The End Of The Road?

End Of The Road For Sumdger??

As we all know West Ham youngster Ezomo ‘Izzy’ Iriekpen to train with the Swans and yesterday it was announced that Richard Jones will be training with the club with a view to a season long loan from Southampton.

Both we understand will play for the reserves in this Wednesday’s opening Pontins fixture away at Bournemouth and it is believed that Brian Flynn will then put pen to paper to secure the services of both players for the Swans.

The arrival or Iriekpen will be designed to strengthen the side at the back, with the Swans having conceded 5 league goals in two games as well as 4 in the extra time defeat at Ashton Gate last Wednesday. Richard Jones will be well known to some at the Vetch having been a product of the Centre of Excellence at the Vetch before following Malcolm Elias to Southampton.

Swans chairman Huw Jenkins was quoted in the paper the week before the season started that funds were running out and that new signings were unlikely especially if Flynn wanted all three of his then trialists – Durkan, Robinson and Connolly which of course we now know that he did. However, it does appear that there could be an exit from the Vetch Field door this week which will make way for the new people to come in.

Jason Smith has missed much of the past three seasons with countless injury problems. It seems that his runs in the team are usually followed by longer periods out of the team. We understand that this week Smudger is again seeing the injury experts at the Vetch and it is very possible that the news could lead to him announcing his retirement from the game and thus making the space in the squad for the upcoming signings.

Smith was signed for the Swans by Jan Molby shortly after the 1997 play off final defeat against Northampton. During his six years at the Vetch he has played over 160 games, scoring 11 goals in that period. His partnership with Matthew Bound provided the backbone of the Swans successful championship season of 2000 where they conceded a record low number of goals. However, since that time he has featured in just 64 games for the Swans – finding the net on 4 occasions.

It now appears, that if the stories are true, that the injuries have taken their toll on the former Tiverton man and that the curtain is about to be called on his professional career. Stories have surfaced in the past of his lack of committment but it is always sad to hear of a potential retirement through injury and if this proves to be the case with Smith then we wish him all the best for the future wherever it takes him.

And of course if it opens the door for two new young faces to light up the team then we will improve even more at the same time, something that we are constantly doing having won both our league games so far.

As one door closes, two new ones open?

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