Twenty one years of fantastic Swansea goals
Friday, 20th Mar 2026 08:00 by Rhys Clayton

Are you not entertained? It's been a mixed season for the Swans, with the club at times within touching distance of the play-offs and also finding themselves in the bottom three. But during that flux the fans have been treated to some truly fantastic goals.

So, in honour of Liam Cullen's stunning long range effort recently, we review some of the best goals the Liberty/Swans.com has seen, and reveal this writer's favourite. There's definitely a touch of recency bias along with personal preference, so feel free to comment on any goals we missed, and vote for your favourite in the fan poll. In alphabetical goal scorer order:

⚽️ Bersant Celina v Manchester City, 16/03/2019

We are just over the seventh anniversary of one of the most captivating goals ever scored by a Swansea team. Elite sports teams at their best make the game look easy, even though it is anything but. Celina's goal against a quadruple chasing City was a pure team goal, even though only five players touched the ball, because every man knew his role. Nordfeldt, Byers, Celina, James, Dyer, Celina, goal. 12 touches and 12 seconds from the six-yard line to the top-left of Ederson's net. It was the peak of the Graham Potter reign, and one wonders what might have been if he had not moved on in the summer and we had kept that young and exciting team together. It was to that point the first time City had come from 2-0 down to win a game in any competition under Guardiola. Just to prove how long seven years in sport can be, Potter has subsequently managed three clubs and a national team, and on that same March day Wales beat Ireland to complete a Grand Slam!

⚽️ Liam Cullen v Stoke City, 07/03/2026

The beauty of this goal is how unexpected it was. Did anyone in the stadium see the keeper so far off his line apart from our boy? And Cullen is not a player you would think to try that. He can frustrate the fan base and gets a lot of fair and unfair criticism, but he is a player capable of skill and technique, a player who can stroke the ball around and caress it in to the goal. But ping it from 50 yards? The timeframe was marginal, and the shot had to be lofted but with zip, like a snooker player cueing low to screw the white ball back. Some have commented that the keeper could have done better but I think young Tommy Simkin flailing backwards with both arms up adds to the aesthetic.

⚽️ Dan James v Brentford, 17/02/2019

Real Madrid legend Raul once said of Messi, "He was running with the ball at a hundred per cent full speed... it's practically impossible." I am not going to compare Dan James to the Barcelona legend because that comparison belongs to the Kilgetty Messi. But it is the likes of this blistering solo run that made Ryan Giggs alert Manchester United to the talent of the rapid winger. The stakes were low against a fellow Championship side in the FA Cup, but it is a goal that has rarely been seen in 21 years of football in SA1. The majority of that time has seen controlled, passing football. So to see a skilful winger with true pace pick up the ball on the edge of his own D, take only four further touches before finishing with his fifth, was a thing of rare beauty.

⚽️ Darren Pratley v Nottingham Forest, 16/05/2011

If Dan James' goal was low stakes, then the Pratley goal to seal a play-off final was perhaps the most important home game the stadium has seen. I don't need to describe it because every Swans fan can picture it perfectly. What made it a great goal was the circumstances. Forest were throwing everything at us, Wembley final on the line, all 11 men up. Two touches to push the ball upfield, a big swing of the right boot to send the ball looping towards the empty goal. Sometimes a goal like Cullen's is beautiful because it doesn't bounce before hitting the net; sometimes a goal is beautiful because it does exactly the opposite and creeps in. The torso, the Brendan run, the pandemonium. It was limbs before limbs was a thing. Poetry.

⚽️ Wayne Routledge v West Brom, 30/08/2014

Ball trajectory can look very different on TV compared to in person. But Routledge's sideways volley against WBA seemed to float through the air when watching in the stands and on subsequent viewings on replay. I think that speaks to the unusual nature of the goal and how the defence and keeper were not expecting it. A chest high bouncing ball at the top of the area is normally a safe moment for a defending team, but thanks to Routledge's skill and vision, his right-foot volley curves left to sneak in the post, like a golfer "drawing" a ball round a dogleg. A moment of tranquility in the storm of a Premier League game.

⚽️ Jonjo Shelvey v Aston Villa, 26/04/2014

I'm sure I was not alone when I immediately thought back to Shelvey's wonder goal against Villa after Cullen's effort on Saturday. The opposing centre-back receives the ball from keeper Brad Guzan in an unwanted position, and scuffs it towards the centre-circle. The ball drops to Shelvey and everyone in the stadium knows it's on. But Shelvey actually executes with perfect technique and precision. The camera angle from behind is even better, as we see the ball arrow towards the centre of the goal before swerving into the right netting. As with Cullen, the margin for error is acute, and the strike is so sweet that Guzan doesn't even dive.

⚽️ Lee Trundle v Yeovil Town, 18/11/2005

An oldie but a forever fan favourite. The Swans recently broke their home-fan record against Preston, but all the way back in 2005 an impressive and record 19,288 fans piled in to the freshly unpacked Liberty Stadium for a Friday night game against the Glovers. The Town keeper receives an awkward back-pass, he gets decent distance on it considering the pressure he is under, but he didn't countenance Magic Daps. A cushioning chest down, one bounce, and a smooth swing of the left foot, and it loops in the air into the net from 40 yards out. Panache, flair, control, quick thinking, gorgeous.

⚽️ Josh Tymon v Oxford United, 06/12/2025

Normally Josh Tymon is the one setting up goals from dangerous crosses. This time, it is the left-back waiting on the edge of the area for a knock-down. Eom puts in a free-kick from the right side, the Oxford defender clears it to a safe distance, but a pure, exquisite first-time strike sends the ball arrowing in to the top right-hand corner. This was the first points and home win of the Matos era, with relegation fears all around it needed senior players to step up. Tymon's late first-half goal provided a two goal cushion and at same time scored a goal to be remembered in Swansea history. The fact the goal won the Championship Goal of the Month, beating Abdul Fatawu's goal for Leicester from 10 yards inside his own half, tells you everything you need to know.

And the winner? My personal preference is the Josh Tymon goal v Oxford. Why, because it is the goal that has the most 10/10 factors. 10/10 for vision, spontaneity, timing, execution, technique, margin for error, and control. But what is your favourite? Let us know below or on the forum, and of you haven’t registered as yet theres plenty of discreet info on the forum on the Swans biggest fans site. Topping forty thousand views a day, nobody can argue with that.