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It was with great pleasure, that on Saturday 13th September the Trust officially unveiled the latest piece of street art to permanently commemorate legends of Swansea Town/City and Wales. Following on from the unveil of, ‘The Alice Street Boys’, in August, this latest piece of artwork, ‘The Sandfields Boys’, celebrates the Swansea Town careers of two of its most popular sons, Terry Medwin and Cliff Jones.
The scheme is part of a larger project by the Swans Trust to promote the history and heritage of the football club, and, as mentioned, follows on from the tribute to the Alice Street Boys and one in Plasmarl to the Allchurch Brothers, unveiled last October.
This latest reveal was made all the more special because it was the first time that a player depicted on the art work was actually able to attend and take part in the ceremony. Along with Joyce Medwin, Terry’s wife, Cliff Jones himself had travelled down from London with his family to take part in the proceedings.
Terry and Cliff’s careers are entwined more closely than most. Despite being born just over two years apart, they knew each other from the very beginning. Cliff was born at the west end of the Sandfields, growing up on Beach Street, and Terry was actually born and grew up in the curtilage of Swansea Prison, where his dad was a warder and his family had their accommodation…surely no Swansea Town or City player has been born so close to the Vetch as Terry!
Soon, Terry and Cliff would share a playground in St Helens and Oxford Street schools and represent Swansea Schoolboys, where both would captain their respective age groups in a golden age of schoolboy football in the town. Both captained their teams to victory in the Welsh Shield, while, in 1950, Cliff led his young Swans to the Welsh Shield and English Schools Trophy double, an incredible achievement.
In 1952, both boys would make their Swansea Town debuts and became the flair on both flanks of an attack that delivered a ‘Golden Era’ for Swansea Town fans, alongside legends such as Ivor and Len Allchurch, Harry Griffiths and Mel Charles. Terry made his first-team bow away at Blackburn Rovers on 5 January. Then, nine months later, on 18 October, Cliff would board the Swans player’s coach to Bury for his debut. In Cliff’s book of 1962 – ‘Forward With Spurs’ – he mentions nervously taking his seat at the front of the bus alone. The player who came and sat next to him for the journey? Terry Medwin.
Terry, happy at either right wing or at centre forward, would wear the Swans white shirt on 165 occasions in all football, scoring 64 goals, while Cliff would grace the shirt 193 times in all matches, providing 54 goals from the left wing.
The well documented 1950’s Board’s lack of investment and an often keen desire to sell their star players, meant, that in 1956 Terry would depart to pastures new in north London with Tottenham Hotspur, for a fee of £18,000. Then, just under two years later, Cliff would tread the same path in a British Domestic Transfer Fee Record of £35,000, again to Spurs. The first photograph taken of Cliff in his new kit was alongside his schoolboy pal from the Sandfields, Terry, in the Spurs dressing room. At Tottenham the boys would achieve unprecedented success for the club, winning between them, the League and Cup double in 1961, retaining the FA Cup in 1962, winning the European Cup Winners Cup the following season, then, in 1968, Cliff would become an FA Cup winner again, when at 33 he became the first substitute to win the trophy.
But it was with Wales in 1958 that the boys’ legends were really created. As part of a very Swansea heavy team, Terry and Cliff took Wales to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, with Terry scoring the winner in the play-off game against Hungary in a 2-1 victory. To this day, 67 years later, Terry remains the only Welshman to have scored the winning goal in a World Cup Finals match for his country. With Wales, Terry won 30 caps scoring 6 goals, whilst Cliff would wear the red shirt 59 times, providing an impressive 16 goals, many of which were from the far-post headers that became his trademark.
Cliff would eventually leave Spurs and see his career out at Fulham until 1970, but Terry was not so lucky. On 31 May 1963, Spurs toured South Africa and played a National Select XI in a game that they won comfortably 5-1. However, Terry would suffer a horror leg break in the game which would ultimately end his career. Despite giving two years of his life to battle back from the triple fracture, Terry was forced to announce his playing retirement. He was just 30 at the time of the injury, with years in the game still ahead of him. Despite this setback, Terry would eventually become a respected coach, and in 1978 became John Toshack’s Assistant Manager, helping mastermind the club’s unprecedented rise to the Top Division.
An excellent crowd attended Western Street to watch the artwork being unveiled by Cliff, Joyce and a surprise guest. Growing up in the Swansea Valley, Sir Gareth Edwards was a fanatical football fan, and his two heroes were Terry and Cliff, so it was a treat for all that Sir Gareth was in attendance to assist in the unveiling of the tribute to these two great former Swans. He spoke movingly of his love of football, the Swans, his own playing connections under John Toshack, and of course, his two boyhood heroes. Cliff’s modesty is such, that when he gave his thanks to all for attending, he said he couldn’t believe that someone of the stature of Sir Gareth wanted to take part in the ceremony.
Terry and Cliff were also represented by their children and grandchildren along with Trust President, Alan Curtis. Members of the Trust Board and Swansea City were also present to pay tribute and the presentation ceremony was conducted by Trust Supporter’s Director, Paul Meller and Trust Ambassador, David Brayley.
The Trust are also very grateful to Andrew Wilson of Cloud9 Management in arranging the attendance of Cliff from London and liaising with both families in advance of the event.
It was yet another true community event which celebrated the careers of these greats of Swansea Town and Wales football in fitting style, with a now permanent tribute marking all they achieved for Swansea Town and Wales.
David Brayley, Ambassador
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
15th September 2025
“Join the Trust”
The post Swans Trust Unveil Tribute to Sandfields Boys appeared first on Swansea City Supporters' Trust.
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The scheme is part of a larger project by the Swans Trust to promote the history and heritage of the football club, and, as mentioned, follows on from the tribute to the Alice Street Boys and one in Plasmarl to the Allchurch Brothers, unveiled last October.
This latest reveal was made all the more special because it was the first time that a player depicted on the art work was actually able to attend and take part in the ceremony. Along with Joyce Medwin, Terry’s wife, Cliff Jones himself had travelled down from London with his family to take part in the proceedings.
Terry and Cliff’s careers are entwined more closely than most. Despite being born just over two years apart, they knew each other from the very beginning. Cliff was born at the west end of the Sandfields, growing up on Beach Street, and Terry was actually born and grew up in the curtilage of Swansea Prison, where his dad was a warder and his family had their accommodation…surely no Swansea Town or City player has been born so close to the Vetch as Terry!
Soon, Terry and Cliff would share a playground in St Helens and Oxford Street schools and represent Swansea Schoolboys, where both would captain their respective age groups in a golden age of schoolboy football in the town. Both captained their teams to victory in the Welsh Shield, while, in 1950, Cliff led his young Swans to the Welsh Shield and English Schools Trophy double, an incredible achievement.
In 1952, both boys would make their Swansea Town debuts and became the flair on both flanks of an attack that delivered a ‘Golden Era’ for Swansea Town fans, alongside legends such as Ivor and Len Allchurch, Harry Griffiths and Mel Charles. Terry made his first-team bow away at Blackburn Rovers on 5 January. Then, nine months later, on 18 October, Cliff would board the Swans player’s coach to Bury for his debut. In Cliff’s book of 1962 – ‘Forward With Spurs’ – he mentions nervously taking his seat at the front of the bus alone. The player who came and sat next to him for the journey? Terry Medwin.
Terry, happy at either right wing or at centre forward, would wear the Swans white shirt on 165 occasions in all football, scoring 64 goals, while Cliff would grace the shirt 193 times in all matches, providing 54 goals from the left wing.
The well documented 1950’s Board’s lack of investment and an often keen desire to sell their star players, meant, that in 1956 Terry would depart to pastures new in north London with Tottenham Hotspur, for a fee of £18,000. Then, just under two years later, Cliff would tread the same path in a British Domestic Transfer Fee Record of £35,000, again to Spurs. The first photograph taken of Cliff in his new kit was alongside his schoolboy pal from the Sandfields, Terry, in the Spurs dressing room. At Tottenham the boys would achieve unprecedented success for the club, winning between them, the League and Cup double in 1961, retaining the FA Cup in 1962, winning the European Cup Winners Cup the following season, then, in 1968, Cliff would become an FA Cup winner again, when at 33 he became the first substitute to win the trophy.
But it was with Wales in 1958 that the boys’ legends were really created. As part of a very Swansea heavy team, Terry and Cliff took Wales to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, with Terry scoring the winner in the play-off game against Hungary in a 2-1 victory. To this day, 67 years later, Terry remains the only Welshman to have scored the winning goal in a World Cup Finals match for his country. With Wales, Terry won 30 caps scoring 6 goals, whilst Cliff would wear the red shirt 59 times, providing an impressive 16 goals, many of which were from the far-post headers that became his trademark.
Cliff would eventually leave Spurs and see his career out at Fulham until 1970, but Terry was not so lucky. On 31 May 1963, Spurs toured South Africa and played a National Select XI in a game that they won comfortably 5-1. However, Terry would suffer a horror leg break in the game which would ultimately end his career. Despite giving two years of his life to battle back from the triple fracture, Terry was forced to announce his playing retirement. He was just 30 at the time of the injury, with years in the game still ahead of him. Despite this setback, Terry would eventually become a respected coach, and in 1978 became John Toshack’s Assistant Manager, helping mastermind the club’s unprecedented rise to the Top Division.
An excellent crowd attended Western Street to watch the artwork being unveiled by Cliff, Joyce and a surprise guest. Growing up in the Swansea Valley, Sir Gareth Edwards was a fanatical football fan, and his two heroes were Terry and Cliff, so it was a treat for all that Sir Gareth was in attendance to assist in the unveiling of the tribute to these two great former Swans. He spoke movingly of his love of football, the Swans, his own playing connections under John Toshack, and of course, his two boyhood heroes. Cliff’s modesty is such, that when he gave his thanks to all for attending, he said he couldn’t believe that someone of the stature of Sir Gareth wanted to take part in the ceremony.
Terry and Cliff were also represented by their children and grandchildren along with Trust President, Alan Curtis. Members of the Trust Board and Swansea City were also present to pay tribute and the presentation ceremony was conducted by Trust Supporter’s Director, Paul Meller and Trust Ambassador, David Brayley.
The Trust are also very grateful to Andrew Wilson of Cloud9 Management in arranging the attendance of Cliff from London and liaising with both families in advance of the event.
It was yet another true community event which celebrated the careers of these greats of Swansea Town and Wales football in fitting style, with a now permanent tribute marking all they achieved for Swansea Town and Wales.
David Brayley, Ambassador
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
15th September 2025
“Join the Trust”
The post Swans Trust Unveil Tribute to Sandfields Boys appeared first on Swansea City Supporters' Trust.
Continue reading...
