The 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor marked 14 consecutive away games I have seen without a Swans victory.
Chester City away at the Deva Stadium in 1992 was my first away game as a Swans fan.
I remember it vividly as a nine year old. I attended with my father and uncle, and we lost the game 3-2. Would this become a common occurrence over the years?
Last Saturday, losing to Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor marked 14 consecutive away games that I’ve seen without a Swans victory. The last triumph was at Derby County in February 2010.
Inspired by the banter I’ve received about being a jinx, I decided to make a list of every away game I’ve attended to see how bad it really was.
So combined with a good memory, ticket stubs, programmes and photos on Flickr, I set about trawling the fixture lists.
It took an hour or two but I completed the task on excel.
I have watched 118 Swansea away games, and with the help of the auto sum function, the average result is 1-1 with an average crowd of 11111. The record stands as:
P W D L GF GA DIF
118 37 32 49 133 163 -30
The present run of 14 without a win is the worst spell I’ve experienced. Whilst the most productive run was 9 without losing in 2008/09.
Making the list brought back some memories, good and bad. So I thought I would highlight some notable games.
Best game
Cheltenham
16.08.2003
Division Three (League Two)
Cheltenham Town 3 – 4 Swansea City
A superb comeback hat-trick from Lee Trundle secured 3 points in this early season away game. I nearly didn’t get to see it either. I was on the verge of leaving for a pint with my friend Adam, when he persuaded me to stay for 5 more minutes. Best decision ever made.
Worst game
The Racecourse. (Photo by Matthew Wilkinson)
14.09.2002
Division Three (League Two)
Wrexham 4 – 0 Swansea City
More notable than the score line was the fact that this game underlined that we were a very poor side and would have an uphill battle to stay in the football league.
The only highlight of the day was the bus breaking down outside a pub in Hereford on the return journey.
Most crucial game
Rochdale 2003. Picture from @swanseakraken
26.04.2003
Division Three (League Two)
Rochdale 1 – 2 Swansea City
Undoubtedly the most important away win in our history. I still get goosebumps when I remember Marc Richards’ winner rolling over the line.
Without this victory, we would have been relegated.
Best Goal
Preston North End 2008
30.09.2008
The Championship
Preston North End 0 – 2 Swansea City
Ferrie Bodde’s strike from near the half way line is a sight that will stay with me for a long time. As soon as the Dutchman struck it, you could see it going in.
It was even voted goal of the season at the Player of the Year awards dinner.
118 away games and I still love watching the Swans on the road. There will be even more twists and turns in the future, but hopefully 20 years from now, I will have even more great memories of being a travelling jack.
To view photos from some of the away games visit my Flickr photostream.
Some pretty impressive stats there mate! I was also at the Wrexham and Rochdale games you mention – but remember both as pivotal moments in recent Swans history. Keep the faith, your poor run of away form has got to improve sometime. Here’s to 3 points at Portsmouth (and I’m not talking about your driving licence!)