My sister took me to my first Swans game back in about 78 ish!! (not 100%)Tosh had just arrived and I remember the buzz around the ground, played Plymouth sat in the top tier of the double decker, the excitement, anticipation I was hooked. My only problem was that my Dad wasn't a big football fan so I had to always go with my sister until I was given the OK to go on my own. Match days as a youngster was get the bus from Plasmarl around 12.30 get into town, bag of chips always get to the Vetch around 1.45 made sure I got a spot by the barrier, so I could sit on it. I first introduced my son to The Swans, when we played Reading in an FA Cup game some 6 years ago. We managed a very good draw that day, since then he's been hooked. We've been to every game together barr one, and that was the play off final, that day was Joy and sadness all rolled into one being n my own. Still he got to listen on the radio on his way home form Holland.
Ivor great post there, i used to go and watch Ivor Allchurch when he was with Pontardawe Town a real gent, i got to know Vic Gomersall a little back in the late 70s early 80s he was a character and a great guy i enjoyed listening to some of his stories , did you know Vic at all Ivor.
My first game was when I was 14 my dad took me to the 1st game of the seasion,which happend to be my birthday.we sat up in the old D/decker that was 1956 so you can see Ive been a Jack all that time and proud of it. Seen some great games at the old vetch, I later stood on the N/bank up untill I moved to Australia in 1982 but still a Jack and follow the swans on the net or tv.I also catch a game when I come home to visit. Looking forward to the prem cant wait for seasion to start .Played a soical game with Jeremy Charles when I lived in gendros it was just us lads vrs the girls.
well my friend was a big swansea fan and asked me to go with him on a friday night. we were playing macclesfield i think. we won 2-1 the atmosphere on the north bank got me hooked. i was not a big football fan at the time but now football comes before anything. might of been about 7 years ago.
Well I was born in South Africa, but bred in Llanelli. My grandfather used to go to see the Swans back in the 60s, and my Dad in the 70s but then he started working away (including South Africa for a period, obviously) so the family didn't go much through the 80s. We started going to watch Llanelli play and even took in some of the closer away games but when I got a little older my dad though it'd be good to go watch the Swans again as I could handle the press of the North Bank. I think my first game was around 1992 but I can't remember much about it. 1994 though we went to Wembley for the Huddersfield game and I loved that occasion. From that point on I started taking more notice of the results and by the time the Hull game came around I was hooked. It's been a long, hard, but overall fun ride since my first matches and I've seen many good and bad sights (not sure which to class Cyril's 'wedding' as, lol). I've since become a perennial season-ticket holder and am really glad to be a supporter of a club that is reaching new heights and has fought through adversities to get there. We have a rich history and with the good times left to come, I hope more new fans start watching the Swans. (Like two of my best friends - one of which I've converted from supporting Bristol City, and the other lives in Minnesota but has become a fan of us.)
I have no idea who we played the first time I went, but I was hooked! The next door neighbour, Brian, took pity on my mum and said he'd take me (aged about 8 or 9) to see the Swans. I remember he was perenially studying law at the time, and he actually ended up being the lawyer for the supporters trust I think! Fair play to him, good bloke. The most regularly I've attended was during the managerial merry-go-round years, and then onto Molby, Hollins etc. I sold my N64 to get a season ticket when we got promoted to the old Second Division under Hollins, and it turned out to be a pretty anticlimatic season! Still, hooked. Nothing will ever, ever beat the Hull game for me though. Promotion to the top flight felt incredible, but it's a different feeling, you've got all the elation of winning, with the adrenaline of relief to boot. Epic, epic game.
I was also sitting along the touch line in front of the North Bank. Happy memories!! We had a "goal" disallowed at 0-0, and ended up losing 1-0 to a Bobby Gould goal - was it his first for Arsenal?
Had my parents not divorced I might never have gone to watch the Swans. My Dad used to see us on a Saturday so would take my brother and I to watch the All Whites as he had a bedsit in Bryn Road by St Helens. When I heard a roar coming from town one week as I watched Dewi Bebb and co. he told me the Swans must have scored and promised to take us to a football match which he duly did in October 1965. Guess that was a defining moment in my life as I walked up the tunnel of the North Bank and was mesmorised by the whole experience. We played QPR and won the match 4-2 with the infamous Ivor Allchurch gliding around the pitch and even though it was towards the end of his career and I knew very little about football at that stage, I could tell he was the class act in the team and he had me desperate to see more. From then on all I wanted to do was go and watch "my" team and persuaded a couple of friends on occasions to come with me when my Dad was unavailable. He bought me my first season ticket the following season despite the fact that we had been relegated as I'd pestered him so much infact I still have it to this day and it cost just £2. Over the years I have seen so many ups and downs with my team the latest of course was our fantastic Wembley win which will be added to all the other memories I have. At this point I will explain that I am infact a lady who has sons and grandsons who now also support the swans and will carry on the tradition that my Dad inadvertently started.
Libertyswan great to see the younger generations carrying on the family tradition your dad started, i hope that the many who are reading the stories posted by the contributors to this thread who are new to our great club will be inspired to continue in the swans family long after the dust has settled on this season. And to the OP Casual Fan this is an excellent thread which deserves to be a sticky
Lived about 16 miles from Swansea at the time and my next door neighbour took me to watch the Swans in 1977 and been hooked ever since.
I will explain my story: Born in Morriston in 1970, grew up with Rugby parents watching the Whites in the 70's. I remember sitting in the stand and looking over at the clock from the Guild Hall and always saying "I wonder how the Swans are doing". Not sure how, but we managed to get tickets for the Preston game and saw a historic game when the Swans went up to Division 1. Had a ST for the next two years, bought lots of badges from the shop saying "I was there" etc. It was pure plastic After that i did not see the Swans for years. Parents went back to rugby, then Saturday nights down town with the ladies took priority over money. When I bought my own house I could not afford to go. I did not go back to the Vetch unfortunately. When the Liberty Stadium opened, i went to the Swansea v Blackpool game with my soon. I was instantly hooked. We won 3-2. Three points was a great achievement and i loved every minute of it. Since then, had a couple of half seasons plus full ST and take my two sons. The run in this year for me was unbelievable. Wembley was an amazing day, I took my father & two sons and experienced again the euphoria that we had 30 years ago. I hope my sons will carry on the support & take their children to the Swans. Going back to the original question, why support the Swans? THEY ARE MY LOCAL TEAM & I WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT THEM!
Simple for me really, born in Mount Pleasant hospital, literally that is virtually a stones throw fom the Vetch. When all my mates were following Liverpool, Man U etc my father simply said that we had a football team down the road that everyone should follow and to forget English teams 100's of miles away. Quite right too, only ever will be one team for me regardless if we're in the Premier League or the bottom division of the world
Mabon, Knew Vic in passing but never enough to call him a friend. I had a long history with Ponty (Athletic) and was appointed secretary of the club for a couple of seasons when they were in danger of dropping out of the Welsh League. Along with others, I helped avert that but we had a huge back-log of fixtures, which entailed us playing 3 games a week to catch up. Pleased to say we avoided relegation as well. If you saw Ivor play then we have probably met. Other names from that time included Herbie Probert; Brian Jones; John Beynon (played for Swan's reserves at White Hart Lane when Benny was assistant manager); Dai Harvard; Jeff Day; John Hopkins; Malcolm Crombie and keeper Lyn Davies. Of course there was also YankeeJack who also posts on here. Don Ayres was the then Sec. and other names you might recall, Colin Rees (ex Don Revie's Leeds), Richard Jones (Kimble), Bobby Edwards and Ducks. Remember Ducks? If you do, you're in for a treat because I've got some tales about that guy that will make your hair curl. What a character!!! I'll be watching training often this season and I know that you do. Maybe we can catch a few words then.
Ivor i will arrange to meet you up there one day it would be great to meet you in person. Pontardawe are local to me, Herb Probert played for ponty for many years along with Tommy who was a centre half for them, i still think HP is involved in the club in some capacity, Good player in his day and a great bloke i beleive HP had a trial for the swans back in the mid to late 60s, i have known herbie all my life we only lived a few doors from each other his brother was my best mate. Another good friend of mine was robert cooke who i beleive was a coach there for a long time not sure where he is now. We have probably met Ivor, I was involved and played for your local rivals Ynysmeudwy albeit lower level of football for many years, I have just re read your post and yes i am very familiar with Ducks jesus thats a blast from the past he was another Ynysmeudwy lad and your right he was a character, they were good times Ivor.
Grew up in the shadow of the west stand in Fleet st Sandfields, went to see the swans for the first time when Trevor Morris was the gaffer. the first game was on a wet Tuesday night against Newcastle.We had Keith Todd carried off brian evans carried off and the keeper sent off not sure if it was dwyer King or Kirby we lost 1-0, that was in the enclosure i then got upgraded to the north bank and my firdt game was against Sunderland my first away game was in 1968 when i miched school with 3 mates to see a welsh cup game against Newport at Rodney parade ...been a regular ever since...some of the context mght be a bit sketchy and open to correction but it was so very VERY long ago.Nearly forgot to mention Derek "DeeDee" Draper whent in goal in the Newcastle game
