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Blast From The Past – Des Lyttle |
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“You’ll never beat Des Lyttle!” was the familiar cry from the North Bank during the 1992-93 season, and you know what? they were right. Without a doubt the best full-back that I’ve seen in a Swans shirt since I started watching in the late 80s. Somewhere in Wolverhampton on the 24th Sept 1971, Desmond Lyttle popped out into a world bopping away to the Doors’ LA Woman and Don McLean’s American Pie, ready to take the footballing world by storm. After the temporary set-back of being released by Leicester City in 1991, he made a name for himself playing for non-league Worcester City in the Dr Martins league and was spotted by the then Swansea manager Frank Burrows. Frank Burrows was, quite simply, as mad as a bag of frogs, but he was also a very able manager, and underneath that crazy visage, topped with trademark flat-cap, was a shrewd judge of player and peerless wheeler and dealer. Frank brought a number of hitherto unheard of players to the club and turned them into excellent professionals, and some into Swans greats. Des Lyttle is second only to John Cornforth as the best of the Burrows signings. The £12,500 fee that Burrows prized out of chairman Doug Sharpe’s tight grasp was handed over to Worcester City in the summer of 1992, and Des wasn’t slow in showing his undoubted ability. He made the right-back slot his own straight away. He was blessed with bags of pace and was hungry in the tackle. An expert at the sliding tackle, Desmond would also make surging runs forward down the right, his little shiny legs motoring away through the hapless opposition defence. He was an excellent crosser of the ball for a defender, and was better at crossing than a number of wingers we’ve had since. Des played in 46 league games that season, making a total of 53 appearences and scoring a solitary goal. Not bad for a first season as a professional. It became clear that Lyttle was destined for bigger things, and after only one season with the Swans, he was snapped up by Premiership Nottingham Forest for a whopping £375,000, giving the swans a juicy £362,500 profit on the player. Despite making a number of subsequent moves in his career, this was the last transfer fee anyone would pay for Lyttle. The same close season saw the Swans sell Andy Legg to Notts County for £275,000. It was a frustrating time for Swans fans, with top talent having to be sold to balance the books every season. Des went onto play 6 seasons at Forest, making 220 appearences, winning a Division 1 (Championship) winners medal in 1997-1998, and gaining the nickname ‘Bruno’, before moving on and playing for Port Vale, Watford, West Brom, Northampton and Forest Green. Like Jackie Stallone, Des didn’t age well, and his effectiveness waned considerably in his days at his final couple of clubs, and fans memories of him at Northampton, Watford and Forest Green are less than complimentary. He was however, part of the West Brom team that won promotion to th Premiership in 2001/2002. He was only here for a season, but for that season he was a Premiership class defender playing in what is now called League 1. I’m sure there are fans with differing views of Lyttle’s time with the club, but for me he was the best. Altogether now: “You’ll never beat Des Lyttle…!” Submitted By Ed Rowlands
Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.
 
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