Phil Sumbler
The last time the Swans faced Cardiff in August in the league it was 29 August 1987 and there were just over 6,000 at Ninian Park to witness a 1-0 win for the home game. Today, more than 20,000 will be in SA1 watching the fixture which everyone associated with Swansea City will hope sees their domination of this fixture continue.
Jimmy Gilligan scored the only goal of the match that day and, of course, went onto play for the Swans after a spell at Portsmouth was sandwiched between his appearances on both sides of the divide. Much has changed since then of course with both sides having new stadia, both having appeared in the Premier League and Cardiff have won just ten of the last forty meetings between the two sides.
That Swans domination is increased when you consider that eight of the last eleven meetings have resulted in Swans wins with twenty goals our return in that period to just five from the blue half of South Wales. Domination rarely seen at any stage of the meetings between the two sides. Add to that not just the first but the second as well double in thirty-three seasons of sharing the same division and you have a clear indication that the Swans are the dominant force in South Wales and have been for quite some time now.
Of course on a derby day that can change but during that recent time period it has too often been a criticism from the Cardiff fans that their managers and players do not “get” this fixture and it was certainly a criticism we levelled at Michael Duff during his tenure in Swansea where he oversaw the only defeat in the last three years in the fixture.
A 3pm Sunday kick off is not maybe the most traditional time for the fixture to kick off but it will not stop the atmosphere in SA1 being as electric as it ever is. Cardiff bypassed the initial talk of a boycott due to the game still being a bubble trip (as will be the return fixture later in the season) but their fans know they have had little to celebrate down here – the last time they scored in front of their fans here was 2011 thanks to their goal in 2021 being in front of a Covid enforced empty stadium.
The Swans have been busy this week adding both Nelson Abbey and Florian Bianchini to their ranks and both are available for selection today and it is anticipated that both will e on the bench for the fixture with Luke Williams likely to revert to an unchanged lineup from the side that started against Preston last weekend.
Cardiff signed up Manchester United defender Will Fish on a four year contract but he will not feature today with manager Erol Bulut saying that he is “not quite ready to play yet.” The Bluebirds though do have Aaron Ramsey fit but Joe Ralls remains a doubt while they anticipate being able to include Callum O’Dowda and Calum Chambers in their matchday squad.
Words from both camps
Luke Williams: “We are desperate to win the game. We are desperate to win every game because that’s what being at the club should be about, we are desperate to win because it is a derby and we know that it means.
“We are desperate to win because we want to experience that ecstasy again, so there are many reasons why we want to have a great performance and a great day.
“I know how much this means here, how much it means to me, to the players and, most importantly, how much it means to our fans, because I am pretty sure I met every single one of them last time.
“We cannot guarantee anything, you can play great and lose or you can play poorly and win. That’s the nature of football sometimes.
“But what I can guarantee you is, we know what it means.”
Liam Cullen: “I know it is a cliché but form does go out the window, these are one-off games and that is maybe even more the case on this occasion with how early in the season it is.
“You go back a couple of seasons and we won up there after having a difficult run of form. We beat Bristol City the game before, but prior to that we had a tough run.
“That’s why the key thing is these games is to focus on yourself as a team, to be 100 per cent ready and focused.
“I feel like we are ready, we know what is at stake and we are excited about it.”
Erol Bulut: “I know what this means to the fans, for the Club, for us. This is not only a derby.
“It’s a great derby. When I remember at home, the win against Swansea, it’s one of the biggest derbies. It’s always good to win them, it doesn’t matter how. You have to win it.
“We are analysing the opponent and they analyse us. We have to get our first goal. The first two games, we had chances, but we have to finalise them. No other game could be better than this game to change our fortunes.”
Calum Chambers: “Derby games, they’re must win games, they’re massive and you always want to win the game. There’s a different feel about a derby game wherever you are. We’ve prepared for that this week and what better time for us to play them. We’ve had two results that have gone against us, so I can’t wait to go and play there and try and get a win. It would be amazing for us and the fans.
“People have told me a lot of things about this game when I first moved here and especially this week. It sounds like a great game to be involved in. I love these kind of games, for the fans and for us. We’ve got an opportunity to do something special for the Club in these games and it’s up to us to take that.
“It’s a team effort, it always is and it will take everyone to be at 100% on the day. You’ve got to keep cool heads. We’re all just really excited for the game.”
You can of course keep up with all the latest on the game including views of the fan pre, during and post-match via our matchday thread which for this game can be found here
Derby day is here – be loud, be proud and be the twelfth man to bring the Swans home to yet more derby day success.
