, Rajkovic A, Mahoney J, Curtis A, James R, James L, Charles J, Latchford B, Marustik C, Stevenson N, Kennedy R, Walsh I. Of these, 9 were Welsh Internationals, 2 English Internationals, 2 Yugoslavian Internationals, and 1 Scottish International.
Ben Beynon scored hat-tricks for the Swans in the Southern League and in the Football League, as well as gaining an International rugby cap for Wales whilst playing for the All Whites of Swansea.
When Harry Griffiths made his only International appearance for Wales at Outside Left, the remaining four forwards were ALL born in Swansea. Terry Medwin, John Charles, Trevor Ford, Ivor Allchurch.
In recent generations there has been a decline in the talent moving through the club’s youth system, but what must be mentioned also is that no club in the history of the game can match any of the above statistics, especially when placed into context regarding home grown players.