By Gareth James Michael Obafemi believes Swansea City can build quickly on their first win of the season – starting with the chance of back-to-back victories on Tuesday night. Millwall are the visitors to the Swansea.com Stadium where Russell Martin’s side will be hoping to extend the momentum of their weekend 1-0 win at Blackpool. […]

Newport County assistant manager Carl Serrant believes his team’s notable EFL Cup win at Luton Town underlines the growing depth in the Exiles’ squad. James Waite scored the late winner as League Two County upset Championship side Luton in the Carabao Cup first round, winning 3-2 at Kenilworth Road. Luton went ahead on 30 minutes courtesy of a stunning 35-yard drive into the top corner by Carlos Mendes Gomes, but were pegged back six minutes later as Lewis Collins equalised.

Making predictions in sport always leaves the predictor in a somewhat precarious position. “You can’t win anything with kids,” said Alan Hansen on Match Of The Day following Manchester Untied’s opening day 3-1 defeat away to Aston Villa in August 1995. Hansen’s words of warning have become a haunting catchphrase: by the end of 1995/96, Manchester United had won a Premier League and FA Cup double. 

By Daniel Parker The 2021-22 season was far from a vintage year for any of Wales’ three Football League Clubs. Swansea City fans had an historic derby double over rivals Cardiff to celebrate but little else; with Russell Martin’s side playing attractive football but ultimately unable to eke out any kind of consistency en route […]

Gareth Bale will spend three months living the American dream – before proving a World Cup nightmare for England. That’s the bold prediction of Bale’s long-term Wales teammate Joe Allen, who believes his national captain’s move to the MLS is already re-energising Bale’s career. Allen – who has also switched clubs this summer from Stoke City back to Swansea – reckons jettisoned Real Madrid star Bale’s move to Los Angeles FC has given the Wales skipper a new lease of life.

Joe Allen’s know-how will prove a vital asset for Swansea City this coming season, head coach Russell Martin has insisted. Allen could make the second Swansea debut of his career on Tuesday night in a pre-season game at Plymouth Argyle, a full 15 years after his first. The Wales midfielder, who last week sealed a return to his boyhood club from Stoke City, was part of the Swans squad that clinched promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and Martin reckons that kind of experience will prove invaluable, alongside the playing abilities that still make him a virtual certain starter for his country.

Swansea City’s Flynn Downes has revealed he feels as though he is dreaming after completing his £12m move to West Ham. The midfielder has joined the club he supported as a boy on a five-year deal for an officially undisclosed fee that depends on appearances. The 23-year-old lifelong Hammers fan has signed a deal that will keep him at the London Stadium until the summer of 2027, with a further one-year option.

Swansea City midfielder Flynn Downes is having a medical on Thursday ahead of a £12m move to West Ham, who are in talks with Fulham over selling defender Issa Diop. The Downes deal is close to being finalised after initial reports had linked the 23-year-old midfielder with Crystal Palace.

Russell Martin considers Swansea City have made a very shrewd investment in Harry Darling – a player the coach reckons is heading for the very top. The Swans are understood to have paid MK Dons £1.3m for 22-year-old centre back Darling, who was a key player for the Dons last season as they reached the League One play-offs. A number of clubs – rumoured to include Sheffield United and Chelsea – were also interested in signing Darling, who fits the Martin mould as player comfortable in possession who has excellent passing skills.

Steve Cooper will become the first Welsh manager in the Premier League since Mark Hughes in 2018, after revealing he first doubted Nottingham Forest might even climb into the Championship’s top 10. The former Swansea City head coach hailed “magical” Forest for reminding the world of the City Ground club’s rich history by securing a Premier League future. Forest will return to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years next season, after defeating Huddersfield 1-0 in Sunday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley.

By Gareth James Steve Cooper has taken Nottingham Forest to the brink of a return to the Premier League after they won a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Sheffield United to reach the Championship play-off final. The Welsh manager and his team looked to be in a commanding position after the first leg when they came […]

Steve Cooper insists he and his Nottingham Forest side will not be burdened by the weight of history as they prepare to face Sheffield United in the first leg of their Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final at Bramall Lane on Saturday. The Welshman will lead a club that has not featured in the Premier League this century, an absence keenly felt in a city steeped in the traditions of Brian Clough and his all-conquering sides that swept to back-to-back European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980. Expectations have been raised again by the club’s extraordinary rise since former Swansea City boss Cooper’s arrival at the City Ground in September, but the Pontypridd native is adamant that history must only be seen as a positive as they look to take the first steps towards a return to the game’s elite.