Tomorrow afternoon, Swansea City take on Reading for a place in the Premier League and I'll be cheering the Jacks on with friends from the stands!
I've never been to Wembley before (old or new) so as a die-hard football fan, this is a big deal! I've been to a play-off final involving Swansea City in the Millennium Stadium in 2006 (don't mention that name Akinfenwa to me) and watched the Swans down at the Liberty Stadium earlier this season when they defeated Sven Goran Eriksson's Leicester 2-0. But this will be my first walk down Wembley Way!I'll be there along with a sell-out allocation of 40,000 Swansea City fans including John Hartson who has said in Friday's Western Mail that he has turned down media opportunities so that he can cheer on his boyhood team from the stands with fellow supporters. Good boy John!
As well as the 40,000 Jacks, there will no doubt be the same number of Royals as Wembley prepares for a sell-out crowd just 2 days after it hosted the Manchester United Vs Barcelona Champions League Final. As it happens, Swansea are using the same Arsenal training facilities in warming-up for the big match as Barcelona did - hopefully that'll stand as a good omen after Barcelona's annihilation of Manchester United last night!
Swansea have not been in the top flight since the days of John Toshack in 1983 and were the last Welsh team to reach that pinnacle (Cardiff were last in the top flight back in 1962). A Swansea win will therefore put a Welsh team in the Premier League for the first time in its 19 year history.
So this is a huge match not just for Swansea but for Welsh football. I'm hoping that all real Welsh football fans will support the Jacks on Monday because it will be a huge boost to Welsh football if we can get a team into the Premiership for the first time in a generation. I doubt that all Cardiff City fans will do so which is a great shame but I'm sure many will see the bigger picture and will offer their grudging support!
SO C'MON SWANSEA CITY! DO IT FOR WALES!
Personally I'd love to see them come up, as it means a short trip to see Newcastle! My ex-boss though is a staunch Bluebird and he doesn't want to see Swansea up, and I imagine a lot of Cardiff fans would feel the same. I think that the rivalry between the two is too intense for them to give their support!
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