Natalie Lloyd explains why she will miss the South Wales Derby this season as Swansea City and Cardiff City play in different leagues.
Swansea vs Cardiff. Two cities, 42 miles apart, in Wales who are constantly competing. Now, to some “top 6” football fans, the south Wales derby won’t mean a lot, just another derby on TV, but to someone who’s a fan, it’s two games that a season leads up to.
I’ve loved the Swans for as long as I can remember, I can remember going to the vetch when I was younger with some family members, 3pm kick off, family stand – this turned into the North Bank when my parents started to let me go on my own. I remember one Valentines weekend going with my dad and his friend and stewards were handing out chocolates to all of the women fans (something I couldn’t really imagine happening now.) I couldn’t understand why my dad wouldn’t take me to see any matches against Cardiff, little did I know the history of the derby matches.
The infamous “Swim away” chant being literal, with victorious Cardiff fans being chased into the sea by Swans fans and an actual four year ban on away fans travelling to either team’s games after Ninian park became, basically a mini warzone, actually justified the reason.
The first time I can really remember watching Cardiff was the Play-off final in 02/03 vs QPR. Sam Hammam on the TV lifting the play-off final trophy, my mother just sat there saying something along the lines of – Urgh this should be Swansea, Cardiff think they’re the best at everything. Those words hit home and I started to notice the rivalry everywhere. Swans fans saying about how Cardiff don’t deserve to be promoted… “Don’t wear your Swans top to Cardiff” became words repeated to and around me constantly.
I didn’t get to go to the Carling cup final in 2006, due to work commitments – annoyingly. But I managed to catch the end of the match on the TV (after listening to most of the commentary on a radio in work) but what I witnessed, in my opinion – as a Swans fan, was glorious, Lee Trundle parading a t-shirt, with himself urinating on a Cardiff shirt, whilst he and Alan Tate proudly showed off a flag with… well, just google it. There was outrage.
The Welsh FA threatened to take action, and the police were involved. When I went into college on the Monday, Trundle was a hero, it was amazing as, well, small as this action like that could launch him into hero status. People were still talking about it weeks later, actually people still talk about it now when the derby comes up.
My first, “first-hand” experience of the rivalry between Swansea and Cardiff came in 2006 when Swansea made the play off final, and it was to be played in Cardiff. We had designated pubs where I had to prove I lived in Swansea. At first it annoyed me, having to pull an ID out at the door, until I walked in and the atmosphere was amazing, people singing and chanting – mostly swearing, but that isn’t the point. We lost on penalties that day, it was heart-breaking, and the abuse outside the stadium was awful. But it made me want be a part of derby day, really badly.
I didn’t have to wait that long. We got promoted in 2008 and somehow, the league cup games fell in a way that we met Cardiff at home. Local press went mad, stating there wasn’t going to be enough policing and how there will be loads of arrests made. I had my ticket in the east upper of the Liberty. I sang along with the chants of “stand up if you hate Cardiff” and “Cardiff City’s falling down” and loved it. There were police everywhere and stewards made a ring standing two metres apart from the next. We went on to win the match by Jordi Gomez scored a free kick in the second half, it was amazing. We got knocked out of the cup in the next round at home to Watford, but beating Cardiff made me feel like we’d won the cup I’d never experience any atmosphere like it, the hatred for the opposite team and the absolute love and you could feel devotion to each individual fan’s home team. I couldn’t wait for the next one. When would it be?
Luckily, two months later it would be take two, this time it would be the first time Swansea had met Cardiff in the league for almost 10 years. Yet again, local press went mad – “not enough police – may arrests to be made” for weeks before. After the league game, the butterflies and excitement took over and the week before felt like a month. The match went by in what felt like minutes. 2-2 with two red cards, in the second derby in two months. Passion filled the stadium, both teams wanted to win, both fired up from fans screaming and shouting. Leaving the match this time was different, I was so terribly proud of my team but fans fought and some threw bricks and rocks at the local buses. Everyone said it was to be expected and the predicted arrests of both team’s fans were made.
We were to draw the next match, the last derby to be played at Ninian Park before the city stadium was built (or “Legoland” as SOME Swans fans may call it.) An absolute end to end game which involved Mike Dean being hit with a coin. After a decade away, the derby was again living up to its name. It became very difficult to get tickets for any derby match in the three year run of Championship games.
Then, the magical happened in 2011. Swansea finished 3rd and Cardiff finished 4th. Both were contenders to become promoted to the premiership, but better (or worse) it could have been against the other. A South Wales derby in Wembley with £90 million riding on the game. Swans fans actually prayed for this game and internet forums went mad, the FA and the police were not as excited. 100 years of derbies and the biggest could be played.
As it came down to it, Cardiff were knocked out against Reading and we went on to beat Reading 4-2. Promotion became us. Cardiff wouldn’t (and haven’t) live it down. Signs and posters went up everywhere “the first Welsh premiership team.” After what my mother said years before, we’d finally made it. We had beaten Cardiff to the premiership.
Now, as if playing each other in cup runs wasn’t enough, we now had Premiership games. The biggest league in the world. The first, we lost, with a former Swansea boy the scorer. Steven Caulker became a fallen hero. I couldn’t cope with what was written online and in the papers. Seeing Cardiff fans celebrating a win which should have been ours. I couldn’t wait for the next one. Then, 8th February 2014. Late kick off. I took my seat, this was going to be our game I could feel it. The excitement and the build-up was amazing. The chanting was back, the songs and the passion of the fans, I felt I couldn’t watch, but I’m glad I did. We won 3-0, our crown was back. Swansea tore through the Cardiff defence and the passion returned to Swansea.
This is why I am filled with mixed feelings about the Cardiff relegation. I will miss the passion and excitement of this game. As much as I love watching Swansea play against and winning against some of the biggest teams in the UK, no feeling, for me as a Swans fan, ever tops the feeling of beating Cardiff.
We now have 42 miles and a whole league between us.
You can follow Natalie on Twitter here: @naleeee