Press cuttings

30th October 2005 Focus On: Swansea City

Telegraph The gods of hubris. The club's leading striker, Lee Trundle, has, improbably, signed an image rights deal. Cue Furies. What, like Beckham and Ronaldo at Real Madrid? Exactly like that. Except it's Trundle. At Swansea. Isn't he just a fat bloke with an ironic haircut? Don't mock; curves are in. He may look like the bastard offspring of Mick Quinn and Nathan Barley but he has scored 14 goals this season, pushing the Swans into second place in League One. Not bad… He's a cult phenomenon, full of tricks on the pitch. He inspired the 7-1 demolition of Bristol City earlier this season, scoring twice. If, as his detractors so volubly claim, he did eat all the pies he'd probably flick them up first, juggle them between right and left, catch them on the back of his neck before wolfing them down. Isn't he, er, too big for Swansea? Well, apparently 85 per cent of merchandise sold in the club shop has his name attached to it - hence the image rights deal to try to keep him in Wales. Swansea turned down a £750,000 bid from Sheffield Wednesday for him last week. What next, a line of designer clothing? Crouch & Trundle would have High & Mighty quaking in their size 17s. How did he get on yesterday? Ate them alive. Trundle helped himself to a hat-trick as Swansea devoured Chesterfield 5-1. Adebayo Akinfenwa and Owain Tudur-Jones also got in on the act. What next? The Trundle circus trundles into Stockport for FA Cup first round weekend on Saturday. Our boy has FA Cup pedigree: six goals in 10 games and he sure doesn't want to miss a bit of third-round exposure. After all, there are Trundle mugs to sell.

30th October 2005 Swans and Shrimpers savour big wins

Wales on Sunday LEAGUE One leaders Southend’s 3-0 victory over Bristol City kept them one step ahead of nearest rivals Swansea after a hat-trick from Freddy Eastwood. Eastwood struck in the 25th, 48th and 75th minutes against struggling City - but his feat was matched by the Swans’ Lee Trundle in the 5-1 victory over Chesterfield. Adebayo Akinfenwa opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Trundle made it two (11), only for Steve Blatherwick to pull a goal back for the visitors. However, Trundle (28) and Owain Tudur-Jones (45) put the hosts ahead before the interval and the former completed his treble 18 minutes from time. Third-placed Huddersfield were held to a 1-1 draw by Swindon, with the Terriers’ Chris Brandon (54) equalising after Andrew Gurney’s 40th-minute penalty. Brentford came a cropper at home to Bournemouth, with substitute James Keene (24) and James Hayter (41) scoring the first-half goals. Barnsley closed to within a point of the Bees after beating 10-man Walsall 2-1 at home. Paul Hayes (18) put the Tykes ahead before Walsall lost defender Craig Pead to a straight red card in the 55th minute. Brian Howard made the Saddlers pay with the winner 11 minutes later. Scunthorpe conceded a 17th-minute opener to Oldham’s Andy Liddell but went on to win 4-2. Andy Butler (28) and Billy Sharp (31) put the Iron in front only for Liddell to equalise within two minutes. Two goals in five minutes after half-time from Crosby (52) and Sharp (56) sealed the result for Brian Laws’ side. Hartlepool moved themselves away from the lower reaches with a good 2-1 victory at Port Vale, Eifion Williams (12) and Thomas Butler (64) scoring either side of Michael Cummins’ (43) effort. Nottingham Forest were indebted to David Johnson’s solitary 24th-minute goal to see off Bradford, who had Darren Holloway sent off in the 83rd minute for a second caution. Colchester moved closer to Yeovil after a 3-2 victory over their in mid-table rivals with a 90th-minute goal from Chris Iwelumo. Pablo Bastianini (32) had put Yeovil ahead but Iwelumo netted an equaliser just before half-time and after the break the visitors’ Matt Harrold (51) and Jamie Cureton (68) traded goals ahead of the late drama. Second-half goals from Steve Davies (62) and Steven Jennings (90) gave Tranmere a 2-0 victory at Doncaster, while Gillingham were 2-1 winners at home to Blackpool after recovering from Keigan Parker’s 23rd-minute opener with goals from Chris Hope (49) and Neil Harris (65). Parker was later sent off for the Seasiders. Milton Keynes Dons earned a point at home to Rotherham after Malvin Kamara (80) cancelled out Andy Monkhouse’s 24th-minute goal.

29th October 2005 Austin driven on by his World Cup dream

Western Mail SWANSEA CITY defender Kevin Austin admits playing in next year's World Cup in Germany would be "a dream come true". The 32-year-old Londoner has played for Trinidad and Tobago, qualifying through his parents. The "Soca Warriors" will rub shoulders with the likes of Brazil, Italy and Argentina in the 2006 finals if they overcome Bahrain in next month's World Cup two-legged play-off. And, if Trinidad and Tobago do make it to Germany, Austin is hoping his displays for the League One promotion-chasers will earn him a place in Bertille St Clair's squad. The Hackney product - who can play at left-back and centre-back - has made one outing for the Warriors, back in 2000. Despite playing a key role in Swansea's promotion last season and their rise up the League One ladder this term, Austin has been inexplicably ignored by his country. "I've not given the Trinidad and Tobago thing too much thought because, the way I see it, if I'm not picked then I'm not good enough to be in the team," said the former Leyton Orient, Barnsley, Cambridge and Bristol Rovers player. "But to be involved in the World Cup would be absolutely brilliant. It would be a dream come true for me." Austin's exclusion is bizarre, considering St Clair calls up Dennis Lawrence, who is playing League Two football at Wrexham, and Gillingham duo Brent Sancho and Ian Cox, who play for a side struggling at the foot of League One. "I haven't got a clue if the current manager knows about me or not," said Austin, a regular in Kenny Jackett's line-up. "Maybe he does know about me. Maybe he's got better players than me to pick from. Maybe he's looking at different ideas, I don't know. "All I can do is work hard at Swansea, hold my place down here and see where that takes me. "My loyalties are with Swansea, to stay in the team and do well. Anything else on top of that is a bonus." Austin's one and only appearance for the Warriors came in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Panama in Port of Spain in November 2000. He would surely have played more games for Trinidad and Tobago had he not been sidelined by an achilles tendon injury picked up on international duty in the Cayman Islands. "When I did play for Trinidad and Tobago, I enjoyed it immensely. If it comes about again, then I'll think about it," Austin went on. "I got injured the last time I was involved with them and perhaps that scared them off. "I'm just knuckling down and trying to do my best for Swansea because if I'm not doing well for Swansea then I've got no chance of playing for Trinidad and Tobago again." Austin's immediate thoughts are not on regaining his international place but on keeping Wayne Allison quiet in today's league clash with fifth-placed Chesterfield at the Liberty Stadium. After picking up one point from the last nine, the likeable defender is looking for the Swans to return to winnings ways. "If this is our bad spell, we'll take it. We're not panicking about our last few results because I don't think we've played badly in those games," he remarked. "We've stuttered a little bit recently, but we're still third. We won 5-2 at Walsall and we beat Bristol City 7-1 at home, but I'd be surprised if we do that again. "You can't get those results, week in, week out. The teams in this division are too good. "We deserved to beat Bristol City on the day, but every season you see a freak result and that was it. "I'm not surprised we're doing well because we believe in ourselves and we know we're a good side. "But I'm surprised at the number of goals we've scored and that we've won games 5-2 and 7-1." Austin played mainly left-back last season, but has mostly operated in the heart of defence this season. "Beating Chesterfield would be a massive win. Ideally it would be nice to keep a clean sheet and get a few goals," he smiled. "Chesterfield will be a tough test. Allison is a physical player and a good striker. "But I relish the challenge of playing against good players. That's why I came to the club."

29th October 2005 Jackett sure Trundle will keep feet on ground

Western Mail KENNY JACKETT is confident Lee Trundle will not turn into a bighead after signing a David Beckham-style image-rights deal with Swansea City. And Jackett reckons it's not too late for the 29-year-old marksman to get the Republic of Ireland call-up he covets. Trundle followed in the footsteps of the world's top players this week by reaching an agreement with his club that will see him receive a cut of all merchandise relating to his name and image. And the Liberty Stadium favourite - who has set up Trundle Tricks Limited to look after his commercial affairs - will also launch a clothing range. The Swans' star striker is believed to be the first player outside the Premier League to have struck up such an agreement. But Swansea boss Jackett is sure the Scouser - the subject of a failed £750,000 bid from Sheffield Wednesday last week - will not turn into a big-time Charlie. "Since I've been here there has been no sign of Lee getting too big for his boots. I don't think he's that type of fellow," said Jackett. "He's level-headed. I think he's got his feet on the ground and he's happy at Swansea. "I don't see a situation where he will get too big for his boots. When I assess his character, I don't see that happening." Jackett has no complaints about Trundle signing an image- rights deal with the League One outfit. "Lee has got a profile which is good for him and the club, and that profile is becoming national," he added. "In the last few years he has had a high profile locally but now he is getting known nationally." Since joining the Swans from Wrexham in the summer of 2003, Trundle has scored 56 goals in 101 appearances. Inevitably, he is Jackett's leading goalscorer this term with 11 goals in 14 outings. "Lee was a late starter in the professional game. Some players who start late peak three or four years later and that's as far as they go - but Lee has kept progressing," added Jackett. "Since I've been here, he has kept progressing. There are aspects to his game that have improved. "He's 29 now, but I'd like to think that he will keep looking to progress. That's what I want from all my players." Jackett would love to see Trundle - whose grandparents were born in the Republic of Ireland - represent the Emerald Isle. "Lee can still play for Ireland. That can happen. He's not someone who has hit a wall," he went on. Trundle was ignored by former Republic boss Brian Kerr, who lost his job earlier this month after his side failed to reach next year's World Cup. The former Wrexham player will now be looking to grab the attention of his successor, whoever that may be. "Lee wasn't picked by the last regime, but that's not to say he wouldn't have been picked had we kept doing well and he kept scoring," said the Swans chief. "I don't think it was a case where Brian Kerr had made his mind up and that was it. He might have been swayed in, say, February if Lee was scoring goals." Jackett - who has only calf strain victim Garry Monk missing today - has called on his charges to end a three-match winless streak against fifth-placed Chesterfield. The Swans have slipped from first to third after drawing one and losing two of their last three. "Chesterfield have won their last two - they scored four against Huddersfield and three against Bristol City - so they're a form side," he explained. "I know their assistant manager (Lee Richardson) very well and they fancied their chances to do well this season. "They've got centre-forwards (Wayne Allison and Colin Larkin) who give defenders a lot of problems. "We're looking to play better than we have been doing. I don't think we've been quite as sharp as we can be. We're looking to lift our performance." After their stunning spell in late August and early September, when they scored 18 goals as they chalked up four straight wins, Jackett believes sides have now tightened up when they face his Swans. "The opposition have reacted to us. Early on in the season people were saying, 'Who are Swansea?' They had a go against us and played open football, but that has changed," he explained. "Also, the pressure on us has changed. "It's a different mentality when you go from being a challenger to a champion. "We've set a standard now and we have to adhere to that standard."

28th October 2005 VISITORS LOOKING FOR TREBLE

Evening Post Chesterfield defender Reuben Hazell is hoping his side can continue to soar when they visit the Liberty Stadium tomorrow. The Spirites will be looking to make it three wins in eight days this weekend after they followed up their 4-3 victory over then League One leaders Huddersfield Town with a 3-0 success over struggling Bristol City on Wednesday night. However, both those wins came at Saltergate and Roy McFarland's side have been inconsistent away from Derbyshire. But it is their current form that has given the 26-year-old optimism for tomorrow. "At the start of the week we said that we had three big games," Hazell said. "We have got six points so far and it will be tough to make it nine but we are on a bit of roll." Despite moving up to fifth in League One on Wednesday night, Spireites assistant boss Lee Richardson is erring on the side of caution. Chesterfield sit only three points behind the Swans following their victory over the West Country side. "It is nothing to really shout about just yet," Richardson said. "It is not even November and we are still in the first third of the season." THE ticket office will be open from 10am tomorrow and turnstiles and ticket booths will be open from 1.30pm. The Riverside Lounge will be open from 1pm for full season ticket holders and will be open to anyone 15 minutes after the match. Coach bookings for Stockport County and Southend United are being taken in the club shop. Both matches are pay on the day. Groups of more than three adults unaccompanied by children are no longer able to purchase tickets for the Family Stand.

28th October 2005 DEAL PUTS MCLEOD ON CLOUD NINE

Evening Post The new season has been like a new lease of life for Kevin McLeod and he is poised to sign a new deal. When the former Everton winger arrived from Kenny Jackett's old club, Queens Park Rangers, back in February, some fans were wondering just what the ex-Wales international saw in the 25-year-old. Only seven starts and four appearances from the bench hardly inspired the Jack Army. But a summer in Swansea has done wonders for McLeod, as he returned for pre-season the player that Jackett knew at Loftus Road. The old Evertonian, who got his hands on a signed Kevin Ratcliffe photo lifting the FA Cup in 1984 at a club dinner this week, is now ready to sign a new deal which will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until June 2008. "I'm happy that I can just concentrate on playing football and get on with what I have to do for Swansea City," McLeod said. "I wasn't really that surprised that contract talks started so early in the season. "The chairman (Huw Jenkins) and the gaffer have said that they want to keep me. "I have shown them what I'm capable of and I just have to keep that going all season." A host of players are coming to the end of their contracts at the close of this campaign and Jackett has already opened contract talks with Andy Robinson and Owain Tudur Jones. More discussions are expected to follow in the coming months. "If we are going to go places then we need to keep the likes of Lee Trundle, myself, Andy Robinson and the rest of the lads," McLeod added. "This new contract has been a big boost to me." The 25-year-old broke his goal drought back in August with a header against Doncaster Rovers, then the goals flowed. A career best of seven goals already this season, which came in the space of five games, saw McLeod voted the PFA fans' player of the month for September. "I'm not a prolific goalscorer," he smiled. "The goals for me came all at once, but as long as the team is doing well that is what I'm more concerned with." So with in-form Chesterfield heading to the Liberty Stadium tomorrow, Swansea's lull in form will have to come to an end. Failure to win in their last three league games has seen Jackett's side slip from the League One summit. An injury-time equaliser from Rotherham United last Saturday denied the Swans a return to the top of the table as McLeod returned to the side following three weeks out with a calf strain. "I felt that we were unfairly treated down at Rotherham," he said. "Their second goal should not have been allowed as it was a foul on Tatey (Alan Tate)." Despite a spell on the treatment table with the injury he picked up in the 3-2 win over Blackpool at the start of the month, McLeod came straight back into the side last Saturday. "It has been hard coming straight back into the side as I hadn't trained as much as usual," McLeod added. "But I have had a full week's training this week so hopefully I can get back to my normal ways. "The gaffer has been talking about chances and once you lose your place in the side that can bring people into favour. But after I made an impact in the team before, he didn't want to change a winning formula and brought me back in."

28th October 2005 MILKING THE IMAGE

Evening Post Having your doubts about the Lee Trundle clothing range unveiled yesterday? Maybe this little tale will change your mind. A mother and son from Essex, both season-ticket holders at Dagenham & Redbridge, were wondering what to do with their Saturday afternoon when the Conference side were playing away from home. Mum suggested going to see nearby Grays Athletic, early-season favourites to win a place in the Football League. Her little boy had other ideas. "I want to go to Swansea to see Lee Trundle," he said. And so off they went to Paddington and caught the train to South Wales to see Trundle score as Swansea City overcame Blackpool. "I think that just proves that Lee's marketability knows no bounds," said Swans vice-chairman, Leigh Dineen. He had just shaken hands with Trundle on an image rights deal of the type not seen before outside the Premiership. These sort of things are normally the concerns of agents to football megastars like David Beckham and Michael Owen. But such has been Trundle's impact in Swansea, so consistently spectacular have his performances been, that he now has an agreement of his own. "I never imagined this sort of thing happening when I first joined the club," admitted the 29-year-old, a Sky Sports star thanks to his showboating skills. "I suppose it's a reflection of what I have done on the pitch for Swansea. "I've enjoyed being here and scored my goals." There have been plenty of bonuses for hitting the back of the net - Trundle boasts the excellent record of 55 Swansea goals in barely 100 starts. Now there will be cash coming into the bank account, even if the man's fans christened "Magic Daps" ever loses his shooting boots. "Lee's agent, Neil Sang, put a value to us on what he thought Lee's image rights were worth," Mr Dineen added. "We discussed it at board level and we agreed. Lee receives a fee and we take profits from the sale of the merchandising carrying his image. "We're not just talking about things being sold in the club shop. We believe that the clothing range, in particular, will appeal to a wider market across South Wales. "Some Swansea fans don't always want to wear clothes carrying the club crest, while others, especially kids, will want to wear Lee's clothing." Sang, Trundle's former team-mate at Chorley, added: "Everyone does well out of this financially and it cements the relationship between Lee and the club." But would the ace striker's new career in fashion stop him scoring goals? "No way," Trundle declared. "That's still going to be the most important thing for me."

28th October 2005 WE MUST WIN! MARTINEZ WINDS UP HIS TROOPS

Evening Post Roberto Martinez has labelled tomorrow's clash with Chesterfield "must-win" as Swansea City look to maintain their promotion push. The Spanish club skipper has demanded victory over the in-form Spireites as Kenny Jackett's men bid to end their worst run of the League One season. ''It's a must-win game,'' Martinez declared. ''Everyone is looking at each other in the division at the moment - each week you look at the Huddersfield result, the Southend result, the Barnsley result and so on. ''Everyone is trying to work everyone else out and that's why it's so important for us to win tomorrow. ''The last three games have been disappointing for us points-wise and this is a great chance for us to send a message to the other teams in the league.'' Chesterfield, enjoying their best start to a season in 24 years, arrive with Swansea still smarting about Barry Conlon's injury-time equaliser at Rotherham last weekend. ''That hurt,'' Martinez admitted. ''At the start of the season we were just the newly-promoted team and that meant we could express ourselves. ''It's not like that anymore. Now we're the team to beat in the division and that makes life a bit harder.'' With just two points banked from the last nine on offer, boss Kenny Jackett echoed his captain's sentiments. ''Earlier in the season people were saying 'Well, who are Swansea?' and treating us like just another club,'' he said. ''They came here, played open football and had a go which allowed us to get at them. ''Now the situation has changed. The pressure on us has changed because all of a sudden we're champions rather than challengers. ''We got used to that last season. Now we have to do the same again.'' Swansea welcome back Andy Robinson from injury, though Garry Monk's calf problem denies Jackett a full squad to choose from. Adrian Forbes and Owain Tudur Jones are among those pushing for starts, but Swansea could keep faith with the XI which came so close to victory at Millmoor. Lee Trundle and Bayo Akinfenwa definitely lead the line with Paul Connor on the bench despite Izzy Iriekpen's stray elbow leaving him needing stitches above his right eye. Swansea were grateful that was the only training-ground injury suffered yesterday. A mystery padlock appeared on the gates at Jersey Marine, forcing Trundle and Co to climb through hedges and hurdle a stream to reach the pitches. Jackett will hope they have more joy trying to unlock the Chesterfield defence tomorrow. He said: ''Lee has always had a high profile locally, but because of the strides he is making it is becoming national now. ''But I don't think he will become big-headed. He's never been like that since I've been here and he doesn't strike me as that kind of person.''

28th October 2005 STAY FOREVER

Evening Post Swansea City are keen to keep Lee Trundle at the Liberty Stadium for the rest of his career. And the club are hopeful that Trundle's new image rights deal could help persuade the Scouser to sign up for life. The 29-year-old's current Swansea contract expires at the end of next season, but Huw Jenkins is optimistic that South Wales will not be saying farewell to Trundle come summer 2007. ''Our partnership with Lee has worked very well since the day he signed for the club,'' the Swansea chairman said. ''We want that to continue for as long as Lee can keep on playing and scoring goals. We wouldn't be sorting out an image rights deal with him if we didn't want to keep him at Swansea for the rest of his career.'' Trundle's image deal, signed yesterday, sees him receive a fee from the club because of the cash he pulls in through merchandising. ''It's a step in the right direction which enhances our relationship with Lee,'' Jenkins added. ''The arrangement will benefit Lee, it will benefit the club and it will benefit the fans. ''On top of that, because it cements the relationship, it should help when it comes to talking to Lee about extending his playing contract. ''As the season develops we will be talking to a number of players about their futures, and, although we already have him signed up for next season, I'm sure Lee's name will come up. ''Hopefully, the image rights deal will show Lee that he is valued at this club. He knows he's wanted here, and it would be nice to be competing in the Championship inside the next couple of years with Lee in our team. ''If that happens, we will have achieved what we set out to do when we first came in and Lee will have been with us almost all the way through.'' Boss Kenny Jackett, who declared this week that only a Premiership club could prise Trundle away from Swansea, paid tribute to the striker's progress yesterday. He said: ''Lee has always had a high profile locally, but because of the strides he is making it is becoming national now. ''But I don't think he will become big-headed. He's never been like that since I've been here and he doesn't strike me as that kind of person.''

28th October 2005 Swans are ready for more bids for wanted man Lee

Western Mail SWANSEA CITY chairman Huw Jenkins is bracing himself for more bids for star striker Lee Trundle. The League One promotion chasers last week turned down a £750,000 bid for the player who has netted 50 goals in 86 league outings for the Swans. And Jenkins said he expects more clubs to swoop for his Scouse marksman in January when the transfer window reopens. The Swans supremo made his comments on the day Trundle signed an image rights agreement with the club he has served with distinction since July 2003. "I think there will be more bids coming in for Lee. I've no doubt we'll have further bids for him," said Jenkins after watching Trundle sign the David Beckham-style licensing deal at the Liberty Stadium. "We will probably have to wait until January for those bids. A lot will depend on how many goals he scores and how many headlines he hits between now and then. "If you look at the situation in the Championship or even at the lower end of the Premier League, there are clubs looking for goalscorers, for people like Lee. "Outside the top end of the Premier League, there are not many strikers who excite people. There are very few, but Lee is one of them." Jenkins has no desire to part with the marksman who has already struck 11 times this season to help Kenny Jackett's side to third spot in League One. But every player has his price - including "Magic Daps" Trundle, whose Swans contract expires at the end of June 2007. "As I said last week, we will take every bid that comes our way and we will look at it when it does come in," added Jenkins. "That's when we'll make a decision. It's pointless thinking about it at the moment. "Our aim is to carry on doing well and keep winning games so we stay at the top of the league." Wednesday - currently struggling in the Championship - may come back for Trundle after having a £750,000 bid rejected for Wycombe hotshot Nathan Tyson. "Sheffield Wednesday are fully aware of our situation. There has been no contact with them since we turned down their offer," explained Jenkins. "Lee has said he has no intention of leaving the club and doing this image rights deal with us makes the bond between him and Swansea City stronger." It is believed Trundle has become the first player outside the Premier League to have struck up an image rights agreement. The 29-year-old will receive "a fee" from all Trundle-related merchandise sold by Swansea, including shirts, posters, mugs and even a range of Lee Trundle clothing. Jenkins insists the Swans, and not just the striker, will benefit from the deal. "The profiles of both Swansea City and Lee Trundle have developed together. He is a part of what we're doing here," said the Swans' chairman. "We are giving our supporters what they want. The majority of our young supporters have a close affinity with Lee, which is only natural because goalscorers do get more attention. "Looking back, signing Lee three years ago was a good move for us. "The club has developed since then. If we hadn't developed, we wouldn't have been able to keep him." Trundle's agent, Neil Sang, said the deal had nothing to do with Swansea trying to keep hold of the player following Wednesday's interest a week earlier. "The Sheffield Wednesday thing came out of the blue. This isn't a sweetener. I first had the idea for this when Lee signed his current contract last November," explained Sang, who has known Trundle since he was 17 when they were both playing for Chorley Town. "A club may try to sign Lee, but it's got to be right for him to go there. "But, outside the Premier League, I don't see many clubs potentially bigger than Swansea. "The rejection of Sheffield Wednesday's offer speaks volumes of how much Swansea value Lee." Sang added, "Swansea's status as a club - and brand - has greatly improved since Lee came on board and I'm sure the chairman and vice-chairman (Leigh Dineen) will agree with that. "I think the fans will be delighted with this deal because it cements the relationship between Lee and the club. For them, that's the bottom line."

27th October 2005 NOW TRUNDLE'S SIGHTS ARE ON FASHION WORLD

Evening Post Lee Trundle today completed an image rights deal at Swansea City. The League One leading scorer has signed a deal with the club until the end of his playing contract which expires at the end of June 2007, but the image rights deal is renewable. Not only is this a first for Swansea but it is believed to be the first image rights deal outside of the Premiership. The amiable Scouser is already looking into launching his own clothing line. ''It's really exciting,'' Trundle said. ''The deal's going to be on the merchandise, and I'm also looking at bringing out my own clothing range. ''I'm going to have an input into the design of the clothes as well.'' Swansea turned down a £750,000 bid for the star striker last week from Championship side Sheffield Wednesday and the club's vice-chairman Leigh Dineen said: ''Lee is now synonymous with Swansea City FC and Swansea as a whole. ''He has helped the profile of the club over the past few years and has become a household name due to his showboating appearances on Sky. ''His footballing ability is there for all to see but his dedication to the fans and community at large shows his personality. ''Through this agreement and working close with Lee and Neil Sang (Trundle's agent) we hope to offer more insight into Lee through the products we will be making available. ''A full range of Lee Trundle clothing, produced with his style in mind, will be available over the coming months.''

27th October 2005 JACKETT HOPING FOR A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH

Evening Post Kenny Jackett could have every member of his 24-man squad available for the first time this season when Swansea City face Chesterfield on Saturday. Andy Robinson looks certain to come back into contention after missing last weekend's 2-2 draw at Rotherham with a dead leg. And Swansea are hopeful that Garry Monk, the only other player not available for the Millmoor trip, will also declare himself fit to face the Spirites. "We expect Andy to be fit after what was a straightforward dead leg," said Jackett. "And we also have fingers crossed for Garry, who looks to be getting over his calf problem." The return of Robinson and Monk would leave Jackett with a host of selection headaches as his side aim for a first win in four league matches. In midfield, particularly, the Swansea boss has an embarrassment of riches. But he insisted: "I won't be lying awake night trying to work out who is going to play where if we have everyone available. "I never worry about having too many good players, only about not having enough. "If I have got the whole squad fit, available and competing for places then that's exactly where I want to be. "That's where we need to be as a club." He added: "There may a couple of big players who don't even make the 16 on Saturday, but that's the way it has to be if you want to be successful. "I'm looking to bring in more good players to increase the competition." The one definite absentee on Saturday is ankle-ligament victim Kevin Nugent, now semi-retired as a player anyway. Meanwhile, the club have appointed a new coach for the Football in the Community department, who goes by the name of Frankie Burrows. But it's not the former Swans boss of the mid-1990s, it is a 22-year-old coach from Swansea who has an UEFA B licence.

27th October 2005 Trundle's face is his fortune at Swansea

Independent Lee Trundle has secured a potentially lucrative image-rights deal with his club Swansea - believed to be the only one of its kind in Britain outside of the Premiership. Following in the footsteps of some of the world's highest profile players, Trundle will receive a percentage of all merchandising sold by the club that relates to his image. Almost 90 per cent of all Swans merchandise sold currently features the 29-year-old striker, and the top-scorer in League One will now have more control over how his name is utilised by the club. "It's really exciting," Trundle said. "The deal's going to be on the merchandise, and I'm also looking at bringing out my own clothing range. I'm going to have an input into the design of the clothes as well." The deal has taken months of negotiation between Trundle's agent, Neil Sang, and the club. Trundle denied securing the deal is linked to his decision to stay at the club following a reported £750,000 offer from Sheffield Wednesday. Lee Trundle has secured a potentially lucrative image-rights deal with his club Swansea - believed to be the only one of its kind in Britain outside of the Premiership. Following in the footsteps of some of the world's highest profile players, Trundle will receive a percentage of all merchandising sold by the club that relates to his image. Almost 90 per cent of all Swans merchandise sold currently features the 29-year-old striker, and the top-scorer in League One will now have more control over how his name is utilised by the club. "It's really exciting," Trundle said. "The deal's going to be on the merchandise, and I'm also looking at bringing out my own clothing range. I'm going to have an input into the design of the clothes as well." The deal has taken months of negotiation between Trundle's agent, Neil Sang, and the club. Trundle denied securing the deal is linked to his decision to stay at the club following a reported £750,000 offer from Sheffield Wednesday.

26th October 2005 JACKETT TELLS SWANS: WE MUST DO BETTER

Evening Post Kenny Jackett has warned Swansea City must do better against Chesterfield if they are to end the worst run of their League One campaign. Jackett's men have taken just two points from uninspiring meetings with Yeovil, Oldham and Rotherham United. Now the Swansea boss is demanding an improvement as he targets a much-needed return to winning ways at the Liberty Stadium this weekend. "We have to get on the front foot again," Jackett declared. "We are waiting for things to happen at the moment rather than making them happen and that has to change. "We're not challenging teams enough. I've watched the Rotherham video a number of times and instead of getting at them we sat off them. "Now and again that happens in games and sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say the other team was better. "But I haven't felt that was the case in the last three games. We just haven't challenged sides enough." Jackett takes some heart from the fact that Swansea have been beaten only once - and that was a by a solitary goal - during the sticky patch. Results elsewhere have been kind, too, leaving them just two points off the top of the table ahead of the visit of the Spirites. But he added: "While I'm still pleased with our league position, I'm realistic about performance levels. "If over a 10-game period our performances aren't right, we won't get the points we need to sustain our push at the top. "We cannot allow that to happen." Jackett has no immediate plans, however, to strengthen his squad. "I don't think the personnel are the problem," he went on. "It's just the fact that we haven't been doing of late what we were doing earlier in the season. "You do have these spells, and I have every faith that the players we've got can get back to form." Jackett has once again played down reports linking him with a move for Stevenage Borough winger George Boyd. He said: "He's one of a number of players we've watched but we've made no inquiry or bid. "Stevenage have a chance of promotion this year and they will want to keep their best players, so I think it would take a big offer to get Boyd out. "He is an out-and-out left-winger and I already have two of those in Kevin McLeod and Marc Goodfellow, as well as Andy Robinson who can play there. "It's not as if we desperately need to bring somebody in to cover that position."

26th October 2005 TRUNDLE DEAL OK

Evening Post Lee Trundle's image rights deal with Swansea City will be officially announced tomorrow. Swansea's star striker will become the first player outside the Premiership to have control over how his name is used - and will enjoy big financial benefits. But Trundle's agent, Neil Sang, insists Swansea will profit from the deal too. ''Without a doubt it will be good news for the club as well as for Lee,'' he said. ''There would be no deal otherwise - no two parties ever agree on something if it only benefits one of them.'' He added: ''This just recognises Lee's stature in football, not only in Swansea but nationally as well.''

26th October 2005 SUPPORTERS CAN PICK FAVOURITE PLAYER FOR NEW GLORY YEARS BOO

Evening Post Swansea City fans have been invited to pick their favourite player for a new book on the club's Glory Years. Swansea City: Seasons in the Sun 1981-2 & 1982-3 chronicles the two campaigns where John Toshack's team rubbed shoulders with English football's finest in the old First Division. Written by Terry Grandin, the book will include the names of all fans who subscribe for it along with their votes for the best Swansea player between 1981 and 1983. To subscribe send your name, address and favourite player nomination to Desert Island Books, 7 Clarence Road, Southend, SS1 1AN along with a cheque for £14.99. Alternatively visit www.desertislandbooks.com

26th October 2005 Becks deal for Swans' Trundle

Western Mail LEE TRUNDLE has negotiated a David Beckham-style deal with Swansea City on how the League One club uses his name and image. The Swans striker - the target of a £750,000 bid from Sheffield Wednesday last week - will become the first player outside the Premier League to have struck up such a deal. Around 85 per cent of Swans merchandise features the Liberty Stadium hero - but now the Scouser will have more control on how his name is used. Apart from replica shirts, Trundle's popularity is used to sell items such as books, stickers and posters. And there are even miniature models of the player the Swans fans have nicknamed "Magic Daps". The 29-year-old wants more control of how his name is used off-the-pitch as well as a cut of the money Trundle-related merchandise generates. Negotiations between the player's agent, Neil Sang, and the club have been ongoing for some time and Swansea will officially announce the deal at a press conference tomorrow. "Lee is a high-profile player and he has done much to raise the profile of the club, both on and off the field," said Swans chairman Huw Jenkins. "We are always looking at ways of moving the club forward and this kind of deal could be a positive step. "But any deal will always be in the best long-term interests of the club." Trundle has proved a massive hit with the Swansea public since joining the club from Wrexham on a free transfer in the summer of 2003. He fired 23 goals in last season's promotion campaign and has already bagged 11 goals this term to help Kenny Jackett's side to third spot. He has become one of the most high-profile footballers outside the top light and makes regular appearances on Soccer AM.

25th October 2005 Swans In For Boyd?

Non League on the net Stevenage are bracing themselves for a move from Swansea City for their winger George Boyd. The Welsh club had Boyd watched on Saturday by Swans assistant boss Kevin Nugent and he witnessed Boyd come up with a last minute winner in the game against Dagenham and Redbridge. There has been interest from the likes of Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, but reports suggest that Swans manager Kenny Jacket could slap in a £125,000 bid which would leave the competition standing. Palace have already had a £50,000 bid rejected

25th October 2005 WINNER FORBES STAKES CLAIM

Evening Post Winger Adrian Forbes underlined his case for a return to the Swansea City's starting line-up by topping a lively performance with the only goal of the game in the Pontin's Combination clash. Forbes, a second-half substitute in the 2-2 draw at Rotherham, struck after 53 minutes when he took a return pass from Owain Tudur-Jones and broke clear before prodding a low shot past Martin Horsell. Though there were few really clear chances for either side before the break, Forbes could have completed a hat-trick in the second half. Eleven minutes after scoring, he brought a good save from Horsell with a header from Marc Goodfellow's cross and then forced the keeper into another important block with a shot on the turn 15 minutes from time, Rovers defender Mark Preece having to nip in to hurriedly clear the loose ball. Though Swansea had the better chances, they were grateful to some good stops from Brian Murphy. He made a fine reaction save just after the hour to thwart young striker Darren Mullings, and shortly afterwards plunged to his right to grasp a 12-year header from the same player. Former Rovers defender Ijah Anderson was grateful that Murphy spared his blushes in the closing stages when his slip allowed Juan Cai Jin the chance to unleash a fierce shot that the keeper did well to stop. Swansea: Murphy, Graves, Williams, Anderson, Fisken, Forbes, Tudur-Jones, O'Leary, Goodfellow, Connor, Pritchard (Bond, 76). Subs (not used): Lancey, Thompson, Morgan.

25th October 2005 LET'S TALK, BOYS

Evening Post Swansea City want to extend the contracts of Owain Tudur Jones, Kevin McLeod and Andy Robinson. The trio see their current deals expire at the end of the season and Kenny Jackett is anxious to tie them down. ''We have started negotiations about extensions with Kevin and Andy and Owain is aware that we plan to talk to him soon,'' the Swansea boss said. ''I think both Kevin and Andy have got a future at this club. ''I like both of them and I would like to work with them further. ''The same goes for Owain. He has some promise. I like what he has got and I like his attitude.'' Tudur Jones's latest talks illustrate the rapid strides he has made since arriving at Swansea on trial from Bangor City over the summer. He signed initially for a month, then penned a one-year agreement just a couple of days later after interest from Swindon and Tranmere. The 20-year-old has already done enough to merit fresh terms despite being sidelined for the last six weeks by an ankle injury. McLeod, signed from Queens Park Rangers in February, could be offered a two-year deal after his blistering start to this campaign. And the talented Robinson, plucked from non-league obscurity by former Swansea boss Brian Flynn, could sign for another year despite seeing the start of his season blighted by long-term suspension. ''I don't know when things will be finalised, but it's on our agenda to get these players sorted out,'' Jackett said. Adrian Forbes, Paul Connor, Leon Britton and Roberto Martinez are among a host of other senior Swansea stars whose current contracts expire next summer. Jackett added: ''Other players will be thinking about their situations definitely, but it's always an on-going thing at every club. I'm fully aware of who is out of contract this year and I will consider everybody.'' Swansea's FA Cup first-round tie at Stockport will be played on Saturday November 5 (3pm). After negotiations between the clubs, pay-on-the-day away tickets will be available at reduced prices of £16 adults, £8 students/OAPS and £5 children. The LDV Vans Trophy second-round meeting with Rushden & Diamonds at the Liberty Stadium takes place on Tuesday, November 22 (7.45pm).

25th October 2005 Bean counted out

Western Mail QUEENS PARK RANGERS have refused Swansea permission to field on-loan midfielder Marcus Bean in their FA Cup match next month, writes Ian Hunt. Rangers have blocked Bean from playing in Swansea's first round clash at Stockport on November 5 to prevent him becoming cup tied. That means Bean, who scored his first Swans goal in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Rotherham, has two games left before his two-month loan spell in South Wales comes to an end.

25th October 2005 Roberto hopes to take the Liberty

Western Mail ROBERTO MARTINEZ has revealed he would love to spend the rest of his career at Swansea City. But the Swans skipper says he has no idea whether he has a long-term future with the League One club. Spanish midfielder Martinez, who has played a leading role in Swansea's rise to the top of the table this term, is out of contract at the end of the season. The Swans have been busy making attempts to hang on to several of their other star players, with midfielders Kevin McLeod and Andy Robinson soon expected to join Lee Trundle in pledging their futures to the club. But there has been no word on whether 32-year-old Martinez, who is playing his best football since he first came to South Wales in February 2003, will also be rewarded with a contract extension. "I am glad for the players who are getting new contracts or extensions but in football every situation is different," said the former Real Zaragoza midfielder. "I would love to stay at Swansea as long as I could, that is not a lie, but it is not in my hands. It is for other people to make the decision. "I don't know what the future holds. I've got a contract at Swansea until June 30 and anything can happen." However, Martinez admits he has become firmly attached to Swansea since joining them from Walsall when they were entrenched in a battle against relegation to the Conference. Having skippered the Swans to promotion from the Football League basement, Martinez now hopes to lead the club into the Championship by the end of the current campaign. And he hopes his career at the Liberty Stadium will go on beyond the May 6 climax. "I would love to spend the rest of my career at Swansea," said Martinez, who will be 33 next summer. "When we were in a relegation battle to avoid dropping into the Conference, I got really attached to the club and that has grown over the past few years. "I know I have many years in front of me, but I would love to retire in this football club. "It is hard for me to see myself away from this place and I would like to play in the Championship with Swansea. "Obviously, though, that is something that is not in my hands. In football you can't plan anything beyond your current contract, and at the moment I just have to be focused only on the next match. "I have always said that Swansea is the most important consideration for everyone. "Everything else... you just have to wait and see what happens." Martinez was twice dropped from the starting XI last term, leading boss Kenny Jackett to question whether he had a future at Swansea. But the Spaniard - still one of the best passers at Swansea and a calm, controlling influence in midfield - has rediscovered his best form this term as a regular fixture in the side. "I'm finding it more enjoyable this season because you get more time and space on the ball and the Liberty Stadium has a bigger pitch than the Vetch," said Martinez, who was again one of Swansea's top performers in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Rotherham. "One of the strengths of my game is to involve people in the game and get the best out of the players around me. "When the team is only two points off the top of the league, it is very pleasing not just for myself but for everyone. "I'm happy with the way the season has gone but I know the job is not finished. "From day one we had a lot of confidence that this squad could do very well in League One and, in the same way, we're confident we can progress to the next level. "This club is orientated to the Championship and I really believe that is the level many of our players belong at. "But we need to earn the right to play in that division. We need to make sure we're still in this position in the table in February or March. "Hopefully we will then have something to celebrate in May." McLeod and Robinson should be the next Swans to commit themselves to the club after Trundle rejected a £750,000 move to Sheffield Wednesday last week. Seven-goal McLeod, whose present deal expires at the end of the season, is expected to sign on for another two years with Robinson getting an extra 12 months.

24th October 2005 Edwards gets all-clear after scan

BBC Bristol Rovers' Christian Edwards has spoken of his relief after being given the all-clear following a brain scan. The defender went for the scan after suffering from a spate of dizzy spells, amid fears he could have a tumour. "It's been very frustrating coming in every day but not being able to join in with the lads, and I'm sick of it," Edwards told Rovers' official website. "I've been kicking my heels to get back out there, and hopefully this can be the start of my return." The 29-year-old, who won one full cap for Wales, joined Rovers from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2003. He had a month on loan at Swansea earlier this season.

24th October 2005 JACKETT: ONLY THE TOP FOR LEE

Evening Post Kenny Jackett believes that only a Premiership club could prise Lee Trundle away from Swansea City. The Swansea boss has spoken for the first time after Sheffield Wednesday's failed £750,000 bid for his star striker was revealed in Friday's Evening Post. And Jackett insists the decision to reject Wednesday's advances proves that his team are on the up. "Perhaps there are some sides at the top of Championship you might consider if they came in for Lee," he said. "But I would say it would have to be a Premiership club to get Lee away from Swansea City. "I've had a long chat with him and he is happy here. He feels he has made good progress in his time with us and he can see that there is more ahead. "And we want to keep him. I talked about it at length with Huw (Jenkins) and we both felt we wanted to keep Lee and build a team around him. "We feel he is an important player for us and, as the finances are well looked after at this club, we were able to reject the offer for footballing reasons. "If we want to build a club and we want to go forward, we cannot be selling good centre-forwards. Doing that would just send us backwards." The decision to turn down a record-breaking bid - the previous highest received by Swansea was £400,000 for Steve Torpey eight years ago - proves how Trundle's stock has soared since Jackett arrived in South Wales 19 months ago. The former Queens Park Rangers No. 2, who reportedly offered the Scouse star to Northampton in the summer of 2004, now sees him as an integral figure. "No player is indispensable, but Lee has got better and better in my time at the club," Jackett went on. "Last year was probably the first season where he had no injury problems and he contributed all the way through. "This season he has stepped on again. He has always had the talent but now he can run and run as well." While Wednesday are said to have turned their attentions back to Wycombe's Nathan Tyson, Jackett has admitted he would not have relished trying to spend the fee if Trundle had left for Hillsborough. "I wouldn't put a price on Lee, but I would say it's very difficult to sign in-form forwards as we discovered with the likes of Grant Holt in the summer. "People are phoning Wycombe left, right and centre about Tyson right now and it's not easy. "Clubs know that even if they've got the money in, they could step backwards because they lose goals and they might also lose fans. "The trick with buying forwards is getting the ones who are out of form and giving them the opportunity to get going again. "If we'd sold Lee suddenly prices would have doubled for other players and it would have been very difficult to replace him." He added: "If a club in the top half of the Premiership came in for Lee then the player's attitude might change, but there is not much between us and Sheffield Wednesday. "We're delighted he's staying with us." Swansea host Rushden & Diamonds in round two of the LDV Vans Trophy, while the FA Cup draw handed them a first-round trip to Stockport, who Swansea beat in last year's competition.

24th October 2005 KENNY CAN'T TAKE NO FOR ANSWER THIS TIME

Evening Post No on Thursday was music to the ears, no on Saturday was more like the best of Westlife on repeat. Kenny Jackett was delighted when Sheffield Wednesday phoned and the chairman shook his head; he was devastated when Deon Burton felled Alan Tate and referee Mike Pike rejected appeals for a free-kick. The joy of keeping Lee Trundle was suddenly forgotten as Swansea City failed to hold on to a victory which had looked secure. Stoppage-time goals never go down particularly well, a bit like Irish boy band CDs on your birthday. But stoppage-time goals which should have been disallowed? They make for unhappy managers. ''Obviously,'' Jackett pointed out, ''we are sick.'' The Swansea boss is not normally one to rail at referees, but Rotherham's last-gasp equaliser was always likely to get a reaction. Jackett had a perfect view as Tate and Burton chased a long ball from the back. Winning the race, Swansea's defender was poised to clear when Rotherham's striker gave him a nudge in the back. Suddenly Burton was clean through on goal, squaring for Barry Conlon to sweep the ball into the net. Tate led Welsh complaints, but Pike was not listening. ''I don't want to criticise referees - it gets people like me in trouble - but it was clearly a push on Alan Tate,'' Jackett said. ''I was right by the incident, only five or 10 yards away, and you can't just play the man like that. ''It's a definite foul and that's very disappointing.'' Gone was a first win in three League One matches and gone, it turned out, was the chance to return to the top of the table. Before Jackett gets too downcast, he would do well to remember Blackpool a few weeks back. Controversial, critical late goals usually happen at both ends of the pitch over the course of a season. Mick Harford reckoned Conlon's strike was the least his Rotherham team deserved, insisting they had been the better of the two sides on show. That claim was dubious, but a share of the points was probably about right. Rotherham asked more questions in a first half lacking incident until the closing four minutes. The goal the Millers had threatened came when Michael Keane's pass exposed a chasm in the Swansea defence and Grant Leadbitter raced on to slide the ball neatly under Willy Gueret. The lead lasted less than a minute, though, after Leon Britton teed up Trundle. Some said Sheffield Wednesday's £750,000 offer might have knocked the Scouser off his game. They were wrong. Trundle skipped inside two challenges before lashing in at the near post for his 11th goal of another highly productive season. He was involved again as Swansea nudged ahead, crossing from the left for Marcus Bean to stab home his first goal for the club after Bayo Akinfenwa's neat stepover. When Gueret saved wonderfully to deny Martin Butler, three points seemed safe. ''They should have been,'' grumbled Jackett. ''We got ourselves in front and I thought we had weathered the storm and done enough going into injury-time. ''It wasn't a comfortable game for us. It was never going to be, but we got into a winning position and I'm disappointed that we didn't finish it off.'' Had they merited a success? ''I'm not going to argue with a big lad like Mick Harford,'' said Jackett, just about managing a smile. ''But we were 2-1 up after 90 minutes. That's fact, and that makes this two points dropped rather than a point gained.'' Nevertheless results elsewhere meant Swansea moved nearer to League One's summit over the weekend, while their frustration at drawing just illustrates how well things are going this season. A third of the way in following their climb from League Two, it is becoming more and more apparent that another promotion is entirely feasible. Swansea have competed in every game they have played, often coming out on top because of the attacking talents at Jackett's disposal. They have faced 15 of their rivals, and no side has taken them apart. And yet they welcome Chesterfield to the Liberty Stadium next Saturday without a win in their last three league matches. ''That's not nice,'' Jackett conceded. ''But we have drawn two of those games and we lost the other by the odd goal. ''I'm convinced we're not far away.'' He should not get any shaking heads there, only nods of agreement.

24th October 2005 Jackett vows to keep ace Trundle

Western Mail KENNY JACKETT believes it would probably take a top Premiership club to lure Lee Trundle away from Swansea City. The Swans boss, speaking for the first time about Sheffield Wednesday's failed £750,000 bid for his star striker, said Swansea might have gone backwards had they allowed Trundle to leave the club. And, in a message to any other potential suitors, Jackett claimed even the successful half of Sheffield - Championship leaders United as opposed to struggling Wednesday - might fail to capture the Scouse marksman. Trundle's name was always going to dominate the post-match agenda at Rotherham in a week when Swansea's determination to hold onto him was tested to the full by Wednesday's tantalising six-figure offer. Just to make sure, though, the 29-year-old illustrated why Owls boss Paul Sturrock had tried to attract him to South Yorkshire by cleverly crafting his 11th goal of the season - even if neither his first-half strike nor Marcus Bean's first Swansea goal proved enough to give Jackett's side a victory that would have reinstated them as League One leaders. But the hands-off message from the manager was clear enough. "Speaking to you very honestly, if a very big club came in for Lee - one in the top half of the Premier League - then the player's attitude might be different," said Jackett of Trundle's indifference at the prospect of a move to Hillsborough. "I think it would have to be a top club that manages to take Lee away from Swansea. There are perhaps some clubs in the Championship who would get him, but that's only a perhaps. "If you look at where Sheffield Wednesday are and where we are....I would say it would take a Premier League club." Jackett's words could easily come back to haunt him if a club with the stature of, say, Leeds or Southampton dangles a more attractive carrot in front of Trundle during the January transfer window. But, regardless of how much cash is waved in the club's face, letting Trundle leave without a fight would clearly be madness given how important he is to this Swansea side. So important, Jackett insisted, that the club would risk falling into decline were they to part company with him. "The chairman and I talked about it (Sheffield Wednesday's bid) at length, and we both felt we wanted to keep Lee and build a team around him," Jackett said. "The good thing about it was it was a football decision. Financially, we're not in a position where we have to act in desperation. "If you want to build a club and move forward, you don't sell good centre-forwards. That would send the club backwards. "Lee would be a difficult man to replace. If you take key men out of any successful side, it's going to change, there's no doubt about that, and Swansea is no different. "If he wanted to go, we could stop him because he's under contract. "But he's happy at Swansea. That's an important part of it." Jackett did not want to put a price tag around Trundle's neck - that would be akin to putting your car on the drive with a 'for sale' sign splashed across the windscreen - but he said any club with such a valuable goal-scoring asset would be daft to let them go. "I wouldn't put a market value on Lee," he said. "But what I would say is it's very difficult to sign forwards who are in form. "I found that out in the summer with the likes of (Rochdale's) Grant Holt. You would think you'd be able to go and buy one, but it's not easy to get people who are in form and top of the goal-scoring charts - however much money you've got at your disposal. "People are phoning Wycombe left, right and centre about Nathan Tyson, for example, but he is still there. "Clubs have set budgets and planned financially. Even if they do get a large sum of money for a player, if the club steps backwards and they lose fans and games as result of that player leaving, the money's not necessarily going to be worth much. "The art of buying centre-forwards is buying ones who are maybe off-form or out of their team and turning them into something or giving them the opportunity to do something." It is almost laughable now to think some cynics had questioned Trundle's ability to find the back of the net in League One as frequently as he did during two goal-crazy years in the league's basement division. At this stage last season, Trundle had banked just four goals in 11 appearances. He ended that promotion-winning campaign with 23 but, having already claimed 11 goals from the first 15 League One matches, he is well on course to smash that figure to smithereens. "No player is indispensable, but Lee has got better and better," Jackett reflected. "He's better this year than he was last year, and last year was the first time he'd played all the way through a season. "Having come into the game late at 24, he's still making up for lost time, and I've seen progression and improvement in him since I've been at Swansea. "Hopefully, there's more progress to come from him." The trademark trickery that has won countless admirers across the country was used to Swansea's benefit again on Saturday as Trundle collected a short pass from Leon Britton and danced his way past defender Paul Hurst before tucking the ball home with his priceless left boot. Trundle's equaliser came less than a minute after Grant Leadbitter had raced through the middle unchecked to slot past Swans keeper Willy Gueret and liven up an afternoon made dull as much by the slow-paced football as the inclement weather. The return of Kevin McLeod helped restore some of the attacking menace that had been missing from Swansea's play in the previous two matches, but it was Bean who claimed a long-awaited goal in Swans colours when Trundle centred, Adebayo Akinfenwa let the ball run on and the on-loan QPR midfielder fired Swansea 2-1 up 59 minutes into the contest. Though Rotherham threw men forward, Martin Butler producing a brilliant reflex stop from Gueret, it looked as though the Swans had performed solidly enough to earn their first win in three league matches. That was until deep into stoppage time, when Barry Conlon headed home the equaliser Mick Harford's men deserved, even if Deon Burton had appeared to push Alan Tate in the build-up to it. "I don't want to critcise referees because it gets people like me in trouble, I did think there was a clear push on Alan," Jackett moaned. "That said, we got ourselves into a winning position and I'm disappointed we didn't finish it off. "This is a case of two points dropped rather than one point gained."

24th October 2005 Thomas: It hurts to be missing out

Wales on Sunday THE past year in the life of Swansea City has been one to remember - unless you are James Thomas. As promotion celebrations dragged on into the summer, Thomas was forced to quit the game at the age of 26 after losing his battle against a chronic knee injury. His sad demise has undoubtedly been the major low point in what has otherwise been 12 months of almost non-stop highs. The former Blackburn striker is guaranteed a place in the hearts of Swans fans after his hat-trick heroics on the final day of the 2002/3 season against Hull kept the club in the Football League. But while his former teammates now chase back-to-back promotions City's fallen idol admits his future is clouded in uncertainty. "My knee is still not right and I can't even run on it, never mind kick a ball," said Thomas. "I haven't given up on getting back into football at some level but at the moment I'm struggling just to do everyday things. "I'm going to the gym every day in the hope that the surgeon is right and it will eventually get better but I just don't know what the future holds." Thomas made 66 appearances for City after joining on a free transfer from Blackburn 2002. Having given him extra time to prove his fitness the club finally released him following several abortive comeback attempts after three operations on his right knee. The source of his problems remains a mystery and having to watch the club's recent successes from the stands has hardy helped his mood. "I'm envious of their success because I can only think of what might have been," said Thomas. "I was still in contract last season and had to watch every game at the Vetch. That was one of the hardest parts to be honest, sitting there and watching. I didn't feel a part of any of it. "I still bump into the guys at the gym and we have a chat and a laugh and I wish them all the best. But I miss it." The long, lonely days in the gym have at least allowed Thomas the chance to ponder his next move. He will consult another specialist within the next few months to get a fresh opinion on his recovery prospects. Thomas hasn't kicked a ball in anger since he appeared as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Carlisle in April 2004. Little did he, or the fans, know at the time that he would never don the shirt again. For now he is living off his savings but said: "Football is all I have ever known. The worst thing is that it is all out of my hands. That makes it all the more frustrating. "My career hadn't really started before I came to Swansea and I already felt like I had wasted a few years at Blackburn. "Now it's all over and as much as I want to play again I can only wait. I'm trying to keep reasonably fit just in case my knee does recover. "But for now I'm living off my savings even though I know that can't go on forever."

23rd October 2005 Marcus full of beans for Swans

Wales on Sunday MARCUS BEAN grabbed his first Swansea goal and Lee Trundle demonstrated his immense worth to the club - but Kenny Jackett's men were denied victory by an injury-time equaliser. The Swans were seconds away from going back on top of League One after on-loan QPR midfielder Bean put them 2-1 ahead on 59 minutes. But two minutes into stoppage time, Swansea's first win in three league matches was snatched from their grasp as Barry Conlon equalised for battling Rotherham. Trundle had earlier shown why Sheffield Wednesday were prepared to splash £750,000 on him - and why the Swans rejected the offer - when he brought Swansea level with another sweet strike from inside the area. The Scouser's 11th of the season arrived less than a minute after Grant Leadbitter had capitalised on poor Swans defending to put Mick Harford's men ahead towards the end of a dull first period. Things looked promising for Swansea before the trip to south Yorkshire as Jackett had virtually a full squad to pick from, just two players - Garry Monk and Andy Robinson - out injured. Having made several changes for the midweek LDV Vans Trophy win at Torquay, the Swans boss reinstated all his big guns, as Trundle made his first appearance since rejecting the move to Hillsborough. Trundle, though, was struggling to break the shackles of a robust Rotherham defence during a largely uninspiring first period. His only effort before the goal was a wild effort skied into the stand. Though Swansea enjoyed plenty of midfield possession, much of the first-half action took place in and around their 18-yard box. Conlon and Michael Keane missed home chances as Gueret looked a little uncomfortable, flapping at a few crosses and missing punches at corners. A slow game exploded into life four minutes before the interval with two goals in quick succession. Rotherham opened the scoring when Keane played a ball over the top from inside the centre circle and Leadbitter profited from dozy Swansea defending to drill the ball underneath Gueret. Less than a minute later, Swansea were level as Leon Britton played in Trundle and the Swans hotshot stepped inside Paul Hurst before firing home. Sheffield Wednesday on the brain? Not in the slightest, it would seem. And he was at the centre of things again as Swansea took a 2-1 lead 14 minutes after the restart. Following some persistent probing down the left from Kevin McLeod, Trundle threaded a low pass across goal for Adebayo Akinfenwa who let it run for Bean, the midfielder taking one touch to control and another to fire low underneath keeper Gary Montgomery. The small pocket of travelling fans were loving it, out-singing their Rotherham counterparts from their corner of the ground on what was a miserable afternoon in south Yorkshire. But Swansea needed to show resilience for the remainder of the match as United pressed vigorously for an equaliser. Substitute Martin Butler should have obliged in the 71st minute when Andy Monkhouse played him through, but Gueret denied him with a brilliant reflex stop. Gueret had to stand firm once again to hold an 83rd minute header from Conlon, but the Swans keeper was helpless to stop the Rotherham raider from snatching the equaliser deep into stoppage time. There was an air of controversy about the goal as defender Alan Tate looked to have been impeded by Deon Burton, but referee Mike Pike rejected Swansea's appeals and waved play on. Burton found Conlon with a delicious centred pass and the bald-headed striker blasted firmly past Gueret

23rd October 2005 Jackett hits out at Pike

Wales on Sunday KENNY JACKETT hit out at referee Mike Pike over the stoppage-time equaliser that denied his side a return to the top of the table. In a rare criticism of the match official, Jackett blasted the Cumbria referee as he thought Alan Tate had been fouled by Deon Burton in the build-up to Barry Conlon's 90th-minute leveller. "Obviously we're sick to have conceded an injury-time equaliser, it should've been three points for us," said the Swans chief. "Going into injury time away from home, I thought we'd weathered the storm and done enough. "I don't want to criticise referees because it gets people like me in trouble, but I did think there was a clear push on Alan. "I was right by the incident and you can't just play the man like that. It was a definite push," Jackett added. "I wouldn't say it was a comfortable game for us, but we got ourselves in a winning position and I'm disappointed we didn't finish it off. "Sometimes you come to a place like this and you're pleased with a point, but this is a case of two points dropped rather than one gained." But Jackett praised the contribution of star striker Lee Trundle, who demonstrated why Sheffield Wednesday wanted to sign him with his 11th goal of the season. "Lee showed why we turned down three-quarters of a million for him, with a great goal coming inside on his left foot," said Jackett. "Lee's a hugely important player for us. We don't want to let him go."

23rd October 2005 Star pair to cash in

Wales on Sunday SWANSEA CITY have moved to secure their immediate future on the pitch by handing new contracts to two of their biggest stars. Kevin McLeod and Andy Robinson are both expected to sign new deals this week which will tie them to the League One club for the foreseeable future. Former Everton and QPR winger McLeod has scored seven goals in his first 11 games this season but would have been out of contract in the summer. He will be offered a two-year extension. Meanwhile fellow midfielder Robinson will sign on for an extra 12 months beyond this season. Both players have been integral to Swansea's blistering start to the new season. It is another coup for the club after the board last week turned down a £750,000 bid for star striker Lee Trundle. Sheffield Wednesday's written offer was the largest the club had ever received.

23rd October 2005 CRANKING UP THE CONVEYOR BELT

Evening Post Is the Swansea City youth conveyor belt working again? Kenny Jackett is certainly hoping so. Last Tuesday the Swans boss handed 17-year-old Blaenymaes product Shaun MacDonald his full debut at Torquay United in the first round of the LDV Vans Trophy. Jackett also gave the 17-year-old's fellow Wales Under-21 international Mark Pritchard his first start outside the FAW Premier Cup in two years in 3-1 victory on the English Riviera. Both players got two thirds of the match before Jackett sent on his big guns to secure Swansea's passage into the second round. But the experience for the two Wales Under-21 caps will have been beneficial. "It was good for their development to get 60 to 70 minutes against a league side," Jackett explained. "They did very well." While Pritchard and MacDonald got their chance at Plainmoor, Wales Under-19 international Chad Bond will have to continue to play the waiting game for his senior debut. "I would have liked to have given him something, but I have not been able to - maybe next time," the Swans boss said. That opportunity may come when the Swans play in the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy in a month's time. But as well as the trio of young starlets, Jackett has brought in one of the most exciting Welsh prospects. Owain Tudur Jones swapped his sports science degree course and the captaincy at Welsh Premier side Bangor City to join the Swans in the summer. The 20-year-old midfielder is once again vying for a place in Jackett's starting line-up after overcoming an ankle injury he picked up while on Wales Under-21 duty. While the Swans now have three players looking to get into Brian Flynn's squad, youth team keeper Kyle Letheren was called into the under-21s set-up this month as late cover. "There a few Swansea names in the Welsh squads at the moment and that is nice," Jackett said. "Kyle was the latest to get called into the under-21s and that is good for him. "We have the likes of Owain, Shaun, Mark Pritchard and Chad Bond who are professional players here and we want to increase that if we can." Jackett changed the youth set-up at the Liberty Stadium this season as he brought in Dave Moss and Huw Lake to run the rule over the club's future stars and replace Alan Curtis. The Swansea youth team now base their training at the Sports Academy at Llandarcy, although they made the trip to train with the senior squad on Thursday. "We have not had enough players come through in recent years and that is something that we want to address," the Swans boss said. "There are some talented players in the youth squad and it would be nice to see a couple of them come through into the senior set-up. "We are in a fantastic catchment area to bring in young players and we want Swansea to be their first choice. "The new set-up looks to be working well. We are working hard in trying to take the club forward. "I think the problem with the youth system in the past has been the club has been struggling financially - now we have a sound footing we can develop that area." Returning midfielder Kris O'Leary came through the Swans youth set-up, while new full Wales cap Richard Duffy (pictured left) is another product before he made the move to Portsmouth - he is currently on a season-long loan at Coventry City. Former Swans defender Christian Edwards, who spent a month on loan at the Liberty Stadium this year, came through the ranks at Swansea before making the move to then Premiership side Nottingham Forest. West Ham's Andy Melville is another Swansea product, along with Swindon Town's Steve Jenkins. And with Jackett's side on an upward spiral both on and off the pitch, the next Lee Trundles, Alan Curtises and Ivor Allchurches could soon be making their own names in Swansea history.

22nd October 2005 Swans get home LDV Rushden draw

BBC Online Swansea have been handed home advantage in the draw for the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy, after being pitted against Rushden and Diamonds. The Swans won through their first-round Southern Section match at Torquay, with striker Adebayo Akinfenwa scoring against his former club in a 3-1 win. Holders Wrexham bowed out in the first round in extra time at Blackpool, whose reward is an away tie at Carlisle. The pick of the southern section ties sees Walsall take on Bournemouth. All matches are to be played in the week commencing 21 November. Northern section Tranmere v Rochdale Boston v Kidderminster Hereford v Port Vale Morecambe v Bradford City Carlisle v Blackpool Rotherham v Macclesfield Town Cambridge United v Doncaster Rovers Halifax Town v Scunthorpe Southern section Peterborough v Swindon Woking v Cheltenham Barnet v MK Dons Gillingham v Wycombe Oxford United v Leyton Orient Colchester v Northampton Walsall v Bournemouth Swansea v Rushden

22nd October 2005 Jenkins refusing to rule out Trundle sale

Western Mail SWANSEA CITY chairman Huw Jenkins has hinted star striker Lee Trundle would be sold if the price was right. But Jenkins refused to put a price tag on Trundle after the Welsh club turned down a whopping £750,000 bid for him from Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday. The Yorkshire club apparently wanted to take the 29-year-old marksman on loan before making him a permanent Hillsborough signing when the transfer window reopens in January. Swansea flatly rejected Wednesday's approach and Trundle himself - aiming to reach the Championship as part of Kenny Jackett's team - said he would not be interested in a move to South Yorkshire. But what if Owls boss Paul Sturrock was to come back with an improved offer? Though Jenkins stressed how much of an asset Trundle was to Swansea, commonsense suggests the club would find it hard to turn down a bid that nudged the £1m mark. And Jenkins said, "I would never say a player is not for sale at any price. That would be a stupid statement to make. "But I'm not going to enter into a discussion about the kind of offer we might consider for Lee. I'm not going to waste my time talking about hypothetical situations. "I've got no idea whether Sheffield Wednesday will come back with another offer for him. I couldn't care less, though, if they want to, they're obviously free to do so. "We want to move on and maintain the momentum we've built up this season rather than sit around worrying about whether bids are going to come in." Wednesday's offer is easily the highest in Swansea's history, far outstripping the previous record set in August 1997 when Bristol City paid £400,000 for Steve Torpey. It is a measure of the huge progress Swansea have made off the field over the past three years that the club are in a position to reject such a handsome offer for a player. Losing the services of a player like Trundle, though, would be a massive blow considering the impact the hugely-popular Scouser has made in his time on the South Wales coast. Top scorer in League Two over the past two seasons - including 23 goals during last year's promotion success - Trundle has turned out to be one of the best players to have pulled on a Swans shirt in recent decades. Having stepped up to League One, he's scaling the scoring charts again this season with 10 goals going into today's clash at Rotherham. "Obviously we can't control what individual players want to do, but we've certainly got no plans to let Lee go," added Jenkins. "We regard Lee as a valuable asset. He's played a major role in the success we've had over the past couple of years and he's a big part of what we're trying to achieve here. "And we've got a good relationship with him, which should be cemented further next week through the merchandising deal that's been agreed with him." Despite the relentless rumours of clubs coming in for Trundle, Jenkins insisted Wednesday's bid was the first written offer Swansea have received for him. Whether Sturrock makes a second attempt to prize him away from Swansea remains to be seen, but the former Plymouth manager did make three attempts to land Wycombe hotshot Nathan Tyson. His final £600,000 offer for Tyson was rejected, leading Sturrock to bemoan the kind of money lower league clubs want for their top players. "I need a penalty box player who is a very good finisher," said Sturrock. "Every Premiership team is holding onto their strikers; half of the Championship teams won't loan to us because we're in the same area in the league, the other half want to gain promotion. "You're then down to the lower leagues (and clubs) who want a lot of money for players who are not tried and tested in this league." Swansea's star man will be leading their attack as usual at Millmoor as Jackett's men go in search of their first league win in three matches. Despite defeat at Yeovil and a home draw with Oldham making for a disappointing last two matches, the Swans are still only three points shy of the League One summit. And skipper Roberto Martinez insists their performance during the scoreless draw against Oldham was not as poor as some had suggested. "I think there has been a bit of confusion about last weekend," said the midfielder. "Sometimes you need to make sure you're not too mistaken by the result. Against Oldham, yes it was a 0-0, but we still had 13 attempts on goal and, if we carry on at that rate, we will score lots of goals and pick up points. "We are three points from the top and that is a fantastic position. The standards we set at the start of season mean we have to go into places like Rotherham, a team relegated from the Championship last season, and try to get a result. That's how far we have come. We're positive and we're enthusiastic about the challenge." Jackett has virtually a full squad to pick from, the only absentees being defender Garry Monk (calf) and midfielder Andy Robinson (dead leg), with midfield posing particular selection problems. Kevin McLeod, Owain Tudur Jones, Leon Britton, Marcus Bean and Paul Connor are all back from injury to strengthen Jackett's hand this afternoon.

21st October 2005 THE SWANS FROM A TO Y

Western Mail Want to know about every player who has worn the shirt of Swansea Town or City since 1912? It is all in a new book, Swansea Town/City FC A to Y, which was launched this week. Put together by lifetime Swans fan Colin Jones, now living in Sketty but originally from Burry Port, the book provides some fascinating stories - like the former Swan who went onto represent South Africa in Africa's answer to the Eurovision Song Contest. "It's taken the best part of 12 years to put the book together, and I came across some fascinating tales along the way," said Jones, a former programme editor at Vetch Field. "I had seen books at other clubs and I thought it was about time someone put together a complete a history of Swansea's players. "It's not just about football stats, it's about what happened to them after football, whether they played once or 100 times for the Swans." Swansea Town/City FC A to Y is available in book shops or direct from publishers Dinefwr (01269 851989) priced £25.99.

21st October 2005 WEDNESDAY? NOT ANY DAY

Western Mail Lee Trundle today delivered the news every Swansea City fan wants to hear, declaring: "I'm going nowhere." Swansea have knocked back a £750,000 bid for their ace marksman from Sheffield Wednesday. And Trundle has revealed that even if the clubs had agreed a fee, he would not have been keen on a switch to Hillsborough. "It's flattering to hear that a massive club like Sheffield Wednesday are prepared to pay some money for me," the 29-year-old said. "And it's nice that they think I could play in the Championship and help get them out of a bad situation. "It shows that I must be doing something right, but it's not a move that appeals to me." Internet message boards have Trundle leaving the newly-christened Liberty Stadium for a different club each week. But Wednesday are the first in a very long list of rumoured suitors who have actually put their money where the gossips' mouths are. With Steve MacLean a long-term injury casualty, boss Paul Sturrock is desperate to increase his striking options. The Owls, who failed recently in a bid for Wycombe's Nathan Tyson and have also been linked with MK Dons' Clive Platt, are keen to splash the cash somewhere soon. With only 11 league goals scored so far this season, they lie 22nd in the Championship table and are already bracing themselves for a long battle against relegation. "They're a big club, but if you look at the footballing side they are not really getting it right," added Trundle. "You could go there and you might only get three chances in 10 matches. Then people would be saying 'Oh I knew he couldn't do it in the Championship'." Not so long ago the doubters were questioning whether the former Rhyl player could score goals in League One. Ten strikes in the first two months of this season have put a stop to all such talk. Could he make a mark in English football's second tier? Trundle thinks so. Will he get the chance? He hopes it will come next season. "You look at Sheffield Wednesday and they are near the bottom of the Championship at the moment," he goes on. "The way we're going at Swansea right now it looks as though we're going to be fighting to get into that division this season. "I have got ambition to play there - I want to play at the highest level possible - but I'm hoping that I can do it with Swansea. "We've made a fantastic start this season and hopefully we can go all the way to the Championship, because that's where this club belongs." That will be music to the ears of Swans fans, for the loss of Trundle now would feel like a hefty kick where it hurts most. It is difficult to imagine where Kenny Jackett would start in the search to replace a man who has scored 54 goals in a little over two seasons in South Wales. Wednesday's offer is not exactly small, but you feel it would need a bid of gargantuan proportions to tempt Swansea into saying farewell to their prize asset. If the player wanted to depart, of course, the goalposts may be shifted. But there is no hint that Trundle, perhaps the most popular Swan in the last two decades, is ready to up sticks. "I'm really enjoying my football at Swansea," he insists. "The goals are still coming and I have a great relationship with the fans, which is important to me. "I have still got the rest of this season and next season on my contract and I'm not the type of player who is going to kick up a fuss to get out of the club. "Just because a club from a higher division comes in for me, I'm not going to suddenly start being difficult and trying to get a move. "If I was ever to leave, it would be because the club were happy about it and I was happy about it. "But right now I'm more than happy to stay at Swansea."

21st October 2005 £750,000 BID FOR TRUNDLE

Evening Post Swansea City have rejected a £750,000 bid from Sheffield Wednesday for star striker Lee Trundle. And chairman Huw Jenkins has once again insisted that the Scouse ace is not for sale at any price. ''Sheffield Wednesday have made a written offer of £750,000 for Lee Trundle,'' Jenkins admitted. ''Obviously we turned it down, as well as pointing out quite clearly that Lee isn't for sale. ''It's very nice to receive an offer for one of our players as it shows that we are heading in the right direction, but I can safely say that nobody is going anywhere. ''We are trying to build a squad capable of taking us forward and letting Lee leave would not help that cause.'' Wednesday, struggling in the Championship relegation zone, are desperate to recruit a striker having failed in a £500,000 bid for Wycombe's Nathan Tyson. It is thought they wanted Trundle to join on loan before making a permanent move when the transfer window opens in January. The former Wrexham frontman was informed of their bid but expressed his desire to remain at the Liberty Stadium. ''We have a good relationship with Lee and his agent, Neil Sang, and they are fully aware that we received an offer,'' Jenkins went on. ''We discussed it and they made it quite clear that Lee's priority at the moment is to make sure Swansea City progress to the Championship. ''Lee has been a major part of our rise to prominence in the last couple of years and we don't want him to go anywhere. ''Indeed, we are actually in the process of forging an even stronger relationship with Lee through the marketing rights deal which should be finalised next week.'' Wednesday's offer is the easily biggest received in Swansea history - the previous record was the £350,000 Leeds paid for Alan Curtis in 1979. ''It just shows how far we've come as a club that we can turn down that sort of money," Jenkins said. ''Despite all the rumours, this is the first bid we've had for Lee. Hopefully it will be the last.'' Trundle will be in South Yorkshire tomorrow, leading the Swansea attack some seven miles from Hillsborough at Rotherham. Buoyed by the ambition shown in the boardroom, Kenny Jackett's players go in search of a first league win in three against a struggling Millers side. Mick Harford's men made an encouraging start to the season after relegation from the Championship, but have not won in their last five league matches and needed penalties to see off non-league Accrington Stanley in the LDV Vans Trophy on Tuesday. Swansea, meanwhile, rediscovered the goalscoring touch at Torquay. Andy Robinson misses out this weekend after picking up a dead leg at Plainmoor, while Garry Monk is still sidelined by a calf strain. But Kevin McLeod, Paul Connor, Owain Tudur Jones, Marcus Bean and Leon Britton all return from injury.

21st October 2005 Ambitious Jackett has double dream

Western Mail KENNY JACKETT is convinced his Swansea City side is strong enough to claim a memorable league and cup double. The Swans - still only three points off the top of League One, despite having gone two matches without a win - are pushing hard for a second successive promotion this season. But Jackett believes Swansea are also capable of adding some silverware in the form of the LDV Vans Trophy, which Wrexham won last year despite being marooned at the wrong end of the same division. Swansea cleared the first hurdle with Tuesday's 3-1 win at Torquay, and the fact many of the competition's other top seeds were eliminated strengthens Jackett's belief his men could make it all the way to the Millennium Stadium. "Promotion is obviously our priority, but I think our squad is good enough and big enough to succeed in both competitions," said the Swans boss. "The LDV Vans Trophy is a competition I want to do well in and it's interesting that a lot of the bigger clubs have been knocked out this week. "Can we go all the way and win it? Well, if you look at it, Nottingham Forest, Southend, Huddersfield and Brentford - four of the biggest clubs in the competition - are already out. "So we've got to think that we've got a very good chance." Some Chelsea-style squad rotation saw Swansea through to the second round of the LDV, though it was not quite plain sailing at Plainmoor as Jackett's men had to come back from behind to ensure their progression. Illustrating Jackett's assertion that his squad is big enough to achieve success on two fronts, though, is the fact a further five players have since declared themselves available for tomorrow's League One engagement at Rotherham. Midfielders Kevin McLeod, Owain Tudur Jones, Leon Britton and Marcus Bean and striker Paul Connor have added to the selection problem facing Jackett by each proving their fitness for the trip to Millmoor. The biggest headache for the manager concerns midfield, with eight players - McLeod, Tudur Jones, Britton, Bean, Marc Goodfellow, Roberto Martinez, Kris O'Leary and Adrian Forbes - fighting over four places. In all, Jackett has 20 fit bodies for the match against Mick Harford's side - and he still hasn't finished building his squad. "It's fantastic that I've got some difficult choices to make," said Jackett. "Eight into four obviously doesn't go, though some of those players are flexible in that they can play in other positions. "Kris O'Leary played very well as a centre-back at Torquay, possibly man of the match, and Adrian Forbes can play up front, of course. "I certainly can't complain about a lack of options. It's a manager's dream to have so many players available. "And if we can get some more, that would be even better. That's what I'm looking to do, to keep on improving the squad." Jackett was pleased to see goals flowing in Devon - even if it was against a Torquay side struggling near the foot of League Two - after Swansea drew blanks in their last two league matches. The Swans travel to south Yorkshire hoping for an improvement on both the result and the performance produced in last week's bore-draw against Oldham. They face a Rotherham side stuck in the lower half of the table following their relegation from the Championship at the end of last season. But they do boast an eight-goal striker in the shape of Jamaica international Deon Burton. "It'll be a tough game at Millmoor and we'll have to make sure we show the same positive attitude as we did at Torquay," said Jackett, who is without only Garry Monk (calf) and Andy Robinson (dead leg).

20th October 2005 MURPHY CRAVING TIME TO IMPRESS THE BOSS

Evening Post Brian Murphy believes he can compete with Willy Gueret for Swansea City's goalkeeping jersey - but only if he is given an extended chance. The Irishman got a rare opportunity to don the gloves in anger at Torquay on Tuesday while Gueret put his feet up on the bench. But short of a dramatic change of thinking elsewhere in the dugout, normal service will be resumed at Rotherham this weekend. Gueret will provide the last line of defence as Swansea search for three more league points, while Murphy will be back in his tracksuit. "It was great to have a game on Tuesday," Murphy said, "but I said to (goalkeeping coach) Tony Pennock when I knew I was playing that what I really need is to play a lot of matches. "In one game you tend to feel a little rusty and you can't really do a lot. "What you need is two, three, four games or more because that's when you start improving. "All I can do is wait and see if the manager decides to put me in for a run in the side at some stage and then try to take my chance." Such a prospect was never on the cards last season, when Gueret's imperious form was a key component of Swansea's successful promotion push. But it is widely accepted that the Frenchman has not been such a consistently reassuring presence in the opening months of 2005-6. There has hardly been a catalogue of clangers, but Gueret has attracted some criticism for the first time in his Swansea career. Has Murphy noticed? Probably. Is he shouting it out? Admirably, no. "Willy was unbelievable last season," he said. "He did so well and kept me out and that's his aim again this season. "He's doing well again and we're winning games. "We're in a tougher league now and you're not always going to keep clean sheets. "I think if we can keep teams down to ones and noughts we will win a lot more games than we lose." As happened in midweek, when Murphy was powerless to stop Jo Kuffour's fine opener for Torquay, Swansea came back to progress to the LDV Vans Trophy second round. In truth the 22-year-old had precious little chance to show off his undoubted shot-stopping ability. His kicking, as usual, was fine, with his one tricky moment coming five minutes into the second half. Racing off his line to gather a cross, he rose smartly above the home attack and looked to have snuffed out any danger. But coming back to earth with the ball safely gathered, Murphy realised that his momentum would carry him outside the penalty area. Wisely, he let go. "I did think of Southend," admitted Murphy, sent off in a similar incident at Roots Hall in spring 2004. "I think the cross just stopped in the air, because of the wind maybe, and I knew I couldn't stop myself going outside the box. "The ref said he felt I'd let it go before I'd crossed the line but the linesman said I'd carried it out. "The ref knew I hadn't meant to do anything wrong, though, and I knew then that he was only going to give me a yellow." Murphy's relief was obvious, for a red card in this rare appearance would have been a footballing disaster. "Having not played in a long while, I think I was maybe a little bit eager to try to impress," he accepted. "But I just told myself to relax as the game went on and I felt I got stronger. "I was pretty pleased with the way it went. "I feel as if I am improving all the time and hopefully there will be another opportunity to show it pretty soon." Like understudy keepers all over the land, he may not be holding his breath. Swansea's match at Southend United on November 12 has been brought forward to a 2pm kick-off due to England's match with Argentina in Geneva the same day.

20th October 2005 LOOK OUT, LEE . . . BAYO AIMS TO GET YOU!

Evening Post Swansea City head to Rotherham on Saturday with Bayo Akinfenwa admitting he is on the trail of Trundle. Akinfenwa bagged his sixth goal of the season at former club Torquay on Tuesday night, a bullet header which helped send Kenny Jackett's side into round two of the LDV Vans Trophy. The focus returns to League One at Millmoor this weekend, but Akinfenwa's sights remain fixed on strike partner Lee Trundle. ''I've got to catch up with Trunds in the scoring charts,'' said the smiling centre-forward. ''I'm pleased with my tally of six so far. That's more than I had at this stage last season and I ended up with 16 then. ''My first target this year is to beat that total, but it would be nice to give Lee a run for his money too."

20th October 2005 Welcome to the new Liberty Stadium

Western Mail BEING called Liberty has never caused a certain New York statue too many problems, but supporters groups yesterday gave the new title of Swansea's flagship stadium a decidedly lukewarm welcome. The ground will be known as The Liberty Stadium after locally- based property developers Liberty Properties yesterday signed a five-year deal worth £500,000 to sponsor the shared home of Swansea City and the Ospreys. But fans of Swansea City, who have been based at the ground since leaving the Vetch Field at the end of last season, were yesterday unimpressed with the new moniker. Phil Sumbler, of the Swansea City Supporters Trust, claimed the new name "could have been a lot better", and said fans would have preferred council chiefs to stick with the working title of White Rock Stadium. Mr Sumbler also revealed he was disappointed with the financial terms of the deal, with the tie-up bringing in little more than £100,000 a season. "It's very disappointing that it's taken this long to come up with a name, and to be honest, it's a pretty low amount of money for the naming of a stadium," he said. "Having said that, it could have been a lot worse - we could have ended up with some farcical name. To a lot of supporters the stadium will still retain the name White Rock anyway - people are still referring to it as that. It's hard to say how things will work out, but in my view White Rock is far more powerful. "But at least Liberty won't create a laughing stock immediately and there are other plus points with Liberty being a local company which is run by local people who have an interest in the club. "It could have been worse, but it could have been a lot better. What we've got is a five-year deal, but if Liberty want to be involved after five years, we have to rethink it again. "If there was a title in there, something like the Liberty White Rock Stadium, the sponsor could have been renewed and the name could have been kept, but that's not what's happened." Ron Knuszka, the trust's chairman, said financial considerations had forced the selection of a corporate name, but urged stadium bosses to incorporate the heritage of the area, and the club, into the stadium in other ways. "There are compromise possibilities," he added. "If they can't introduce White Rock into the title, I would have thought they could give some consideration to using the name for some part of the ground, be it a street, a stand or a bar. "There are options available for introducing some history into the stadium. The history of a football club is extremely important. We have got to go forward, but a name is extremely important for fans to use and be proud of." But Scott Gibbs, the former Wales and Ospreys star, who now works as Liberty's development manager, said it was time thestadium had a fitting name. "There have been so many working titles attributed to the stadium, it's good that that's been finally put aside and the stadium has a name that can take it forward," he said. "It's a fairly distinctive brand name, and also a strong corporate title, so we're hoping that will be reflected on the field - more so with the Ospreys than the Swans, because they're already up the top of the league!"

19th October 2005 BIG GUNS FIRE SWANS

Evening Post Kenny Jackett breathed a sigh of relief as Swansea City returned to the winning trail with a 3-1 victory at Torquay United. Swansea's interest in this season's LDV Vans Trophy looked for a long time like being short-lived after Jo Kuffour put the League Two strugglers ahead and Andy Robinson saw a penalty saved. But Jackett summoned his big guns from the bench on the hour and three goals in the final 25 minutes saw them progress to round two. Adrian Forbes began the revival with a 25-yard howitzer, then Gulls old boy Bayo Akinfenwa nudged Swansea ahead with extra-time looming. Robinson lashed home a third before the end to give the scoreline a slightly flattering look. "I always felt the goals would come," said Jackett, whose side had drawn blanks in their previous two matches. "You could see the confidence flowing back once the first went in and that's good news for us with a tough game at Rotherham to come on Saturday. Hopefully, we can build on this with another win there." The Swansea boss added: "Adrian's goal was absolutely fantastic and I was pleased for Bayo, because he took a lot of stick from the fans but showed good maturity throughout the night. "I felt we deserved the victory. Torquay shaded it in the first half but we produced some more constructive football in the second and deserved to get back in the goals."

19th October 2005 IT'S SWEET LIBERTY AS SWANS OUT OF JAIL

Evening Post Fittingly, perhaps, on the day their new home was christened the Liberty Stadium, Swansea City played their get out of jail free card at Torquay United. Kenny Jackett's men were uninspiring for an hour - a missed Andy Robinson penalty leaving them a goal down and facing elimination at the first-round stage of the LDV Vans Trophy. There would have been some humiliation, too, had they lost to a home side spluttering near the bottom of Coca-Cola League Two. Even after a spectacular equaliser from Adrian Forbes, extra-time seemed on the cards until Bayo Akinfenwa and Robinson struck in the last four minutes to save Swansea blushes. Jackett's policy in this competition last season had been to put out a full-strength side, and he was rewarded with a win at this stage over a weakened Luton Town. Swansea lost out in round two at Wycombe, though, and this year he opted to mix things up from the outset. There were six changes to the side which had started Saturday's goalless draw with Oldham, with 17-year-old Shaun MacDonald making his full debut in central midfield alongside the recalled Robinson. Another teenager, Mark Pritchard, was handed his first start outside the FAW Premier Cup for two years. He partnered Akinfenwa in attack with Lee Trundle only a substitute. Izzy Iriekpen, Willy Gueret and Roberto Martinez joined Swansea's top marksman on the bench as Kristian O'Leary and Brian Murphy also won places in the starting line-up. There was no such reshuffle in the home ranks, with Leroy Rosenior fielding his strongest line-up as the search continued for some early-season form. So it was a side struggling for confidence against one thrown together on the night, and in the opening quarter it showed. The rain was not helping, either, and it was not until the 24th minute that the hosts put together the first constructive move of the night. Tony Bedeau was influential, touching a sweet lay-off into the path of Jo Kuffour on the edge of the penalty area. The little left winger steadied himself before bending an arcing right-foot shot round the helpless Murphy and into the far corner of the net. The lead should only have lasted seven minutes after home keeper Andy Marriott's clumsy challenge on Akinfenwa earned Swansea a dubious penalty. If the former Welsh international stopper was at fault - and there was some doubt - he made up for it with an excellent diving save to deny Robinson from 12 yards. To add to the visitors' misery, MacDonald collected a booking for sliding in on Marriott as he collected the rebound - a challenge which sparked handbags between the two sides. Never mind the pushing and shoving, Jackett's men needed to concentrate on producing some decent football. There were a couple of flickers just before the interval - Akinfenwa scuffed a shot too close to the keeper and Forbes, cutting in from the right, rifled across the face. The only thing that changed at the break was the referee, with Mick Fletcher replaced on the whistle by one of his assistants. The new man in charge immediately had a big decision to make as Murphy, attempting to gather Liam Coleman's cross, caught the ball and then realised his momentum was carrying him outside the penalty box. The Irish keeper was sent off after a similar incident at Southend a couple of seasons back, so there was a huge sigh of relief when the card this time was yellow. There were no such problems for his opposite number early in the second period, so on the hour Jackett sent for the cavalry. The youngsters, Macdonald and Pritchard, made way for Trundle and Martinez. If Jackett's original team selection had hinted that he was not too concerned about progressing in the LDV, the changes suggested otherwise. Straightaway there was a fierce long-ranger from Marc Goodfellow which dipped just over the woodwork and, within five minutes, Swansea were level. The impressive Alan Tate played a part, battling for possession on the right flank. The ball bounced to Forbes, who unleashed a stunning left-foot thunderbolt which arrowed into the net from 25 yards. Suddenly Swansea were in charge. Forbes might have had a second in a flash but headed wide and then the chances dried up once more. That was until four minutes from time, when Akinfenwa rose the highest to meet Robinson's curling free-kick with a fine header which flew into the top corner. Here was the goal he had craved against his former club. To rub salt into Torquay wounds, the giant striker touched into Robinson's path two minutes later and the Scouse midfielder atoned for his penalty miss with a low 20-yard drive which squirmed into the net. Swansea were very definitely off the hook and into the next round of the competition after all.

19th October 2005 Boss hails fightback

EatsleepSport.com Kenny Jackett has praised his players for battling back at Torquay and says confidence is high in the Swansea camp. The Swans fell behind in the LDV Vans Trophy clash before goals by Adrian Forbes, Ade Akinfenwa and Andy Robinson wrapped up the win much to the delight of Jackett. "I thought Torquay edged it in the first half," Jackett revealed. "But you could see our confidence coming back as the game went on. "I think our substitutions had a good impact in the second half. Our passing wasn't the best in the first half and I felt we could do better with that. But the biggest thing was that we needed to get the ball out wide, and we did that in the second half."

19th October 2005 Akinfenwa joy at Torquay victory

BBCi Swansea striker Adebayo Akinfenwa was delighted to cap his return to former club Torquay with a goal in their 3-1 first round LDV Vans Trophy win. "It's always nice to score against your former club," Akinfenwa said. "You're bound to get the jeers from the crowd and the best way to shut them up is to get a goal - which I did. "Torquay did their homework and scored first, but I wasn't too bothered because at Swansea we can always score goals and we did the business."

19th October 2005 LEROY SAYS 3-1 FLATTERS SWANS

South Devon Herald Express Swansea boss Kenny Jackett believed confidence was key after his side came from behind to beat struggling Torquay in the LDV Vans Trophy. Torquay's player of the year last season, Adebayo Akinfenwa, returned to torment his former club by scoring the goal that put Swansea on their way. Andy Robinson added a third two minutes from time to complete the comeback after Adrian Forbes had cancelled out Jo Kuffour's first-half opener. Jackett said: "I thought Torquay edged it in the first half. But you could see our confidence coming back as the game went on. "I think our substitutions had a good impact in the second half. Our passing wasn't the best in the first half and I felt we could do better with that. But the biggest thing was that we needed to get the ball out wide, and we did that in the second half." Torquay boss Leroy Rosenior said: "We did well in the first 45 minutes and I think a 3-1 score flattered Swansea a bit. "We needed to hold the ball up well early in the second half, but we didn't do that well enough and it brought Swansea on to us. "I wanted to see a reaction after the way we lost at Wrexham on Saturday, and I got it. We didn't get the result, but the players did bounce back with a performance."

18th October 2005 Swansea stadium renamed 'Liberty'

BBCi Swansea City Football Club and the Ospreys regional rugby side's new home at Morfa has finally got a name. The 20,000-seater ground, which has so far simply been called New Stadium, will now be known as Liberty Stadium. Stadco, the company which runs the stadium, has agreed a five-year deal with Liberty Properties PLC to become the official sponsors. Liberty Properties' bid, understood to be in excess of £500,000, was accepted ahead of rivals Communications Direct. Former Wales and Lions centre Scott Gibbs, who captained the Ospreys in their inaugral 2001-02 season, is now the development manager of Liberty Properties. "We're tremendously proud and excited to be investing in the new stadium in Swansea," Gibbs, who retired from rugby in January 2004, said. "We saw the chance to sponsor such a flagship stadium as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the company. "We're a national company but our roots are firmly based in Swansea and so we're thrilled to be able to support and celebrate such an important landmark for the area." The rugby side will have first opportunity to try out the new name this Sunday, when the Ospreys host Stade Francais in the first round of the Heineken Cup. Swansea City are away at Torquay on Tuesday night in the LDV Vans Trophy, and on the road again in League One at Rotherham on Saturday. But the footballers will be back at home on 29 October when they host Chesterfield at the Liberty.

18th October 2005 TRUNDLE TO CALL IMAGE SHOTS

Evening Post Swans star Lee Trundle is negotiating a David Beckham-style deal to control how his name and image are used. It is understood the negotiations have been ongoing for some time and the deal could be announced as early as next week. If the super-striker is successful, he will be the first player outside the Premiership to have such a deal. The player currently features on around 85 per cent of the merchandise the club sells, and the 29-year-old Liverpool-born player wants more control over how his name is used - and a cut of the money it generates. Trundle features on a wide range of items the club sells, including replica shirts, books, stickers and posters. There are even miniature models of the player the fans have dubbed, Magic Daps. He is one of the best-know players outside the Premiership and regularly features on TV football programmes. Swans chairman Huw Jenkins said any deal would be a win-win situation for the player and the club. "We are talking about it for the benefit of both Lee and the club," he said. "Lee is obviously a high profile player and he has done much to raise the profile of the club, both on and off the field. "We are always looking at ways of moving the club forward and this kind of deal could be a very positive step. "But any deal will always be in the best long-term interests of the club. "We hope to finalise the deal in the next week to 10 days and then we will give the supporters all the details." The free-scoring striker, who has already found the back of the net 10 times this season, confirmed that he and agent Neil Sang were negotiating with the club. He said: "It shows I'm doing well for the club if I can generate things off the pitch as well." Image-rights deals are becoming increasingly popular with top players from a range of sports, who want greater control over how their name and image are used off the pitch. Swans supporter Marilyn Croft, from Bryncoch, said: "It shows just how far the club has come and where they want to go in the future. "Good luck Lee. I just hope all this image stuff doesn't distract him from his main task, which is scoring goals - and lots of them."

18th October 2005 KENNY SET TO JUGGLE OPTIONS

Evening Post Teenager Shaun MacDonald makes his full Swansea City debut tonight as Kenny Jackett shakes up his side for the LDV Vans Trophy opener at Torquay. Swansea have high hopes for the talented MacDonald, a former Daniel James School pupil who hails from Blaenymaes. The 17-year-old, capped for the first time by the Welsh Under-21s last week, gets his first senior start after two substitute appearances back in August. He lines up in a new-look midfield shorn of Leon Britton (ankle) and Marcus Bean (calf) following Saturday's goalless draw with Oldham. Fellow youngster Mark Pritchard is also likely to feature at some stage while Brian Murphy definitely gets a run-out in goal. Andy Robinson should be recalled along with Kristian O'Leary, who could operate in central defence. "There are certain people coming up on the rails in my thinking," Jackett explained. "I'm not going to find out anything more about players like Shaun MacDonald and Mark Pritchard until I put them in to the side. "This competition gives us an opportunity to give them a chance to show what they're capable of. "I'm not going to make wholesale changes - we've only got 17 fit players anyway - but there's a window for me to have a look at one or two. "I think Shaun, Mark and Chad Bond can make it as professional players, but they need an opportunity somewhere along the line." Bayo Akinfenwa should start against his former club, who have had an awful start to the season following relegation from League One in May. Plagued by injuries, Torquay are looking for only a third victory in cup football during Leroy Rosenior's three-year reign. "They try to play football and so do we, so it should be a decent game," added Jackett, who is again without Garry Monk, Kevin McLeod, Paul Connor and Owain Tudur Jones. "But we want to do well in this competition and we go there to win." Jackett, meanwhile, has revealed he is on the lookout for new signings despite Swansea's impressive start to life in League One. The club are continuing to monitor the situation of West Ham's Gavin Williams, while Jackett has watched highly-rated Stevenage Borough winger George Boyd. "If Williams became available he's someone we'd definitely be interested in, and Boyd is someone we've looked at in recent weeks," the Swansea boss said. "We've made no enquiry or offer, though, and I know we were one of about 30 other clubs watching Stevenage." He went on: "I'm actively looking for players, whether they come in now, in January or even at the end of the season. "I wouldn't say there are any particular positions we want to strengthen, but improving the squad is a big part of my job. "It's not easy to do now that we have the transfer window and I wouldn't say anything is going to happen imminently, but it's an on-going process." Torquay United: from Marriott, Woods, Taylor, Sharp, Hill, Sow, Garner, Hewlett, Kuffour, Bedeau, Connell, Bittner, Coleman, Constantine, Hancox, Sako, Villis, Phillips, Hockley. Swansea City: from Murphy, Tate, Ricketts, Austin, O'Leary, MacDonald, Robinson, Martinez, Goodfellow, Trundle, Akinfenwa, Gueret, Iriekpen, Anderson, Forbes, Pritchard, Bond.

18th October 2005 PEACEMAKER

Evening Post Bayo Akinfenwa is ready to make peace with Leroy Rosenior when he returns to former club Torquay tonight. The Swansea City striker upset his old boss when he quit Plainmoor for South Wales this summer. Rosenior felt Akinfenwa, who was out of contract, owed Torquay for offering him a chance in League One 12 months earlier. He was also annoyed with the way talks over a new deal stuttered, with suggestions that the player failed to return calls from the club before opting for Swansea in July. Still unhappy, Rosenior is unlikely to welcome Akinfenwa with open arms this evening. "I have my own opinion about Bayo," he said ahead of the LDV Vans Trophy first-round clash. "He has moved on and we have moved on and that's it." Akinfenwa, however, would be happy to bury the hatchet. "Whenever Leroy wants to show me some love, I will show him love back," the 23-year-old said. "I still have a lot of respect for him. I think he's a great manager and a good person and whenever he wants a chat we can chat. "There were stories in the press that Torquay had said this and I had said that. "I think that's what's messed up our relationship at the moment and yet I don't actually talk to the press much. "I was meant to have said something and he said something back to the press rather than the two of us talking face to face. "He gave me the chance to prove myself with a one-year contract and I'm grateful for that. There's no doubt that spending a season at Torquay has helped. "But he knew my circumstances when I signed. He knew that I always try to better myself every year and I felt Swansea was the better club for me." Akinfenwa, whose move to The New Stadium could eventually earn the Gulls £110,00, can nevertheless expect an earful from the Devon crowd tonight. His 16-goal contribution made him the fans' player of the year in his solitary season at the club, hence they were so upset when he departed in the wake of relegation from League One. "I think there was something in the press that said I didn't like the fans, but that's rubbish," he went on. "I'm sure they'll give me as much stick as possible tonight though. "They'll be chanting names and singing songs because that's what happens in football. "The best way to silence them would be to score a goal." History suggests that could happen, for the often-maligned LDV has been good to Akinfenwa. His maiden strike in English football came in this competition when at Boston two years ago, and his first Torquay goals came in a round-one win over Yeovil last autumn. Without Akinfenwa and Alex Russell, the influential midfielder who left for Bristol City in the close season, Rosenior's men have struggled this term. The biggest game of their week comes in the league on Saturday against Macclesfield, another side who are surprisingly suffering at the wrong end of the basement division. Yet Akinfenwa is not expecting a Welsh cruise tonight. "Torquay are a better side than they're showing at the moment and I still think they will be at the top-end of the table come the end of the season," he said. "In these cup competitions there are no favourites or underdogs anyway in my opinion, so it will be a difficult game."

18th October 2005 STADIUM GETS A NAME AT LAST!

Evening Post Swansea's £27 million new stadium finally has a new name and sponsor. Sports fans in the city have a new place to call home - the Liberty Stadium. The Post can today reveal city-based developers Liberty Properties has been unveiled as the new sponsor for the home of both Swansea City and the Ospreys. The six figure deal, thought to be worth in excess of £500,000, finally draws a line under the saga of what the stadium will be called. Football and rugby fans in the city have waited more than 14 months to learn what the Morfa stadium would be called after the popular tag of White Rock was dropped. Council bosses said they wanted a blank slate in a bid to attract a new sponsor and simply called the ground The New Stadium Swansea. But that is now in the past as Liberty, which has offices in the enterprise park as well as London and Chester, has been confirmed as the new headline sponsors for the stadium for the next five years. Scott Gibbs, Liberty's development manager, said: "We're tremendously proud and excited to be investing in the new stadium in Swansea. "We saw the chance to sponsor such a flagship stadium as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the company. "We're thrilled to be able to support and celebrate such an important landmark for the area." Stadium bosses said there were a number of national and international companies interested in sponsoring the stadium. Councillor Gerald Clement, chairman of stadium management firm StadCo, signed the deal today. He said: "We're delighted to announce that Liberty Properties has signed a five-year deal to be associated with Wales's top regional stadium. "We have been working very hard to find the right top name sponsor and we are thrilled to have Liberty Properties as our partner. "Liberty is a strong, confident name in its own right and offers us all the right positive associations. "I'm confident that the Liberty Stadium will soon become a watchword among sporting fans for the very best in sporting and entertainment facilities." Swansea Council leader Chris Holley said there was never a doubt that a sponsor would be found for the stadium. He said: "I know that Liberty Stadium will become a name associated with all that is great about rugby, football and Swansea." It is not known who the other bidders in the naming race were, although at one stage communications company ntl and motor dealership FRF were thought to be interested. One Swans fan said today: "It is good news and a strong name for the future."

17th October 2005 BOSS MOORE WARNS OVER PITCH-SHARING

Evening Post Oldham Atheltic boss Ronnie Moore has warned Swansea City that their passing game could get "found out" when the winter months come. After watching his side hold them to a goalless draw, the former Rotherham United manager gave Swansea a stark warning about sharing the pitch with the reigning Celtic League champions Ospreys. Moore was in charge at Swansea's next League One opponents, Rotherham, last season and had the experience of sharing the Millmoor pitch with English rugby union division one side Earth Titans, formerly Rotherham Titans. The Ospreys played at The New Stadium less than 24 hours before Swansea kicked off on Saturday and, instead of the bowling green-like surface Kenny Jackett's men have been used to, there were a few divots on the pitch. "There is no doubt the pitch will cut up," Moore said. "I had it with the rugby union at Rotherham. If you are a passing side, then you are going to get found out because, basically, when the harder pitches come it will be difficult to get the ball down and pass." Despite Moore's warning, Swansea midfielder Leon Britton refused to blame the pitch in a match of sheer frustration where Jackett's men drew a blank for the second game running. "Look at the Vetch. It was a good pitch, but it wasn't brilliant and we still managed to play football and get good results there," the former West Ham man said. "We won't be using the pitch as an excuse.'' However, the diminutive midfielder did have a few concerns for the forthcoming winter months and the few divots at the New Stadium. "There were a few holes out there but it is still a brilliant playing surface. "But it might become a problem when the weather gets really bad. It might cut up, but they have spent a lot of money on it and it is meant to be good for both football and rugby."

17th October 2005 IVOR STANDS PROUD FOR FANS

Evening Post Standing tall, the proud figure of Ivor Allchurch looks across the city towards his beloved Vetch Field. But, while The Vetch will remain in Swansea City's past, the late Ivor has jumped forward in time to become part of the club's exciting new future. The great sporting icon, and holder of an MBE, has his own life-size bronze statue outside the club shop at The New Stadium Swansea. Hundreds of fans, young and old, from near and far, gathered to witness Ivor's widow, Esme, unveil the statue before the weekend's match against Oldham. Surrounded by her grandchildren, she said the creation of the memorial meant a huge amount to the Allchurch family. "This is a very proud moment for the family, for me, my daughters and my grandchildren," she said. "I was totally amazed by the response to the idea of a statue - people were so generous." She added: "Ivor was an unassuming, modest man. His great loves were his family, the people of Swansea and the club." The tribute to one of the Swans' all-time greats was made possible thanks to a fund-raising drive by the Swansea City Supporters' Trust, which raised £20,000 in just 12 months. "The trust did a fantastic job," said Swans supporter Mark Humphrys, of Grovesend. "Ivor was a great ambassador for the club - he was a true gentleman and he means so much to the fans." Another fan at the ceremony, Des Elsey, from Winch Wen, agreed. "We are honouring the greatest footballer who ever lived," he said. "He is so important to the tradition of the club because he was Swansea-born and Swansea-bred." Also at the ceremony was Lord Mayor of Swansea, Mair Gibbs. She said: "This is a proud day for the city and for the people of Swansea. He is a great example for youngsters playing the game today. This is a wonderful memorial and it is something we should have done a long time ago." Among the fans who had travelled to Swansea for the unveiling were ex-pats Richard Tamlin and Kevin O'Brien, who had driven from the West Midlands. "He was the best player the Swans ever had - one of the greats," said Mr Tamlin. "The memorial is long over-due," added Mr O'Brien. "It is brilliant that he has got the recognition he deserves." Swans club chaplain Kevin Johns led a short service of dedication at the unveiling of the statue. He said: "In unveiling and dedicating this statue we are celebrating one of the greats of the game. This Swansea lad represents all that is good in the game of football. He will forever be a part of Swansea City Football Club. Maybe the thousands of youngsters who will pass this statue will be inspired by one of the greatest." Ivor Allchurch signed for Swansea in 1947, aged just 17. He made his debut two years later against Cardiff on Christmas Eve in front of a crowd of more than 27,000. He became an immediate favourite with fans and played in 448 games for the club until his departure, scoring 116 goals. In 1958, aged 29, he signed for Newcastle United for a fee of £25,000, and netted 46 goals in 143 games. He then signed for Cardiff City, where he scored 39 goals in 103 games. His total league appearances came to almost 700, during which time he scored more than 250 goals. Ivor also won 68 caps for Wales, during which he scored 23 goals. After leaving league football in 1968, he went on to play for Worcester, Haverfordwest and finally Pontardawe. He was awarded an MBE before he died in May 1997.

17th October 2005 FORBES: WE MUST RAISE BAR AGAIN

Evening Post Adrian Forbes accepted fans' discontent after Swansea City's draw with Oldham, admitting: "We must live up to the standards we've set." Kenny Jackett's men were booed off by some sections of the 14,029 crowd after a first goalless stalemate since February. Supporters aired their frustration after an uninspiring game, despite Swansea remaining just three points off the top of the League One. Forbes said: "I don't think the fans were harsh on us. "There's massive expectation now with promotion, a brilliant new stadium and the start we've made to the season. "It's not going to be easy. You can't go beating teams 7-1 every week, but we have to live up to that. "The fans know what we can do. They've seen the performances we've put in and the goals we've scored so you can't blame them for expecting that every week. "No team's going to do it every Saturday. Even Arsenal lost at the weekend, but I'm convinced the last couple of games have just been a blip. "The fans just need to bear with us. We will soon get it right again." Saturday's blank was the first at The New Stadium and left Jackett's men, who had scored in every previous game this season, without a goal in their last two. "When you've got Bayo Akinfenwa and Lee Trundle up front, you're never going to have a goal drought for long," Forbes insisted. "Oldham came for a point and that frustrated us, although in a sense we should be flattered by that. "What we need to do is make sure we can break down the next side who come here and do that." Leon Britton, Swansea's brightest light on a gloomy day, echoed Forbes. "It's a sign of the times that Oldham are coming here and shutting up shop from the start," he said. "But just as we don't get too carried away when we win, we're not going to get too down about it. The goals will come." Swansea's focus now switches to the LDV Vans Trophy first-round tie at Torquay tomorrow night, when Garry Monk will again be absent with the muscle strain that sidelined him over the weekend. Britton was hobbling on Saturday night after aggravating an ankle problem but expects to be fit. "It's a competition the manager thinks we can win and we'll be giving it 100 per cent just as we do in every other game," Forbes added. "Hopefully, we can rectify some of the mistakes we've made in the last couple of games."

17th October 2005 Winger bid lined up

EatSleepSport.com Swansea are being strongly linked with a move for Stevenage Borough winger George Boyd with a £200,000 bid said to be on the cards. Assistant boss Kevin Nugent has seen the 20-year-old in action on numerous occasions and according to an insider a deal will go through shortly. The 'insider' said: "The Swans have already started the ball rolling. Jackett is hell bent on landing him - despite stiff competition. "I think Kenny sees the lad as a Premiership star in the making. We are talking about a kid who could easily be worth £2 million within the next few years. Expect to see something happen on this within the next week."

17th October 2005 Swans struggling for clash

TeamTalk.com Swansea boss Kenny Jackett could be without a host of players for his side's LDV Vans Trophy first round clash with Torquay. Defender Gary Monk looks set to miss out with a calf injury, while Leon Britton aggravated an ankle problem in the goalless draw with Oldham and faces a late fitness test. Owain Tudur-Jones (ankle), Kevin McLeod (calf) and Paul Connor (ankle) are also likely to be sidelined, although Jones and McLeod could be fit for Saturday's trip to Rotherham. Gary Fisken (groin) and Kevin Nugent (ankle) are still weeks away from a return.

17th October 2005 Forbes plea to the fans for patience

Western Mail ADRIAN FORBES urged Swans fans to be patient - and promised the goals and the victories they have become accustomed to would return over the coming weeks. Swansea drew a blank for the second match in a row against Oldham, registering their first scoreless draw since Grimsby came to the Vetch way back on February 19. The last two matches have come as a shock to the system given the Swans had scored in every game this season prior to the 1-0 defeat at Yeovil nine days ago. But, after some fans registered their displeasure with a ripple of boos at the final whistle on Saturday, Forbes promised them this would only be a temporary setback. "I don't think you can say it was harsh that some fans booed us off the pitch because there's massive expectation here now," said the winger. "We got promotion and then moved into a lovely new ground, so everyone expects big things. "On top of that, we've set high standards and raised expectations even higher with our performances this season. We're there to be shot at. "But all I would say to the supporters is please bear with us because this is only a blip. We will make it better. "With the squad we've got, and with the strikers we've got, I'm sure the goals will come. And the wins will follow. "We're not about to start panicking. We're high up in the table for a reason and we've got the players to stay up there. "We've had a blip over the last couple of weeks, but I'm convinced that, as the weeks go on, we will put it right." Swansea's usual attacking prowess has deserted them since the 3-2 win over Blackpool on October 1, though the problem they encountered on Saturday was an Oldham side who seemed content to hold out for a draw. "Everyone's thoughts go back to the Bristol City game, and we're not creating the opportunities that we did at that time," said Forbes. "It's something we need to address and put right soon. The lads are working just as hard as they were then, it's just that for some reason we're not hitting the back of the net. "To a certain extent we pinned Oldham back a bit too far as they were camped on the edge of their box. "You couldn't get the ball behind them. They will have gone home chuffed to bits with the point. "Perhaps we should take it as a compliment that teams are happy to come here and try to get a draw, but we need to work on how to break sides down when they come here to do that. "Teams tried to do a similar thing at the Vetch last season, but generally we were able to break them down - with the same players as we've got now, apart from the addition of Bayo Akinfenwa." Forbes added, "Fingers crossed, we can try to rectify the mistakes we've made when we go to Torquay on Tuesday. We want to progress to the next round of the LDV. "It's a cup competition the boss thinks we can win, and from the players' point of view we want to go as far as we can."

17th October 2005 Jackett's goal is to stand and deliver

Wales on Sunday IF Kenny Jackett had needed a reminder of how sharply expectation levels have risen in Swansea in just a few short months, the boos that followed the final whistle would have left him in little doubt. It is unlikely a scoreless draw against a team of Oldham's pedigree would have been received with such discontent had it been achieved in the first couple of weeks of this thrilling campaign. Swansea, though, are victims of their own early-season success. Having watched their side gorge their way to the top of the table on a feast of goals - the 7-1 massacre of Bristol City and the 5-2 romp at Walsall are the shining examples - such measly fare as this was always going to be hard for Swans fans to swallow. Especially when they're constantly being fed the message that a second successive promotion is on the agenda at the New Stadium. Boss Jackett knows the fans have come to expect better than this. After all, so has he. "It didn't surprise me to hear people booing," admitted Jackett after the Swans had passed up what seemed a decent opportunity to compensate for the 1-0 defeat at Yeovil and climb back onto the League One summit. "When you draw 0-0 at home and you're in the promotion places as we are, people are going to boo. I can understand it because they'll be just as frustrated as I am. "I don't think the fans are expecting too much. They can see that the opportunity is there for us this season. "When you look at it, who has outclassed us? OK, Huddersfield beat us by a couple of goals, but I wouldn't say they outclassed us. "After that, with 14 games of the season gone, you have to say we've got as good a chance as anyone. So the fans are quite right to be frustrated." Jackett, of course, had been reduced to the role of spectator himself as he served a one-match touchline ban as punishment for upsetting a fourth official at Reading in August. That didn't stop him getting his instructions across, though, as he kept in contact with coaches Kevin Nugent and Colin Pascoe - jointly running the show down in the technical area - on his mobile phone. It was not so bad that, as one reporter jested, he might have felt like giving the Samaritans a call, but there was certainly very little to get Jackett leaping out of his cushioned directors' box seat in excitement. "It was frustrating not to be shouting orders from the technical area," he admitted. "I wanted to stand up and shout from the directors' box - even if would've been just to make me feel better. I almost did a couple of times but then I realised where I was and sat back down. "I made about half a dozen calls to the dug-out to try and alter things - we changed the formation twice, from 4-4-2 to 4-4-3 then back again - but it was a frustrating afternoon. "I wouldn't chose to sit in the stands as you do feel better if you can scream your head off - even if your players don't always listen to you." Jackett's touchline lieutenants were doing plenty of ear-bashing and arm-waving on his behalf, but it made little difference. It failed to yield the one thing that would have lifted this game from the doldrums and put a smile on glum Swansea faces - a goal. It was as forgettable as the Bristol City walkover was memorable. Swansea just didn't look like scoring as their attacking verve deserted them once again and Oldham achieved their obvious aim of shackling strikers Lee Trundle and Bayo Akinfenwa and cutting off midfield supply lines. Having flowed so freely before Yeovil, no-one had anticipated the goals to dry up like this - even if two games without one hardly merits a crisis. "In the last two games we haven't looked like scoring goals," Jackett said. "We've looked pretty strong at the back, conceding only one goal, but going forward we haven't created enough chances or looked as fluent as we did during our purple patch earlier in the season. "Missing certain players (Garry Monk and Kevin McLeod were out injured on Saturday) has left us without the terrific balance we had in terms of pace and creativity. "Sometimes then in our play, we've made the wrong decisions about when to go short and when to go long. But there are definitely goals there." And the post-match mood would have been a lot brighter had Swansea simply managed to sneak one of the few chances that fell to them. In the first half Marcus Bean went close with a 25-yard shot that keeper Chris Day pushed out for a corner, Roberto Martinez shaved a post with a free-kick from a similar distance and Marc Goodfellow should have done better than fire wide when Martinez played him into the area. Neither the half-time change of Adrian Forbes for the ineffective Goodfellow nor the 73rd-minute intervention of Andy Robinson could inspire a breakthrough as Lee Trundle and Izzy Iriekpen - who really needs to practice getting his headers from set-pieces on target - failed to capitalise on Swansea's more enterprising second-half showing. Oldham, for their part, lacked ambition, Ronnie Moore's men mustering just one shot in the entire match as Richie Wellens saw a 10-yard drive thrashed clear by Iriekpen in the 64th minute. "In the second half we looked very strong," Jackett said. "We were in control of the game - I felt we were the only side trying to win it - and yet we still couldn't find the spark to unlock Oldham. "They only had one shot on target the whole game, so it was all about us and how far we could go. "But we couldn't do anything either with a great deal of territorial advantage or a great deal of the ball. "It's disappointing, but we'll move on and work at it. We'll build on the solid defensive platform we've given ourselves where we've not looked easy to beat. "But we need to be more constructive going forward." Starting, Swans fans will hope, with tomorrow's LDV Vans Trophy tie at Torquay. There ought to be a goal or two in them in cup action down at Plainmoor.

17th October 2005 Luv-Lee jubbly!

Wales on Sunday SWANSEA CITY hotshot Lee Trundle is set to join the ranks of David Beckham and Alan Shearer by netting his own image rights deal. In the first of its kind outside of the Premiership, the super-striker is in talks with the League One club to gain greater control over how his name and image are used in advertising and merchandising. Currently, around 85 per cent of the goods sold by the club use the 29-year-old's name and now Lee wants a share of the profits. His name or picture appears on items ranging from replica shirts, wristbands and books to stickers and posters. There are even miniature models of the striker for sale in the club shop. Lee's agent Neil Sang hopes to have the deal tied up later this week. The former non-league player is already one of the most recognisable figures in the Football League and regularly features on TV shows such as Sky's Soccer AM. His outrageous tricks and eye for goal have seen him develop a cult following among rival fans as well as his own. Known as Magic Daps to Swansea supporters, Lee is once again riding high at the top of the scoring charts with 10 goals in his last 10 games ahead of yesterday's home clash with Oldham. Last night, Lee confirmed he is in negotiations: "It shows I'm doing well for the club if I can generate things off the pitch as well. It makes me happy. "The reason that I'm signing it is that the club will then own the image rights and they can do what they want with it after that, well not exactly what they want!" Chairman Huw Jenkins said the deal would safeguard not just Lee's rights but those of the club as well by preventing the sale of bootleg merchandise and the unauthorised use of his name. "We can't hide from the fact that in our supporters' eyes Lee Trundle is our main player and the one that people want to buy things from," he said. "We believe quite rightly that our relationship with Lee has been good from day one and this is just cementing that relationship. "Lee has played his part in lifting the profile of the club and due to things like his regular appearances on television no player receives as much exposure outside of the Premiership as Lee. "Everyone outside of the Premiership knows who Lee Trundle is. It may be on a smaller scale but he is our David Beckham." But he added: "There is no way we would do anything that was not in the best interests of Swansea City. It is a partnership that will benefit the club and the player and protect both our interests." Even inside the Premiership only a handful of players such as Newcastle legend and ex-England captain Shearer hold their own image rights deals. But they are becoming increasingly popular with top players who are eager to ensure they are neither exploited nor missing out on financial reward for the use of their name and picture. Lee's rise to prominence is all the more amazing because he didn't break into the professional game until four years ago when he left Rhyl to join Wrexham for £60,000. He moved to Swansea in 2003 on a free transfer. Rugby superstar Jonah Lomu's former manager Phil Kingsley Jones believes image rights deals are now an essential part of professional sport. The Welsh consultant with Global Sports Management World said last night: "These sportsmen become famous because of their talent, what right should anybody else have to promote their product without giving you a percentage of what they are using it for? We registered the name Jonah Lomu as well as variations on this and his face and image so that if anyone used it without permission we could sue."

17th October 2005 Tribute to Ivor

Wales on Sunday HUNDREDS of Swansea fans gathered outside the New Stadium yesterday to pay tribute to the man named as the club's greatest ever player - Ivor Allchurch. More than 250 supporters were present to witness the official unveiling of a bronze statue of the late Wales and Swans legend by his wife Esme at the club's new home, who said he would have been humbled by the Supporters' Trust who raised more than £2,000 in less than 12 months. Esme, accompanied by her grandchildren, said: "It is a very, very proud day for me and my family and we've been excited about this since the idea was first mentioned a year ago. "Ivor had two real passions, one was his family and the other was Swansea - not just the club which he loved but the area as a whole so this is a very uplifting experience for me."

17th October 2005 Big bad Adebayo guns for Gulls

Wales on Sunday SWANSEA City hitman Adebayo Akinfenwa has told his former Torquay teammates that if they want trouble, they know where to find him. The 17-stone hulk is gunning for his ex-club after admitting there is still "bad blood" between them after his summer switch to Swansea. The man known simply as Bayo makes his first return to Plainmoor in Tuesday night's LDV Vans Trophy tie. Try telling him that it is a meaningless match because he is up for a right royal rumble. "I've been chatting to the guys and they're getting a welcoming committee ready for me when I go back there," said Akinfenwa with a huge grin. "But I'm REALLY looking forward to it. "I'll probably get some stick from the fans but that's just how it goes in football. "The players are looking forward to me coming back and even the manager said they're going to kick me up in the air all night. "Well all I can say is let them try." Despite finishing as their 16-goal top scorer last season Akinfenwa fell out with the Torquay top brass prompting his move to South Wales. After disagreement over his transfer fee a tribunal set the figure at an initial £35,000. This could eventually rise to £110,000 if Swansea win promotion. The committed Christian is annoyed that he left on such bad terms but intends to make himself the villain of the piece again in the cup. Upon arriving at Swansea he compared their New Stadium to Wembley and Plainmoor to Hackney Marshes. He stands by the comment but insists there were plenty of unsavoury comments aimed in his direction as well. "Some bad stuff was said about me like I wasn't happy there and I didn't like the fans so I I think there's some bad blood there," he said. "But that's just how it goes. "I'm thick skinned, I'm a strong character and I take what people say on the chin. The best way to stick it back to them is by sticking it in the back of the net, boom, it's as simple as that. "If you know our manager Kenny Jackett then you know he wants to win every game, even if it's for the reserves. "But to be honest I probably want this one more than him. I want to beat them and I want to beat them well." The human battering ram will be doing his best to add to his tally of roughly a goal every two games. But there will be one man in particular that Akinfenwa will be singling out to be "Bayo'd". "I'm looking forward to coming up against Craig Taylor because he used to collect the fines and always made sure I paid up," he said. "Now it's payback time for him. "I think every team I've come across have gone home knowing they've played Akinfenwa and by the grace of God I hope it continues."

17th October 2005 Swans slide to halt

Wales on Sunday It may not be on its way down just yet, but the Swansea rollercoaster is definitely running out of steam after a second week of frustration for Kenny Jackett. So far this season, it's been all the fun of the fair for the Swans fans as they have reached the heights of top spot in League One. But just one point and no goals in their last two games suggest a bumpy period could lie ahead if Jackett's men do not adjust to life as one of the prize targets in their new surroundings. Outmuscled against Yeovil, Swansea came unstuck once more as Oldham visited the New Stadium intent on shutting out the Swans with little ambition for a victory of their own. But Swansea were guilty of failing to use their obvious attacking talent to their advantage and were subjected to jeers of frustration at the final whistle as they failed to produce one clear cut chance to really revel in. To be fair to Jackett's side, the boos could well have been for Oldham, who seemed unbothered by their own miserable record in front of goal and harried, hustled and bullied their way around the midfield to upset and unsettle their hosts. But the sound of disappointment at the end could equally have been in annoyance at the Swans failing to scrap and tough their way to a win. There were signs of encouragement though, Marcus Bean producing his best performance since arriving from QPR for the second time and Lee Trundle and Bayo Akinfenwa both looking hungry for the service. Most of all, the continuing fine form of Leon Britton must give everyone cause for optimism that the Swans' engine is ready to fire again very soon. But however good individual displays, Swansea have to remember how to hit sides from the off as it took too long for the hosts to get going against Oldham. The Latics dictated the early tempo and lured Swansea into a battle they could have avoided. When the ball did fall to Trundle, cracks appeared in the Oldham resilience, a bouncing shot from Bean on 26 minutes troubling Chris Day as a result of a clever pass from the striker. But even with the hard working Akinfenwa going deep in search of the ball, chances remained at a premium, Roberto Martinez's curling 35th minute free-kick and a Marc Goodfellow close-range effort moments later the best of the first half. Jackett, who was forced to take his seat in the stands thanks to a one-game touchline ban, had already seemed to have used up all his free minutes on his mobile given the amount of calls made to assistant Kevin Nugent, but the message to the players did not appear to get through. It did not get much better after the interval, even with the introduction of Adrian Forbes as a link between midfield and attack causing problems but failing to help in the midfield attrition. And while the Swans committed themselves to finding an opener, Oldham crept their way into chances, Luke Beckett denied by the smart reactions of Willy Gueret and Izzy Iriekpen blocking a Richie Wellens attempt. Iriekpen almost directed a header goal-wards at the other end from a neat Martinez cross but it was the effervescent Britton who once again caused the excitement, one surging run on 67 minutes deserving of a goal but ending up with a harmless shot by Trundle. Andy Robinson had the crowd itching in anticipation when he came on for Martinez but even the Scouse midfielder's energy could not bring the Swans the goal they craved, leaving Jackett to hope he can raise the tempo and the spirits before next week's trip to Rotherham.

16th October 2005 FRUSTRATION AS SWANS ARE HELD

Evening Post Swansea City were left frustrated by a stubborn Oldham Athletic at The New Stadium. The visitors came to Swansea without a goal in their last two games and duly stretched that to three. Swansea, who have been one of the country's leading teams in the scoring department, have now not bagged a goal themselves since a late controversial strike from Leon Britton in the 3-2 win over Blackpool a fortnight ago. On a day where possession was given away all too easily, Kenny Jackett's side's failed to return to winning ways in a dour affair. Garry Monk failed to recover from a muscle strain which forced him out of training on Thursday, allowing Kevin Austin to keep his place in the side. Sam Ricketts, meanwhile, returned to the side after coming back from international duty with Wales. With Kevin McLeod still out with the calf injury he picked up in the 3-2 win over Blackpool a fortnight ago, Marc Goodfellow was preferred on the left side of midfield in place of Andy Robinson, who started last Saturday in the 1-0 defeat at Yeovil Town. New Wales Under-21 cap Shaun MacDonald won a place on the bench. After making his comeback last week at Huish Park, Adrian Forbes was also on the bench as Bayo Akinfenwa returned from suspension to partner League One's leading scorer Lee Trundle in attack, with Swansea looking to return to winning ways. The highly-rated Luke Beckett, on loan from Sheffield United, kept his place in the Oldham starting line-up despite Latics' boss Ronnie Moore threatening to axe the star striker in a bid to put an end to his side's goal drought. Chris Killen was not so lucky, with Paul Warne drafted into the side to partner Beckett. Following the Ospreys-Connacht Celtic League match at the stadium on Friday night, the pitch did not resemble a bowling green as has been the norm, with both wings showing wear. Swansea manager Jackett took his place in the stand just before the start of the game. He was serving his one-match touchline ban having being sent from the away dugout during the Carling Cup defeat at Reading back in August. In a scrappy opening 10 minutes, the passing of both sides went astray, with Oldham looking the more likely to break the deadlock. While several of the Latics' attacks appeared non-threatening, Swansea goalkeeper Willy Gueret looked hesitant. Swansea finally put Moore's side under pressure with 11 minutes gone, Trundle getting to the by-line before firing over a cross. Leon Britton looked favourite to get on to Trundle's cross but Marcus Bean came charging in and jumped over the former West Ham midfielder to head the ball wide of Chris Day's goal. Trundle again turned provider three minutes later when his 30-yard pass dissected the Oldham defence giving Goodfellow cause to chase. The Oldham 'keeper waited before making his run to claim the ball, but Day managed to beat the former Bristol City man to the ball. With things not looking pretty or decisive, Jackett got on the phone to his assistant Kevin Nugent in the 18th minute to relay instructions, but whatever the Swansea boss said it did not have the desired effect. His team continued to struggle to keep hold of the ball and the midfield sat back, with the defence giving the visitors plenty of opportunities, which they rarely took, to come and attack Gueret's goal. Bean forced Day's first save of the match on 26 minutes when he latched on to a clever pass from Trundle. Roberto Martinez came within inches of giving Swansea the lead 10 minutes before the interval when Mark Hughes bundled Goodfellow over on the edge of the area. Martinez, Ricketts and Goodfellow all stood over the ball before ex-Bristol City player Goodfellow teed it up for his skipper and Martinez's shot shaved the upright. Referee Phil Joslin handed out his first caution on the stroke of half-time when he booked Oldham left-back Rob Scott for a foul on Britton. Half-time: Swansea 0 Oldham 0 Jackett made his first change of the match at the start of the second half - bringing on Adrian Forbes for the unimpressive Goodfellow. With the introduction of Forbes, Jackett changed the formation to 4-3-3, with the former Norwich City man joining Akinfenwa and Trundle in attack. The change in formation did not have the desired effect, though, as the Swansea boss was back on the phone to the bench. The three-man midfield were getting hustled off the ball by the Oldham four as the Latics pushed Swansea all the way. But it was still Swansea who had the first chance of the second period. A good ball from Bean picked out Trundle on the left and, after cutting inside, the League One player of the month for September fired his shot wide. Iriekpen then came close to breaking the deadlock on the hour. A long free-kick from Martinez found the former England youth international lurking on Day's back post, but his header went across the face of the goal and behind. The Latics picked up their second booking of the game, when 41-year-old David Eyres caught Forbes with a knee in the back as the pair went up for a header. Oldham had their best chance of the game on 64 minutes as Richie Wellens drilled in a shot from 20-yards but the alert Iriekpen managed to block his effort. Britton made a good break down the left three minutes later before cutting the ball back for Tate. The former Manchester United trainee sent over a deep cross which picked out Trundle, but his effort went behind. With 4-3-3 not working Jackett got the message across to revert back to the traditional 4-4-2, before introducing Andy Robinson in place of Martinez. Moore made his first change of the game 12 minutes from time with Chris Porter replacing Beckett. Iriekpen then came close to handing Swansea all three points when he rose to get on the end of Britton's cross, but, with only seven minutes left on the clock, the Swansea central defender put his header over the crossbar. As the clock ticked away, Swansea headed for their first goalless draw since February 19 when they were held by Grimsby Town at Vetch Field 27 games ago.

15th October 2005 Izzy hammers home Swans improvement

Western Mail As a product of the esteemed West Ham academy, Swansea City defender Izzy Iriekpen literally comes from the same school of defending as England star Rio Ferdinand. An early footballing education at Upton Park encouraged Iriekpen to be comfortable with the ball at his feet just a few years after Ferdinand had been receiving similar tuition. Iriekpen would be the first to acknowledge his career did not take off quite like Ferdinand's, yet the West Ham upbringing they share is clearly evident in the way, for instance, both men are happy to usher the ball out of defence and find a team-mate with a 30-yard pass. Centre-back Iriekpen, however, admits he had to virtually sacrifice that facet of his game during his first two years in South Wales as the Swans battled to escape a bottom division in which kick-and-rush football tends to prevail over patient, possession football. Only now, with Kenny Jackett's ball-playing Swans having liberated themselves from the robust shackles of League Two, is Iriekpen starting to play the game as he, Ferdinand and countless other Hammers were taught to play it. 'I'd have given the manager a heart attack if I'd constantly tried to bring the ball out of defence in League Two,' smiles the 23-year-old Londoner, who should feature in Swansea's home clash with Oldham this afternoon. 'That was the way I was taught to play throughout my time at West Ham, that's how the Rio Ferdinand comparisons come about. 'But playing in League Two, I did have to scrap that out of my game to a certain extent. You can't really do it because it is a kick-and-rush kind of division. 'Teams play in their opponents' half and, if you linger on the ball too long, someone's snapping at your heels to take it off you. 'Having got out of that division, though, I'm finding I've got the freedom to spend a bit more time on the ball. 'As I'm the type of player who likes to play the ball, I'm definitely more suited to League One than League Two. 'You get more time to pick out a midfielder. With people like Roberto (Martinez) and Leon (Britton) coming to get the ball, it's a lot better for me. 'It's not just me who's better suited to this division. We've got a lot of players who relish the extra time and space you get.' Things are going well for Irikepen, who has sat out just one league match this term, and that was only down to the one-match ban he received for being red-carded in the stormy 3-1 defeat at Huddersfield. While he still has to win over some Swansea sceptics - his natural inclination to hang onto the ball rather than clear quickly out of defence proved unnerving for many during the bottom division days - Iriekpen is confident he can one day return to the top-flight surroundings he left behind when he swapped Upton Park for the Vetch Field in August 2003. 'I do feel I can play at the highest level,' said Iriekpen, who tried his luck with loan spells at Cambridge and Leyton Orient before Brian Flynn saw enough potential in him to offer him a long-term Swansea contract. 'I came from a Premiership club and trained with top-flight players for many years. I definitely feel I could do a job in the top flight. 'As I said, I feel I'm playing a more natural game in League One and I think the further I go up the league, the better I will become. 'I think the same applies to Swansea as a whole. This club has the potential to keep on climbing through the divisions and I'd love to think I could play in the Premiership here.' First things first, though, and the question of whether Swansea really can achieve a second successive promotion and bring Championship football to the New Stadium in 2006. So far, so good. The Swans head into today's match against Ronnie Moore's mid-table side third in the division having won eight of their opening 13 matches and lost just three. 'A lot of people didn't expect us to do this well,' said Iriekpen. 'One paper I read said we'd do well just to stay in the division. 'But we've already played a lot of the so-called top teams and there's really nothing to fear. 'It's important we don't get ahead of ourselves, but I think we've got players who could do a good job in the Championship, never mind League One. 'I always look back to the two FA Cup matches we played against Reading last season. 'In the away game there wasn't much difference between the two sides and it was 1-1 at the end. That would've been a good point if it was a league game! 'We would be able to cope (in the Championship), definitely.' For now, Swans fans will be content with another three home points. Especially in the wake of last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Yeovil - something of a shock to Swansea's system given it was their first defeat in nine league matches. 'Before Yeovil, things could not have gone much better for us,' Iriekpen said. 'Last week was disappointing when you consider both teams generally cancelled each other out and they scored from a set-piece. We didn't deserve to lose. 'But I'm confident we can bounce straight back. If we want to go up, we've got to win our home matches and I'm sure we'll have a great crowd behind us again.' Iriekpen's central defensive partner Garry Monk is doubtful after straining a muscle in training, with Kevin Austin standing by to slot in if he is ruled out. Sam Ricketts returns at left-back after Wales duty, while Adebayo Akinfenwa is back to bolster the attack after serving a one-match ban. Should Kevin McLeod miss out through injury again, Andy Robinson is expected to continue on the left of midfield, with Leon Britton probably being preferred to Adrian Forbes on the opposite flank.

15th October 2005 'Get back to top' demands Jackett

Western Mail SWANSEA CITY boss Kenny Jackett has warned his promotion-chasing side he does not want them dropping any further down the table. The Swans have been pushed down to third in League One in the wake of their 1-0 defeat at Yeovil last weekend - and Jackett wants to see them get back at the top. Jackett explained why it was important the Swans don't spend the season yo-yoing inside the top six as they prepare to face Oldham Athletic at the New Stadium this afternoon. "I know it's only October, but you always want to be as high as possible in the table and hopefully we can get back to the top of League One," he said. "Our aim this season is promotion, but if we're going up and down too much we won't be able to sustain anything like a promotion challenge. "You don't want to be dropping down. You need a team that can sustain a challenge right through the campaign." And Jackett has urged his players to show the same powers of recovery as they did on the way to promotion from League Two last term. "Whenever we suffered a defeat last season, we generally bounced back with a strong, solid, committed performance and that's what we need against Oldham." Meanwhile, Cardiff City's Joe Ledley admits he can't see anyone coming close to the status Ryan Giggs has in Welsh football. Teenager Ledley has been tipped to become the Manchester United superstar's eventual successor in the national team - little more than a year on from his Bluebirds' breakthrough. But speaking ahead of City's Championship visit to Brighton today, the 18-year-old who won his first senior cap in Poland last month said, "It's flattering to hear people saying I could one day replace Ryan for Wales. "But Ryan Giggs is a different player. By different, I mean different quality. He's shown that this week with two fantastic performances in the World Cup matches. "The way he's playing at the moment, it's difficult to see anyone coming close to him. "You look at him in training and he's just as good as he is out on the pitch. He's a great player."

14th October 2005 Preview: Swansea v Oldham

manchester football LATICS boss Ronnie Moore has warned his players to expect a tough time when they face Swansea's strike partnership. Lee Trundle and Adebayo Akinfenwa have proved a potent threat this season with the Welsh side racking up 16 goals at home. Moore believes his defence will have to be at their best to deal with them. "Akinfenwa came here last year and knocked Guy Branston all over the place," he told Oldham's website. "Not many people can get away with that. He's big and strong and he has a decent touch for a big man." Stefan Stam is still out but is set to return to training next week after his cartilage operation, while Chris Swailes is also scheduled to return. Paul Warne could return to the line-up as Moore reshuffles his front line in a bid to halt Oldham's recent slide. Swansea will have Akinfenwa back from suspension. However, winger Kevin McLeod is rated doubtful while Paul Connor and Owain Tudur-Jones are definitely out through injury. Last season: Different leagues Key opponent: Lee Trundle - one of the most dangerous strikers in League One Prediction: Swansea 2 Oldham 1

14th October 2005 THE BEST 100 SWANS OF ALL TIME

Evening Post A New book charting Swansea City's greatest servants has been released. Phil Sumbler, webmaster of Jackarmy.net, and fellow Swansea fan Keith Haynes have selected the best 100 players and managers who have served the club since its inception 1912. From John Toshack to Lee Trundle to the Holes, Charleses and Allchurches, there are biographies of each Swans star. There are statistics, too, on each club favourite, while the authors justify their choices at the end of the book.

14th October 2005 BANNED KENNY DIALS UP HOTLINE

Evening Post Kenny Jackett will set up a hotline to the bench tomorrow as Swansea City look to do a number on Oldham Athletic. Jackett serves a one-match touchline ban after being sent to the stands during the Carling Cup defeat at Reading back in August. The Swansea boss must watch on from The New Stadium directors' box, but there will be no need for any Mourinho-style hidden mikes and beanie hats. Jackett is allowed to communicate with No. 2 Kevin Nugent - provided, the rules state, there is no direct coaching - and can go into the dressing room before kick-off and at half-time. "I'll be on the phone to the bench making substitutions and things like that," he said. "But I'll have every confidence in Kevin Nugent and Colin Pascoe down there on the touchline. "Kevin is struggling a bit with his ankle after Yeovil, but I'm sure he'll be able to hobble around the technical area pointing and shouting instructions. "A lot of people have said to me that with Kevin, Colin and myself, one of us should go in the stands every week and get a different perspective. "I believe that in English football the manager needs to be on the touchline taking responsibility for his team. "I remember watching Frankie Burrows. He would throw his cap on the floor after a refereeing decision and I think you need that. "But it will be interesting to see if the picture's any different from the stands and also how the emotions are affected. "You can't really do much about things up there so you don't stand there screaming." So Jackett should offer a calming presence in the stands tomorrow, although he is not planning to sit with the family. "Definitely not," he smiled, "because my two kids will spend all afternoon telling me what to do. "The plan is to sit on the end of a row where nobody talks to me too much." Sam Ricketts goes straight back in at left-back this weekend after Wales duty while Bayo Akinfenwa returns in attack. Garry Monk, who limped out of training yesterday with a muscle strain, and Adrian Forbes look the likely fall guys as Swansea look to bounce back after losing for the first time in nine games at Yeovil last weekend. Mid-table Oldham, beaten in their last two matches, arrive with boss Ronnie Moore threatening to axe star striker Luke Beckett as the club struggle to find the target. "Mentally we were quite strong whenever we got beaten last season," Jackett added. "We usually came back with a good, strong, solid, committed performance and that's what we're looking for tomorrow."

14th October 2005 Duo set to boost Swans

EatSleepSport.com Swansea boss Kenny Jackett is set to be boosted by the return to action of Adebayo Akinfenwa and Sam Ricketts for the visit of Oldham. Ricketts missed the 1-0 defeat to Yeovil last week because he was on international duty with Wales in their 3-2 World Cup qualifying Group Six win against Northern Ireland in Belfast, while Akinfenwa was serving a one-match suspension. Their availability is a bonus for Jackett, who will serve a one-match ban from the sidelines, because he will be without injured trio Owain Tudur-Jones, Kevin McLeod and Paul Connor.

14th October 2005 THE BEST 100 SWANS OF ALL TIME

Evening Post A new book charting Swansea City's greatest servants has been released. Phil Sumbler, webmaster of Jackarmy.net, and fellow Swansea fan Keith Haynes have selected the best 100 players and managers who have served the club since its inception 1912. From John Toshack to Lee Trundle to the Holes, Charleses and Allchurches, there are biographies of each Swans star. There are statistics, too, on each club favourite, while the authors justify their choices at the end of the book.

14th October 2005 BOOKIES STILL BACKING SWANS

Evening Post Was last week's reverse at Yeovil Town just a blip? Bookies clearly believe so. Swansea City may have lost and performed poorly at Huish Park last week, but they have still enjoyed an excellent start to the season and online firms Canbet and Betdirect install the home side as clear 3-4 favourites to win tomorrow's clash with Oldham. Ladbrokes offer the best price on the draw at 5-2 while Sportingodds chalk up 15-4 about an away victory. The back of the net has been hit 23 times in Swansea's home matches this season and on 21 occasions in Oldham's away games. All this suggests that Stan James's 8-11 about there being more than two goals should be looked at with some considerable confidence. A two-nil (6/1 with VCbet ) success for Kenny Jackett and his team would surely be considered a satisfactory afternoon's work, as would a 3-1 victory. Betdirect quote this outcome at 12-1. In the half-time, full-time markets, Totalbet have an appealing 7-2 chalked about the home side winning following an inconclusive first period, while Centrebet quote an outstanding 8-5 on Swansea leading at the end of both halves. Stan James, meanwhile offer surely one of the best bets of the weekend, making 2-1 available on Swansea taking the three points conceding a one-goal handicap to the Latics. The prolific Lee Trundle has one of the best strike rates in the country and has only drawn a blank three times so far this season. He is heavily tipped to improve on his impressive goal tally tomorrow. Bet365 make him clear 4-1 favourite to score the first or last goal of the game, and 11-10 to score at any time. That could be a bargain.

14th October 2005 Jackett shows no fear

TeamTalk.com Swansea boss Kenny Jackett insists his side should not fear any of their rivals in League One. The Swans have wasted no time in acclimatising following their promotion and Jackett sees no reason why their winning momentum cannot continue. He said: "The players have already shown what can be achieved through hard work and there's no reason why they cannot continue achieving things. "There's nothing to be afraid of in this league and I think the players have proved that already."

14th October 2005 Hats off to Jackett as he stays in touch

Western Mail WHAT have Jose Mourinho, Kenny Jackett and dodgy woolly hats got in common? The answer lies in the touchline ban Chelsea boss Mourhino served for criticising a referee last season and the one Swansea manager Jackett serves tomorrow for arguing with a fourth official earlier in this campaign. And the woolly hat? Rumour has it the reason Chelsea's fitness coach Rui Faria was wearing one during both Champions League matches against Bayern Munich was to disguise an earpiece through which he was receiving instructions from Mourinho. The charismatic Blues boss, rumoured to have been holed up in the team hotel for the away leg and in a Stamford Bridge hospitality suite for the home tie, had been ordered to stay away from the touchline for criticising the behaviour of referee Anders Frisk in the previous round. Jackett becomes just another face in the New Stadium crowd for tomorrow's League One visit of Oldham as punishment for remonstrating with the fourth official during Swansea's Carling Cup defeat at Reading back in August. The difference between the two, though, is while Mourinho was officially barred from making any contact with his backroom staff during the European games, Jackett is permitted to contact his coaching team to bark as many instructions as he likes. So if someone on the Swansea bench is spotted unusually wearing a woolly hat, you can be sure in this case that there is nothing untoward going on. "Mourinho was banned from getting in touch with the bench, but there's nothing in my letter from the FAW that says I can't contact mine," said Jackett. "So I'll have my mobile phone with me in the stand so I can get in touch with my assistant Kevin Nugent during the match. "I'm going to have to pick my seat carefully. I don't want to sit next to my two kids as they'll be telling me what to do. They'll be saying 'Phone down' and everything. "I want to sit on the end of a row so that I can quickly get done to the dressing room at half-time. Somewhere where no-one's going to talk to me too much!" Jackett plans to turn his touchline exile to his advantage, although he admits he will struggle to do a Sven-Goran Eriksson and watch the game with a cool, dispassionate demeanour. "I'm not like Sven, sitting there all calmly," he said. "Personally I think the manager generally needs to be out in the technical area taking responsibility for his team. "Some managers start off in the stand, of course, and come down to the dug-out for the second half. "I always remember Frankie Burrows coming down and throwing his cap on the floor when he disagreed with a referee's decision. It was a bit of theatre. "I don't know if I'd do something like that, but people have suggested to me for a while that I should go and see a game from a different angle. "So, in that respect, I'm quite looking forward to watching this match in the stand. "I might just see things differently. It'll be good to see if the picture is clearer from up high and I might learn a few things I didn't already know. "You can't stand there screaming and shouting, so perhaps you look at things in a more objective manner." Jackett is confident Nugent will be able to "hobble about" the technical area despite sustaining an ankle injury during last week's 1-0 defeat at Yeovil that left him on crutches. But winger Kevin McLeod and defender Garry Monk, who strained a muscle in training yesterday, are struggling to be fit for Oldham's visit. Jackett revealed that Wales defender Sam Ricketts would go straight back in at left-back as the Swans look to reclaim the League One leadership after falling to third behind Southend and Huddersfield. "Sam is my best left-back," declared Jackett. "He's strong defensively and going forward and, though I have other people who can play at left-back, I haven't got another like him.

13th October 2005 Edwards waiting on scan results

BBC Bristol Rovers' Christian Edwards should find out next week the cause behind a recent spate of dizzy spells. The defender, who has been rested, will have a scan on Friday and the club hope to get to the bottom of the problem. "We're not worrying about football, it's his health first and foremost," Rovers boss Paul Trollope told BBC Radio Bristol. "He first had a black out before he went on loan to Swansea and he suffered one again before the Darlington game."

13th October 2005 Swansea await Allchurch monument

BBC Swansea will honour one of its finest ever footballers on Saturday when a statue of Ivor Allchurch MBE will be unveiled officially at New Stadium. Swansea City's Supporters Trust has helped raise funds for a life-sized statue of Allchurch, which will stand in front of the ticket office. Allchurch, who died in 1997, won 68 caps for Wales from 1951 to 1966, scoring 23 goals. The statue will be unveiled at 1230 BST ahead of the match against Oldham. Trust chairman Ron Knuszka told the club's official website: "To me Ivor was simply the greatest. "Saturday is a very proud moment, not just for the Trust, but for everyone as fans of Swansea. "When I first realised that the generosity of the fans would take the idea past a bronze bust to a full life-sized statue, it was a realisation that Ivor really was the greatest player Swansea have ever had." Allchurch joined the Swans in May 1947, and during his two spells at the Vetch Field scored 164 league goals from 445 appearances. He also played for Newcastle United and Cardiff City, while brother Len also played for Swansea and Wales - forming a formidable half-back partnership with his older sibling.

13th October 2005 SWANS DELAY TRIO'S RETURN

Evening Post Swansea City have scrapped plans to recall Kevin McLeod, Paul Connor and Owain Tudur Jones when Oldham visit The New Stadium on Saturday. Instead the trio have been pencilled in for the trip to Rotherham in nine days' time. McLeod has been sidelined for a fortnight with a calf problem, while Connor and Tudur Jones have both been nursing longer-term ankle ligament injuries. Boss Kenny Jackett had indicated early in the week that all three could feature come the weekend. But physio Richie Evans said: "We're just going to hold them back a little bit longer so they are exactly right when they do return. "I did a training session with them yesterday and all three are nearly there. "But we're not going to take any risks. "If you take Kevin's injury, for example, we could end up losing him for a long, long time if he comes back too soon and it goes again." Fringe midfielder Gary Fisken is the latest player on Swansea's injured list. He faces a three-week lay-off after picking up a groin strain in training. And player-assistant manager Kevin Nugent has been told to expect between four and six weeks out after damaging ankle ligaments at Yeovil last weekend.

12th October 2005 PULIS - I WILL NOT LET TALK AFFECT FOCUS

Plymouth Evening Herald Plymouth Argyle manager Tony Pulis has vowed he will not be distracted by speculation over possible transfer targets. Pulis (pictured right) was yesterday linked with a move for Swansea City's 10-goal top scorer Lee Trundle. It was claimed the Pilgrims' boss was ready to offer £200,000 plus striker Nick Chadwick for 29-year-old Trundle. Pulis saw Swansea beaten 1-0 by Yeovil Town at Huish Park on Saturday but he denied he had made any approach for the striker. He told Herald Sport: "I think it's a case of somebody putting two and two together. "You are going to get that with a new manager coming in. There will be stories all over the place and you have just got to get on with it, which I will do." Pulis has made no secret of the fact he wants to strengthen his squad before the visit of Paul Sturrock's Sheffield Wednesday to Home Park on Saturday. But, so far, he has been frustrated in his attempts to recruit new players. "We are touching base with lots of things but there is nothing going on at the moment," said the former Stoke City boss. Trundle was named as the Powerade League One player-of-the-month for September earlier this week. His goalscoring exploits have been behind Swansea's rise to second position in the table. Pulis added: "I get on very well with (Swansea manager) Kenny Jackett and if I was going to try to do any business with Lee Trundle the first person I would ring is Kenny. That phone call hasn't been made. "It would be the same the other way around. If Kenny was interested in any of my players I would expect him to ring me first." Pulis was at Ninian Park yesterday afternoon as Argyle reserves lost 2-0 to Cardiff City in their first group game of the Pontin's Holidays Combination Cup. The Pilgrims' line-up included trialist Arthur Gnohere, the former Burnley and Queens Park Rangers defender. The 26-year-old centre-back, who was born in the Ivory Coast, was released by QPR at the end of last season. Meanwhile, Tony Capaldi has returned to training with Argyle after his international duty with Northern Ireland was cut short by a one-match ban. The 24-year-old was booked in the 3-2 defeat by Wales at Windsor Park, Belfast, on Saturday. It means he is suspended for Northern Ireland's final World Cup qualifier, away to Austria in Vienna tonight. The left-sided midfielder was back at Home Park yesterday after his trip across the Irish Sea. Those Argyle players not on reserve team duty against Cardiff had three training sessions yesterday, the first starting at 9am. Pulis took the first session before setting off for Cardiff and leaving coaches David Kemp and Mark O'Connor in charge for the other two. Midfielder Akos Buzsaky was still absent, however, because of his international commitments with Hungary. Buzsaky, 23, made his first start for Hungary in a 2-0 defeat away to Bulgaria in Sofia on Saturday. Hungary are at home to Croatia in Budapest tonight as they end their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign.

12th October 2005 PRITCHARD STRIKE BOOSTS YOUNG WALES

Evening Post Swansea City striker Mark Pritchard came on as a second-half substitute to finally turn this Uefa Under-21 Championship qualifier Wales's way at Newport. A Pritchard header put Brian Flynn's side ahead in the 64th minute and the victory was wrapped up by further strikes from Adam Birchall and Peter Gilbert. It gave Wales their third win in the group and rounded off their qualifying group in style. Cardiff youngster Curtis McDonald won his first Under-21 cap while Swansea's Shaun MacDonald was on the bench for the first time. Liverpool's Ramon Calliste was used as a lone striker and he could have had a hat-trick by half-time. Calliste should have scored on 36 minutes when his clever control left Maharramov floundering and the Cardiff-born striker raced away on his own, but goalkeeper Ruslan Majidov saved bravely at his feet. A minute later Davies's through-ball again offered Calliste a chance, but again Majidov hurled himself at the Welshman's feet to avert the danger. Wales finished the half on top territorially, and Calliste continued to cause the Azeri defence problems with his movement and control, but Wales were unable to break down a massed defence. The turning point came when Wales then sent on an extra striker in Pritchard after 59 minutes, and it worked a treat with a goal from the 19-year-old just five minutes later. Calliste and Gilbert swapped passes down the left and the Leicester full-back sent in a telling cross which Pritchard arrived unmarked six yards out to power a header past the helpless Majidov. Arron Davies then somehow managed to scoop a shot wide from six yards, although he made amends after 68 minutes by setting up Wales' second. Davies's fierce low shot from the left was palmed out by Majidov, right to the feet of Birchall who coolly slammed the ball home. But Birchall saw another effort turned around a post by Majidov and Pritchard sent a fierce drive wide of the far post. Shaun MacDonald came on for his debut with 11 minutes left in place of Pulis and almost scored with his first touch - a dipping drive over the angle. But the third goal for Wales arrived after 86 minutes when Calliste's clever play on the byline ended with a rolled pass which Gilbert side-footed home on his 12th and last appearance for the under-21s.

12th October 2005 Pritchard on the goal trail

Evening Post Swansea City striker Mark Pritchard was amongst the goals as Wales Under-21s rounded off their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 3-0 win over Azerbaijan. Pritchard, 19, who has only made one appearance for the Swans, came on as a 59th-minute substitute before opening the scoring five minutes later with a header. Fellow City striker Shaun MacDonald made his debut, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute, while goalkeeper Kyle Letheren was an unused substitute.

12th October 2005 CONFIDENT? NO WORRIES

Evening Post Kenny Jackett has told his Swansea City players they have nothing to fear in League One. But the Swansea boss admits too many more performances like last Saturday's sorry defeat at Yeovil will shatter any hopes of a second successive promotion. Instead Jackett is demanding a return to the form which carried his side through an eight-game unbeaten run prior to their Huish Park humbling. "I don't think there's anything we should worry about in this division," Jackett declared. "We recognise that things are there for us to achieve. "But we've got to get ourselves right to win games if we want to be successful. "We have to grasp the nettle." Jackett has rallied his players after a first reverse since August saw them surrender pole position in League One. The chance to get back on track comes when mid-table Oldham Athletic arrive at The New Stadium this weekend. "You always want to be as high as possible in your league," Jackett added, "but I'm not too concerned about dropping off the top. "I'm much more bothered about getting my team right and getting the equation right because if I do that, things will come good again. "You can be a long way off the lead then come right back into it if the balance, the attitude and the ability is right. "We'd like to be top all the time, but it's no bad thing to be third." Swansea pair Kyle Letheren and Shaun MacDonald have been named in Brian Flynn's Wales squad for a Uefa Under-19 tournament in France later this month, while Chad Bond is on standby. As well as their hosts, Flynn's side will take on Austria and San Marino.

12th October 2005 NEW FIRM IN FRAME TO GIVE NAME FOR STADIUM

Evening Post Another company claims it is in the marathon race to sponsor Swansea's new £27 million stadium. Mobile phone company Communications Direct says it has put in a big cash offer, bigger than anyone else. It says it is in advanced talks to become the headline sponsor for the ground. The firm is the latest to be linked to the continuing saga of finding a name for the ground. Last week Swansea-based property developer Liberty was being touted as the hot favourite to put pen to paper on a deal in a matter of weeks. It has followed around two years of uncertainty about who would come forward to sponsor the stadium and give it a name. Now Communications Direct, the Cardiff-based firm which opened a Swansea branch in Princess Way in May this year, has claimed to be in the running. Swansea-born Marc Winchester, joint managing director, said: "We were approached some weeks ago on behalf of the board of the soccer and rugby stadium. "As an organisation whose priority is to put a substantial amount back into a community that serves us so well, we have been delighted to put together an extremely attractive financial offer with a view to becoming the stadium's sponsor. "We believe our offer is considerably higher than anything else on the table, although we will respect any decision the stadium board arrives at, in respect of any other sponsorship proposals that it may currently be discussing." A spokesman for StadCo, the stadium management company, confirmed that Communications Direct was one of the companies currently in negotiations. Air Wales has also confirmed an interest with other outfits such as FRF Motors thought to be in contention.

12th October 2005 RICKETTS OUT FOR THE FINALE

Evening Post Sam Ricketts will start on the bench in Cardiff tonight as John Toshack shuffles his pack for Wales's farewell game in World Cup 2006. The Swansea City defender misses out for the first time since Toshack took over with Sunderland's Danny Collins poised to begin at left-back. It is understood that with qualifying hopes long since dashed, the Welsh manager wants to try an alternative option and that Ricketts is not being omitted because of any perceived loss of form. West Brom striker Robert Earnshaw is another who will begin among the substitutes as Crewe's David Vaughan is given his chance in a new-look 4-2-3-1 formation. Former Swan Richard Duffy starts at right-back in the absence of the suspended Mark Delaney, while Welsh player of the year Danny Gabbidon returns having sat out Saturday's 3-2 win in Northern Ireland to replace David Partridge, another who serves a one-match ban. James Collins is expected to be fit to partner his West Ham colleague in central defence despite dislocating his shoulder at Windsor Park. But Ipswich goalkeeper Lewis Price looks like having to wait a little longer for his debut with veteran Paul Jones set to continue in goal. The two Carls, Robinson and Fletcher, anchor midfield with Vaughan joining Simon Davies and Ryan Giggs behind lone striker John Hartson. The Swansea-born Celtic powerhouse joins an illustrious group who have won 50 Wales caps tonight. ''There's been a long line of John's type of player,'' said Toshack. ''Not all of us have reached the level of the greatest one of all, John Charles, but you go through and look at the likes of Ron Davies, Wyn Davies, Mark Hughes, Ian Rush, Dean Saunders, Mel Charles, Trevor Ford and now John Hartson. ''For him to reach 50 caps is a fine achievement and we're all pleased for him. We hope he can celebrate with a goal or two tonight.'' Skipper Giggs echoed his manager, saying: ''John will be hoping to score tonight, but it doesn't matter if he doesn't. ''He brings a whole lot more than just goals, with his presence, his power and his touch giving defenders huge headaches. ''His contribution to the Welsh cause has been massive and with his experience he is doing a lot to help bring the younger lads through now. ''He's the sort of player you would always want on your side rather than playing against you.'' The Millennium Stadium is expected to be around half full this evening as Wales look to build on their Belfast success with a first home competitive victory since March 2003. The opponents then were Azerbaijan, who Mark Hughes's team dispatched 4-0 en route to their Euro 2004 near-miss. Wales (probable): Jones; Duffy, J. Collins, Gabbidon, D. Collins, Robinson, Fletcher, Davies, Vaughan, Giggs, Hartson.

11th October 2005 JACKETT IS READY TO CALL POWER RANGERS

Evening Post Bayo Akinfenwa leads the reinforcements into Saturday's clash with Oldham Athletic after Swansea City lost out in the power game at Yeovil. Akinfenwa definitely returns after suspension while Paul Connor, Kevin McLeod and Owain Tudur Jones may figure in a side bullied to a first defeat in nine matches at Huish Park last weekend. ''We were definitely outmuscled at times on Saturday,'' boss Kenny Jackett admitted, ''and that's something we need to address before we play Oldham. ''When we've done well this season it's been because our balance has been right. ''We've had the right mix of power, pace and ball-playing ability, but at Yeovil the balance was wrong. ''Without the likes of Akinfenwa, Connor, McLeod and Tudur Jones we didn't have a lot of power in the side. ''We had a lot of ball players and we probably needed to go a bit shorter to try to play through Yeovil a bit more. ''We needed to link play more, but we failed to do that and as a result our attacking play was poor. ''We can do a lot better than that going forward.''' With Yeovil centre-back pair Efe Sodje and Terry Skiverton dominant, Swansea drew a blank in front of goal for the first time since a 2-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers back in April. Jackett's confession that his side were overpowered is telling - such talk has not been heard since the early days of his reign. At 17st, Akinfenwa should provide some of the physical presence lacking in Somerset when Oldham arrive at The New Stadium. ''Being without Bayo and Paul Connor gave us a problem,'' Jackett added. ''Paul missed training yesterday through illness, but his ankle is getting better and he has a chance for the weekend. ''I'm hopeful, too, over Kevin and Owain.'' Tudur Jones could feature despite withdrawing from the Wales Under-21 squad to face Azerbaijan tonight with a recurrence of his ankle problem. Teenage clubmate Shaun MacDonald was yesterday summoned by Brian Flynn as a replacement. While a number of selection posers could await for Swansea at the weekend, assistant boss Kevin Nugent will definitely remain on the bench throughout after his Yeovil cameo. ''Kevin's ankle is massive and he'll be out for a few weeks,'' Jackett said. Swansea training was taken yesterday by Nigel Gibbs, Jackett's former Watford colleague. ''He watches our next opponents for me and he saw Oldham on Sunday,'' Jackett added. ''He's come down for a couple of days to tell us all about them, so hopefully we'll get it right.''

11th October 2005 Swans midfielder ruled out

TeamTalk.com Swansea midfielder Owain Tudur-Jones has been ruled out of Wales' Under-21 Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan on Tuesday night. The 20-year-old, who joined the Swans from Welsh Premier outfit Bangor during the summer for £5,000, has suffered a recurrence of an ankle injury. The 6ft 3in starlet has impressed greatly for Swansea this season and has also established himself as a regular in Brian Flynn's Under-21 side.

11th October 2005 Plymouth join chase for Swansea hotshot

FansFC.com Plymouth Argyle are the latest club to be linked with a move for striker Lee Trundle The 29-year-old forward has been a prolific scorer since joining Swansea in July 2003 and has already notched 10 goals this season to help Kenny Jackett's side to second place in League One. Reports this morning suggest that new Plymouth boss Tony Pulis is ready to offer £200,000 plus Nick Chadwick in an attempt to land Trundle who has also been linked with a move to Sheffield Wednesday in recent weeks.

11th October 2005 Jenkins hails ricketts

Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins has hailed defender Sam Ricketts for his rapid development from non-league hopeful to fully-fledged international. The 23-year-old was an out of work non-league player less than 18 months ago when Telford went bust but has made a staggering rise after becoming a Wales regular. Swansea gave him a short-term contact, Wales boss John Toshack saw the potential, and Ricketts is now an established part of the Welsh defence. He helped his country to a 3-2 victory against Northern Ireland in Belfast and Jenkins is delighted. He said: "Sam has been absolutely superb for us and the progress he has made is a credit to himself, Swansea City and the Wales national side."

10th October 2005 JOHNSON REVELS IN HIS NEW CHALLENGE

Western Daily Press Yeovil Town 1 Swansea City 0 FOR once Gary Johnson was not the centre of attention at Huish Park on Saturday - and two people in particular are enjoying the chance to step out of his shadow. The new Bristol City manager was an unobtrusive presence in the main stand as Steve Thompson, his former assistant, led Yeovil Town to a win over League One pace-setters Swansea City in his first game since being promoted from caretaker-boss. And he could watch with fatherly pride rather than a manager's critical eye as his son, midfielder Lee Johnson, sent over the corner from which Terry Skiverton headed the winning goal. The difficulties of combining a father-son and manager-player relationship were something neither has been keen to discuss over the last four years. But Johnson Jr admits he is now revelling in what he describes as 'a new challeng e'. "I love it, it's beautiful," he said. "He was a goodmanager, don't get me wrong, but he was my dad as well and it was nice for him to watch as a dad. "Hopefully he will give me a few tips about the game. And now we can sit at the dinner table on Sundays without rowing over the spuds!" There will also be no more suspicion from the more cynical element of Yeovil's support. "It takes that slight bit of pressure off," said the 24-year-old. "Sometimes you don't realise it's there but when he's gone you realise it was there. "Under your dad you have always got to prove you are worthy of your place, whereas now I've still got to prove I'm worthy of my place but no one can say it's because my dad is the manager. "I got used to that and I was strong enough to come through it over the years. But I'm enjoying it now. I've played under him for four years and I'm up for a new challenge." Earlier this season it appeared that new challenge would come with a move to Swansea, but manager Kenny Jackett's indecisiveness scuppered any prospect of a transfer for the playmaker. He may have been regretting that on Saturday as the division's top scorers became increasingly frustrated at their failure to create chances. Key to Yeovil's victory - and the first clean sheet against the Swans this season - was the shackling of Lee Trundle, who had previously scored 10 goals in 10 games. Centre-back Skiverton can claim the bulk of the praise with a performance Thompson rightly described as magnificent. But among the Yeovil players there was also a healthy dose of realism about Trundle's talent. "Let's get it in perspective, he's a good player but he's not Maradona," said Johnson. "Sometimes I think people's reputations can go ahead of them. He's a very good player and one that most teams in this league would like to have in their squad, but we've got good players and we dealt with him well, as we did all their threats." Twenty-three minutes into the second half, Yeovil goalkeeper Chris Weale did well to parry Marc Goodfellow's shot but presented Trundle with his first and last sight of goal - unfortunately for Swansea their star striker trod on the ball. By then they were behind thanks to Skiverton's 39th-minute goal. Johnson swung over a left-wing corner and the captain headed between goalkeeper Willy Gueret and left-winger Andy Robinson on the line. ROBINSON was substituted at half-time and took most of Swansea's creativity with him. As the visitors' frustration grew in the second half so did their card count. Four players earned a mention in referee Dermot Gallagher's book, including Leon Britton for a foul on Liam Fontaine that left the Yeovil left-back with damaged ankle ligaments. "I didn't feel that we were under threat," said Johnson after a win that took the Glovers into the top half of the table for the first time. "I thought in the last 10 minutes we were brilliant. It was a little bit scrappy but we kept them in their half pretty much the whole time. It felt pretty comfortable. "We were talking about the direction of the club and us as individuals - and we're going in the right direction. "We've tried to improve on our early-season form and we have done - (Thompson) has been a major part of that. "Long may it continue and hopefully Steve will be as successful as my dad was." Yeovil Town (4-4-2): Weale; Amankwaah, Skiverton, Sodje, Fontaine (Miles 57); Terry (Jones 45), Johnson, Way, Jevons; Bastianini, Harrold (Gall 73). Subs not used: Lockwood, Collis. Swansea City (4-4-2): Gueret; Tate, Iriekpen, Monk, Austin; Britton, Bean, Martinez, Robinson (Goodfellow 45); Forbes (Nugent 45, Anderson 85), Trundle. Subs not used: Murphy, O'Leary.

10th October 2005 LIKE I'M BACK AT UNITED

by GARETH VINCENT Alan Tate has warned his Swansea City team-mates they must get used to being League One's answer to Manchester United. Yeovil Town's delighted players performed a lap of honour after ending Swansea's eight-match unbeaten run at Huish Park on Saturday. And Tate admits Swansea must learn to cope with being top dogs if their flying start to the campaign is to develop into a sustained promotion push. "We all noticed the Yeovil celebrations," the former Old Trafford youngster said. "It's the same wherever we go now. We have done really well so far this season and it's as if in this league we're everyone's Manchester United. "Teams are raising their game against us more than they would against most other sides and that's something we're going to have deal with. "We're going to go to tight grounds like Yeovil where the fans are right up for it and it's like a cup final for the side we're up against. "But we would much rather be in this situation than the other way round and, even though it's new for a lot of us, I'm confident we've got what is needed to cope." Skipper Roberto Martinez echoed Tate after Terry Skiverton's first-half header had settled a scrappy contest. "Teams are going to try to stop us playing first of all because we're on top," the Spanish midfielder said. "You could see from their reaction at the end what it meant. It was as if they had won the championship and that's something we'll have to learn from." Beaten in the league for the first time since August 20, Kenny Jackett's men have the chance to get back on track when Oldham Athletic visit next weekend. Bayo Akinfenwa, sorely missed on Saturday, will make a welcome return after suspension while Sam Ricketts and Owain Tudur Jones should be available after international duty. "There are always going to be ups and downs through the season - anyone who thinks there won't is daft - and this won't be the start of a bad run," Tate insisted. "We've been beaten, but we'll forget it now. We'll pick ourselves up and move on." There was some good news for Swansea this weekend - striker Lee Trundle collected the League One player of the month award for September. No such joy for assistant boss Kevin Nugent, whose Huish Park cameo - his first appearance of the season - left him on crutches thanks to an ankle injury. Swansea's official travel club are running buses to Cardiff for Wales's World Cup qualifying tie with Azerbaijan on Wednesday. For tickets, priced £6, call Ugo Vallario on 07876133428.

10th October 2005 SHRIMPERS ON TOP

Southend United have leapfrogged Swansea City at the top of League One following yesterday's defeat of Nottingham Forest. The in-form Roots Hall club registered their eighth successive victory courtesy of Freddy Eastwood's 81st minute strike. Brentford have moved into third after Scott Fitzgerald's goal earned them a 1-0 win at Oldham Athletic. Chris Cornes, on loan from Wolves, scored his fourth goal in three games as Port Vale secured a 2-1 win at bottom club Swindon. The home side, with just two wins in nine outings, took the lead after 24 minutes when Rory Fallon fired home. However, Port Vale pulled a goal back a minute before half-time with Mickey Bell driving home a free-kick from 25 yards. And Cornes, who netted twice in the 2-2 draw with Oldham and once in the 3-2 win over Walsall last time out, scored the winner after 53 minutes. Second-from-bottom Milton Keynes Dons fared better than their fellow strugglers, drawing 1-1 with Walsall at the Bescot Stadium. Gareth Edds' 72nd-minute effort gave the visitors the lead, but the Dons were denied a third straight win by Julian Bennett's injury-time header.

10th October 2005 SWANS IN ANTI-RACISM FIGHT

Swansea City players were today showing the red card to racism with Wales soccer manager John Toshack and rugby coach Mike Ruddock. The sporting favourites were in Cardiff at the launch of a campaign video against racism in sport. Another notable soccer hero, John Hartson, the Celtic star who hails from Swansea, is also featured in the new video to promote the anti-racism message. Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Alan Pugh said: "Racism has no place in sport and society and I applaud the work that Show Racism the Red Card is carrying out."

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