By Graham Thomas
You need to have shown admirable patience if you’re interested in Swansea City’s FA Cup progress this season.
The Swans do not begin their Cup campaign until late Sunday afternoon at 4.30pm – the penultimate fixture of the third round – when they visit Southampton.
There is one further game in a round that is now spread across an incredible five-day period. On Monday night – when memories will have started to fade from Cardiff City’s notable Thursday win at Sheffield United – Millwall and Dagenham & Redbridge will complete the knockout matches.
There won’t have been a replay in sight – they have all gone this year – but the third round will still have taken the best part of a week to complete.
Swansea’s trip to their Premier League opponents looked as though it was going to be all about Russell Martin when the draw was made a while ago.
1⃣ year of the gaffer
A year ago today, Luke Williams was appointed Swansea City head coach pic.twitter.com/M2hEuUgEpg
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) January 5, 2025
Martin was then still Saints boss – having left the Swans 18 months earlier – but time moves fast in football, especially when you’re rock bottom of the top flight.
Martin was sacked a couple of weeks ago and so now the only link between the two clubs will be former Swans players Ryan Manning and Flynn Downes, which isn’t really half as intriguing.
Martin was an iconoclast, but his insistence that Southampton played a certain radical way, with no deviation, eventually cost him his job.
He’s been replaced by Croatian Ivan Juric, who has not been able to alter the direction of the club’s season. He began with a defeat to West Ham, followed that with a loss at Crystal Palace, and last week was on the wrong end of a 5-0 home defeat to Brentford.
Swansea will have noted that last result with interest. No-one loses 5-0 at home to Brentford, a very capable team at home, but a side without an away win all season up to that point.
#FACup 3rd Rd tie facts!@SouthamptonFC vs @SwansOfficial KO 12/1 4.30pm on @BBCWales
Southampton won 3-2 in only other FA Cup game vs Swansea City three years ago!
It’s 6 yrs since Southampton last exited Cup in 3rd Rd!
Swansea City did that three times during that time! pic.twitter.com/zAZ08vxT6O
— FA Cup Factfile (@FACupFactfile) January 8, 2025
In short, Southampton look shot. Their fans have gone from anxiety, through anger, to hostility, to that worst of all states for any football club . . . indifference.
Most of the goals they conceded last week were watched in resigned, damning silence.
The form book, then, gives encouragement for Swans fans who hope a little FA Cup run might be enjoyable, as well as beneficial in regard to their league form in the Championship.
But history is less kind. The Swans have lost each of their last seven FA Cup matches against Premier League opponents, conceding at least three goals in six of those.
Their last such win was a 2-1 victory at Manchester United in January 2014 – exactly 11 years ago when a goal from Wilfried Bony enabled them to win at Old Trafford for the first time in their history.
The Swans travel to face the Saints on the back of a hectic schedule of four games in 10 days over Christmas and New Year.
BREAKING: Southampton sack Russell Martin after fans demand that he leaveshttps://t.co/3J7JTnlj5U
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 15, 2024
But despite seeing other ties impacted by managers opting to rest large numbers of players, head coach Luke Williams has suggested momentum is more valuable to his play-off-chasing squad, than time spent with their feet up.
“We are looking good, there are no new injury problems, we have a fit squad and we are looking forward to it,” he said.
“We have had time to recover from what was an incredible schedule, but we had some fascinating data from our last game which showed physically we had our highest output of the season.
“That shows what an incredible group of players we have, who dug very deep to get us a result in the last moment.
“So, we will be showing respect to the competition, that’s for sure. It is a change of pace and a chance for glory.
“That’s what the Cup is about, and I hope we can make something exciting for our fans. It’s a chance to spice things up and give different experiences, and we have that chance.” If you fancy Swansea City to go all the way this year – and actually win the thing – then bookmakers DragonBet make Swansea City 175-1 to lift the trophy, alongside Bristol City, Coventry and Hull.
Opponents Southampton are 80-1, the least-fancied team in the Premier League. The favourites are Manchester City at 4/1, followed by Liverpool at 5/1 and Chelsea at 13/2.
