There seems to far more interest in this fixture for Swans fans than originally anticipated for the big game away at the Valley today (3pm) We are informed although not confirmed that there is pay on the day in an away end that holds 3,000. The Swans took off sale their allocation on Friday morning. There’s no confirmed sales but it is at least 1,500 tickets sold, it could be 2,000. Time will tell.

The Anchor and Hope pub is a destination for many Jacks immediately before kick off although there are many doing their own thing on route as they arrive into London. There isn’t a resurgence of interest in the Swans though certain supporters will pick and choose their games away this season most certainly today at Charlton, then QPR and Millwall will have big away followings. Swansea followers from the city itself live in what is still being described as a high poverty area in certain locations. In 2024 32,500 children were reported as living in multiple depravation situations which really is lost on many people from outside the city. When you see such large supports travelling less than an hour from their home teams ground to compare them with the likes of Plymouth, Middlesbrough and Swansea does make us smile.

For a start, most of these people who comment on away followings are living at home in the protective surroundings of a family situation. Their comprehension of what the real world is like when you are standing on your own two feet is at best uninformed. As an example the travelling timeframe between Swansea and Charlton is three and a half to four hours by car, over a round trip that’s eight hours, and that’s without traffic issues. More like ten with breaks and unplanned traffic hazards. That’s the time the Swansea coaches will take. By train it is slightly shorter but tickets for this fixture will have set you back yesterday as much as £125. We’ve done this before on these pages, if there’s say a husband and wife / partners you can double that plus the admission costs, refreshments etc, you can double the expense. To see any Swans support at any away game that tops a thousand is remarkable. Seventy pounds admission for two people plus travel and your into a good £200 day out. And that’s by car or coach. The train gets even more crazy. Especially with add ons like the tube across to south London. And don’t get us talking about Coventry City away at Christmas. With booking fees one ticket is almost £48.

You have to respect every Swans fan who is at this game today.

Of course there is a decent following for the Swans in the capital and south east, games can see an extra four hundred added to the gate, and historically in bigger fixtures up to a thousand. Many today will be travelling from all points north and south of London, including Scotland and the formidable support from Holland and Belgium, which has always been a constant will be there. You don’t spend seven years in the Premier League without accumulating support throughout the world. And yes, we should celebrate this, there’s sometimes too much negativity surrounding football and we see it at Swansea. It’s a tough nut to crack at times.

Later we will have team news and we can report the views of head coach Alan Sheehan on this game before travelling yesterday afternoon. Actually there isnt any in the public domain … The club haven’t reported anything on the official website nor have they published any pre match information from the head coach. This isn’t what Swansea City fans want to see, they want at least some positive contact pre match not just a pretty extortionate headline selling ‘Death Row’ hoody’s and windbreakers between ninety and a hundred and ten pounds.

Yes, it’s a successful partnership with Snoop Dogg and the club, of course we are all delighted with that. But - are we seeing again a lack of attention to those loyal paying fans and indeed those who cannot travel to games ? It won’t be the first time this season at numerous levels.

More later, come on the Swans !

Read our pre match reports on this game below. There is some fascinating detail in them from the Indy.

⚽️ The pressure is on

⚽️ Big game special

We also ask you to think about then twenty year old Kyle Griffiths this afternoon. He died in Wandsworth on October 2nd 2019, the last time the Swans played at the Valley. He sadly passed on the tracks at Earlsfield station. Leaving the game early the much liked Kidwelly footballer loved watching the Swans with his mates from the town. Spare a moment today for Kyle and his family as again we send them and his friends our condolences, a proper JB, he is sadly missed.

Please travel safe today Jacks.

Photgraphs: Swansea City AFC & Open Source