Extract from the South Wales Daily News Monday 9th September 1912, two days after the first professional league game at the Vetch Field against Cardiff City, which ended in a 1-1 draw:
“Swansea Town Make Promising Debut at Vetch Field.
Huge Crowd Witness Some Sparkling Football
Bravo Swansea Town!
The Swansea Town Soccer Club, about whose doings and expectations there has been so much discussion during the past couple of months, have at last made their bow before the Swansea spectators, and the ten thousand people at the Vetch Field, who came from all parts of South Wales, were delighted with their play. To have run a team like Cardiff, who have had a couple of season’s experience, to a draw in the first home match, was a performance of which every member of the Swansea Town team can, with satisfaction, be proud. One thing was proved beyond a doubt, and that was that the directors have a really capable lot of players at their disposal, and though the forwards were at fault with their shooting, their defence was exceptionally safe. The Swansea Town players were certainly the more aggressive lot, and more than once it was luck on the Cardiff side rather than skill which kept the Swansea men from scoring the winning goal. The duel for points in the closing stages was productive of some thrilling football, and both sides played for all they were worth. The Town team rose to the occasion in splendid style, and not only prevented Cardiff from getting on top, but they had a moral victory, and there was scarcely a spectator on the field who did not give Swansea credit for being the better side. Swansea’s luck was out. In a couple of weeks, when the players become better acquainted, they will hold their own with the best in the Second Division of the Southern League.”
The small sports column also contained a report of a great cricketing victory by Swansea over Llanelli, illustrating that soccer still had along way to go to dominate the back pages of the local papers.
Read more about the Club’s origins and first game here.
Download the programme here.
100 Years of Swansea City FC 