Due to a lack of public transport links connecting the north and south, and the level of competitive football in Wales, several clubs had traversed the border into neighbouring leagues. There are currently six teams playing within various English divisions, which include Swansea City, Newport County, Cardiff City, Wrexham, Colywn Bay and Merthyr Town.
Premier Competition
Swansea City became the first ever Welsh club to join the English Premier League since its inception in 1992, promoted in 2011 under the guidance of Brendan Rogers. Their debut season was a resounding success, with the Swans beating Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool en route to an impressive 11th place finish. In 2013, Swansea were awarded their first major trophy after a 5-0 mauling of Bradford City in the League Cup Final. The victory qualified the club for the UEFA Europa League, in which they managed to advance past the group stage, only to be knocked out by Napoli in the first round of 32.
Aside from their fleeting foray into Europe and their 2013 domestic cup triumph, the Swans have enjoyed relative success during their Premier League tenure. Finishing mid table for their first five seasons, it was not until the 2016/17 competition that Swansea were dragged into a relegation battle, which they eventually escaped unharmed, securing their survival as late in the season as the 14th of May. The current campaign began equally miserably, with the Swans cemented to the bottom of the table after 18 games. Portuguese manager Carlos Carvalhal arrived to steer the club out of the relegation zone, setting up a season finale certain to leave fans hopeful.
Stats
- Swansea play their home games at the Liberty Stadium, which has a capacity of 21,088.
- Ivor Allchurch is City’s most capped player, with 68, and holds the title as top goalscorer, with 166.
- Whilst the club’s official nickname is the Swans, the team and its supporters are also referred to as the Jacks.