0:00:03 > 0:00:05This is Swansea.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Long before Nev and the Call Centre hit the headlines,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15the talk of the town was their extraordinary football team.
0:00:16 > 0:00:22Swansea City Football Club play in the richest league in the world.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27The games are watched by billions,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and they are managed by a superstar.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34But only ten years ago,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37this club was in such a mess it was sold for just £1,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and nearly disappeared altogether.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Everybody realised this was the start of things
0:00:44 > 0:00:47that might see the end of our club.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48It was almost like someone dying.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51You could feel your club and part of your life being ripped away
0:00:51 > 0:00:55from you, and there was nothing you could do about it.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57This is the story of a group of fans
0:00:57 > 0:01:00who refused to give up on their club...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02This is our club,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and it's that important that we have got to actually do something.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11..and how they took it from rock bottom all the way to the very top.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16COMMENTATOR: 'Third goal Swansea City!'
0:01:16 > 0:01:20'Oh, they can start planning their trips to the Premier League now!'
0:01:25 > 0:01:30South Wales - a working-class area built on industry and poetry.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34But now football has become its most lucrative export,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37with two Premier League teams.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Swansea City play here at the Liberty Stadium.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44But just three miles away lay the remains of the Vetch Field,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47the club's previous home.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Only a few traces of it remain these days,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53but 30 years ago, this was the place to be.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57MUSIC: "Hair Of The Dog" by Nazareth
0:01:58 > 0:02:01In the late 1970s, Swansea City
0:02:01 > 0:02:05were led by an ambitious young player-manager, John Toshack.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07# Heart-breaker, soul-shaker
0:02:09 > 0:02:12# I've been told about you. #
0:02:12 > 0:02:16The team was made up of gifted local players like Alan Curtis.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It was an unbelievable time to be playing at the club,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and I think we probably fulfilled everybody's dreams and ambitions.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Fans watched in awe as Toshack's team got promoted not once,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34but twice in a row.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38COMMENTATOR: 'The Swans are promoted for the second successive season.'
0:02:38 > 0:02:41'It'll be Division Two next season.'
0:02:41 > 0:02:43John Toshack, you came on again, and you did it again.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46That's right. There were a few people sweating there.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I don't know what all the fuss was about, really.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51And it didn't stop there. In the following season,
0:02:51 > 0:02:52they were on the brink of reaching
0:02:52 > 0:02:55the top division of English football.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58COMMENTATOR: 'Oh, and it's gone in!'
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'And Swansea get a stroke of luck just when they needed it.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'The Welsh club now need three points from their remaining two matches
0:03:05 > 0:03:08'to become a first division club for the first time in their history.'
0:03:08 > 0:03:13You just knew it was almost destiny that we were going to get promoted,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16simply because I don't think we'd have been allowed
0:03:16 > 0:03:18back into the city if we'd have failed.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20'Now Robbie James with space.'
0:03:20 > 0:03:22'Charles!'
0:03:22 > 0:03:24LOUD CHEERING
0:03:24 > 0:03:28'That's surely the First Division signed, sealed and delivered!'
0:03:30 > 0:03:34On May 2nd 1981, they made it. Promotion to Division One.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Were we rock stars?
0:03:39 > 0:03:41We obviously enjoyed our status, so to speak,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44but some of the boys were boozing more than others.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51And if it was a big deal for the players,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55for the city, it was a dream come true.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I can assure you that this is only the start!
0:03:58 > 0:04:02CHEERING
0:04:05 > 0:04:08And in their first season, it just got better and better.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14'Terry's with him.'
0:04:14 > 0:04:15'Oh, what a sidestep!'
0:04:15 > 0:04:17'What a shot, and what a goal!'
0:04:23 > 0:04:25We went up to Arsenal and beat them.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I think we beat United at home, we beat Spurs at home.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31We beat them all that season.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32'Leighton James.'
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'A wild challenge from Wilkins.'
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'And Bailey, and yes!'
0:04:39 > 0:04:41'No, on the line, but put in by Robbie James!'
0:04:41 > 0:04:44But what nobody expected after their spectacular rise
0:04:44 > 0:04:46was an even more dramatic fall.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48'Dalglish.'
0:04:48 > 0:04:50'Off the chest to Johnston!'
0:04:50 > 0:04:54After just two seasons at the top, Swansea were relegated.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59'Oh, it hit the post, and then went in off the goalkeeper!'
0:04:59 > 0:05:01'It's really quite astonishing to see Swansea in one of the
0:05:01 > 0:05:05'relegation places after four years of almost continuous success.'
0:05:05 > 0:05:07'So, what's gone wrong?'
0:05:07 > 0:05:11They were losing games, and then lost their inspirational manager.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I've lost a little bit of the spark that I had before.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Supporters had tasted success,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22but their moment in the sun had been brief.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25For lifelong fans, like Anne and Nigel Gigg,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Toshack's glorious era was over.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We can't keep him on his previous results.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34We've got to move forward, and there's problems at the club,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and it's always the managers' heads that roll.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38If the players wouldn't play for him,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41there's not really a lot of point in him staying.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43You almost felt as if, "Did it happen?"
0:05:43 > 0:05:45then, because it disappeared all so quickly.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47You know, we were falling down through the divisions,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and there was no money.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- There wasn't the structure in place, was there?- No.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53At the end of the day.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56If their time at the top had been exciting and glamorous,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59the next 15 years would be a little bit different.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01MUSIC: "Mile End" by Pulp
0:06:01 > 0:06:03# We didn't have nowhere to live
0:06:03 > 0:06:05# We didn't have nowhere to go
0:06:05 > 0:06:07# Till someone said
0:06:07 > 0:06:10# "I know this place off Burditt Road" #
0:06:10 > 0:06:13The fans had become accustomed to life in the lower leagues,
0:06:13 > 0:06:18and watched as manager after manager came and went with limited success.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19- 'Can I ask why you're resigning?' - 'No.'
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- 'Is it a case of not enough money for the players?'- 'No.'
0:06:22 > 0:06:2515 managers in the next 17 years,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27from superstar John Toshack,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30to former Cradley Town youth manager Kevin Cullis.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36To have tasted success and then go back to it, it was hard,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38but unfortunately, football's in your blood,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41you can't walk away from it, so you've got to stick with it,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and you just think it's your lot in life, then, to support a side
0:06:44 > 0:06:47that you're probably just grateful that you've had some success.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'Swansea City in fifth place play Tranmere at home,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'needing to make the most of this kind of chance if they're
0:06:52 > 0:06:55'to have hopes of at least a play-off position.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:57My granddaughter used to come with me.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00She was a season ticket-holder then, and I used to say to her,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02"It does get better than this," but she never believed me.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06She used to say, "It's awful!"
0:07:11 > 0:07:14To go to games was a sense of duty, as much as anything,
0:07:14 > 0:07:15and just to meet your friends there.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Quite often, you'd turn up on a Saturday,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and not even realise until an hour before kick-off
0:07:20 > 0:07:23who you were playing, because the previous few games could have been
0:07:23 > 0:07:26so dire that you'd tried to switch off to it, but you'd still
0:07:26 > 0:07:30turn up every game, because that's what you do as a football fan.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32You turn up to see your team.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35The supporters had stayed loyal through the good times
0:07:35 > 0:07:37and the years of mediocrity,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40but what happened next would threaten to end their club forever.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56In 2001, Swansea City were still struggling in the bottom division.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Things were bad on the pitch...
0:08:01 > 0:08:05..but off it, they were even worse.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Crippled by huge debts and looking for someone to take them forward,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14the club was sold to a new owner for just £1.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Swansea's new chairman has urged supporters to give him
0:08:17 > 0:08:20more time to solve the club's financial problems.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Tony Petty also warns that more cuts might be needed
0:08:23 > 0:08:25to pull the club around.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The fans were used to their club changing managers, but what
0:08:28 > 0:08:32they weren't prepared for were cutbacks at the heart of the team.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33The new chairman's first move
0:08:33 > 0:08:37was to sack seven of their highest-paid players.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It was a decision that made business sense,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42but fans feared this was the beginning of the end.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44It was almost like someone dying.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47You could feel your club and part of your life just being ripped
0:08:47 > 0:08:49away from you, and there was nothing you could do about it.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50It was horrible.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53He was holding our football club, and he could crush it at any time
0:08:53 > 0:08:55if he wanted to, and I think that was the worst.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57It was frightening, really.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Tony Petty's actions also alarmed former players like Mel Nurse,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06who had been involved with the football club since the early 1950s,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and was now a director.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12We were going to get relegated out of the Football League,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16we were going to end up like Newport and Wrexham and everybody else.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18That's not what I want.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I want Newport, Wrexham, Cardiff, Swansea, everybody to progress.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I want us to be all in the league, football leagues,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27but they were going to take us out of the league.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I couldn't accept that.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Feeling like they had to do something,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37fans joined together to voice their frustrations.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40They called themselves the Supporters' Trust.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42There was a group of fans,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46I think they called us the Internet Warriors.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47The club weren't happy with them,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50because obviously we were delving into the business of what was
0:09:50 > 0:09:54going on, and we could see then that there were problems.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55To be fair to him, in one way,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58he did what any normal company would do.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02He had to make redundancies from his higher-paid staff,
0:10:02 > 0:10:03which were the footballers,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but as everybody knows, you can't do that,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10And that really galvanised the support,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and people then looked to the Supporters' Trust to join, and saw that
0:10:14 > 0:10:20that perhaps was the avenue we were going to need to remove him.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Support for the Trust began to grow, and the movement to remove
0:10:25 > 0:10:28the chairman spilled out onto the streets.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32CROWD: 'We want Petty out! Say we want Petty out!'
0:10:32 > 0:10:34'We want Petty out! Say we want Petty out!'
0:10:34 > 0:10:37'We want Petty out! Say we want Petty out!'
0:10:37 > 0:10:40'We want Petty out! Say we want Petty out!'
0:10:40 > 0:10:42'We want Petty out! Say we want Petty out!'
0:10:42 > 0:10:46It galvanised supporters into thinking, you know,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50this is our club. This is something that we've got to have a stake in,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and it's that important that we have got to actually do something.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59'If anybody says, "Is there a future for Swansea City Football Club?",
0:10:59 > 0:11:03'let the message be loud and clear. Yes, yes, yes. Swansea till I die.'
0:11:03 > 0:11:06'This club will never die, whatever Mr Petty tries to do to us.'
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Anger was also building in the terraces.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I think it was Rushden & Diamonds, and I remember him
0:11:12 > 0:11:13being in the directors' box,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and this is just hearsay that came from the steward,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and he could see the North Bank starting to inch forward
0:11:19 > 0:11:22towards the front of the stand, and he actually turned to them and said,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25"Are they actually going to come over and onto the pitch?",
0:11:25 > 0:11:29And the steward said, "Oh, definitely. They're getting ready."
0:11:29 > 0:11:30And he was gone.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32He was out of that directors' box
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and underneath the stand straight away!
0:11:34 > 0:11:36You're never going to condone violence,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40but the intimidation towards Tony Petty was what made him
0:11:40 > 0:11:41realise his time was up,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45and he had to get what he could as quickly as he could and get out.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47'Let's be honest.'
0:11:47 > 0:11:49'The fans don't particularly want me here
0:11:49 > 0:11:52'a minute longer than this takes.'
0:11:52 > 0:11:53'As far as I'm concerned,
0:11:53 > 0:11:58'if I can get a deal done in the next 24 hours, then so be it.'
0:11:58 > 0:12:00With Petty seeking a way out,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04the Supporters' Trust believed there was only one way forward.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07They needed to find new owners, people like themselves,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09ordinary fans who loved the club.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14After four months of battling to save their club,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Mel Nurse led a consortium of fans and local businessmen,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and they struck a deal to buy Swansea City.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26I have some very good news to announce
0:12:26 > 0:12:29to the supporters of Swansea City Football Club.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31It was now owned by local people,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and the Supporters' Trust was part of the management.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37But there was a problem.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39The new board had no experience
0:12:39 > 0:12:42of running a professional football club.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Just had the phone call to say it's been done, we've got the club,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49and it was a question of, "All right, OK, so what do we do now?"
0:12:53 > 0:12:57We've got to go down there tomorrow and actually go in there
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and see what there is and what's going on.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03It was a mess, absolute mess.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08There was no time for planning or looking for any other route
0:13:08 > 0:13:10in order to help you out.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12You had to get on with it
0:13:12 > 0:13:17and make sure the club tried to move on from that period straight away.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23None of us had ever run a football club, and it's totally different from any other business.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Personally, I'd never done marketing or anything
0:13:26 > 0:13:29commercial in my life before, so to say,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32"Right, you're in charge of that, and Huw, you're in charge
0:13:32 > 0:13:35"of football, and Dave, you're in charge of administration."
0:13:35 > 0:13:36"Dawn, you do the accounts."
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Loved doing it, mind.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40You are owning or running your own football club that you've
0:13:40 > 0:13:42supported all your lives.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44The new owners may have been living the dream,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47but reality soon hit home.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49They were running the club on a shoestring,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and the team was losing games.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54They were in real danger of being relegated
0:13:54 > 0:13:55out of the Football League.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00The squad was poor, very poor, and within about a month,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I informed the board that, basically, we needed a new team.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06So we had to build a team within two months, which we did.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Without the money to spend on big signings,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13they had to find other ways to strengthen the team.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Leon Britton joined the club on loan from Premier League club West Ham,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20where he'd been frustrated at not playing in the first team.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I didn't know nothing about Swansea.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Not just the place, but, if I'm honest, the football team.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I didn't know too much about the history of the football club.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33I just remember the M4 taking ages.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It was like a never-ending road, and you get down to Port Talbot
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and you glance over on the left-hand side, and you're thinking,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42"Where the hell am I?"
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Alongside Britton, they recruited Roberto Martinez,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52a creative midfielder with an eye for attractive, attacking football.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59Brian Flynn told me, "I've got an incredible challenge.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03"We need to stay in the division, we need to keep the professional status
0:15:03 > 0:15:07"in a club like Swansea City, and I want to do it playing football."
0:15:07 > 0:15:10For me, that was enough.
0:15:10 > 0:15:16The challenge I always had in my head that you could be
0:15:16 > 0:15:19successful in those leagues, playing football.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23They would also draw on local talent.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26James Thomas had been playing for Premier League side Blackburn,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29but had made the decision to come home.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31If you ask any professional footballer,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34at some stage in their career, they'd all like to play
0:15:34 > 0:15:38for their hometown club, and I was fortunate enough to do that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I think it was an 80% pay cut at the time I had to take,
0:15:41 > 0:15:46but like I said, I always wanted to play for Swansea,
0:15:46 > 0:15:51and I think it was heart ruling head.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54As the season drew to a close, with the threat of relegation
0:15:54 > 0:15:58hanging over them, the makeshift team started to bond.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02It was a feeling of togetherness, and we spent a lot of time together.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04After training, where we'd go together to have a meal,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06then we would have a coffee.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The lads all used to go and eat at a Spanish restaurant -
0:16:09 > 0:16:11obviously Roberto's choice -
0:16:11 > 0:16:14so we all used to go there after training, and a lot of us
0:16:14 > 0:16:16had come from different areas.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20It was a lot of new players had come in, and we all kind of clicked
0:16:20 > 0:16:23straight away and got on, and the team spirit was so good.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28But despite their best efforts, with one game of the season remaining,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31they were still near the bottom of the table.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34They had to win or would face dropping out of the Football League
0:16:34 > 0:16:38for the first time in their 91-year history.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42It was a match that nobody wanted to miss, whatever the cost.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45I wasn't going to miss the game, really.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Pull a sickie, I'll go down and it'll be OK, and got my ticket.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52As you can see, I was third in line, on the paper.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Didn't actually know until the next day, when I went into work,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59of course, and they presented that to me in work!
0:16:59 > 0:17:01So you lost your job because of Swansea City?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Basically, yeah.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04- It was worth it. - It was worth it.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06I wasn't going to miss the Hull game,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08and that was the end of it, really.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11After years of facing uncertainty off the pitch,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15the future of the club now came down to the players.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The football club was on the verge of dropping out of the Football League
0:17:22 > 0:17:24for the first time in the club's history,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and you could go to the local supermarket, your local shop,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31get your hair cut, people were talking about it, the Hull game.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35"You can't lose. The Swans can't go down."
0:17:35 > 0:17:39You almost felt ill, you felt sick and ill.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41You just couldn't take it all in, really.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45We didn't know what happened past Saturday at five o'clock, because we
0:17:45 > 0:17:49hadn't thought about what happened past Saturday at five o'clock.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Alan Curtis, who'd been there for the good times, and was now
0:17:54 > 0:17:58one of the coaches, reminded the players what was at stake.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02When someone like Curt speaks, you know,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06he's a legend at this football club. He's been here literally forever.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07He got everyone in a huddle,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11and he basically just laid it on the line, you know.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Those emotions all came out.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15He just said, "Look, you need to realise how much this means,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19"this game today, how much it means for the fans, the supporters,
0:18:19 > 0:18:20"the city, the staff."
0:18:22 > 0:18:26I just felt as if I had to portray what it meant to everybody.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29What the club meant to everybody, because if we'd have gone down
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and I'd not said anything, then I would never have forgiven myself.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39'It's difficult to enjoy occasions like this.'
0:18:39 > 0:18:41'There's just too much at stake.'
0:18:41 > 0:18:45'A city, a nation, hold their breath,
0:18:45 > 0:18:50'because Swansea City's fight for survival is under way.'
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I experienced feelings during that game that I've never,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56ever had before, and I don't think I'll ever have.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01It was absolutely packed.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I remember the North Bank, how could anyone breathe in there?
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Everyone was squashed in, and the atmosphere was just unbelievable.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11It was a rainy, wet day, as well, a bit miserable,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15but you could feel the nervous tension in the stadium as well.
0:19:17 > 0:19:203pm at the Vetch.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Win or bust.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29'Britton, in midfield. Slips past one challenge, and another.'
0:19:29 > 0:19:32'Comes wide to the nearside, the Swansea right. Martinez is inside.'
0:19:32 > 0:19:37'Britton, does a little step over. Into the box he goes. Still going.'
0:19:37 > 0:19:38'Down! Penalty!'
0:19:39 > 0:19:42In the stand, lifelong fan Nigel Gigg
0:19:42 > 0:19:44was watching the game with his daughters.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49They were always emotional about the football anyway,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53but I didn't think they would react the way they did react at the game.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'James Thomas, with Swansea's survival in mind.'
0:19:57 > 0:19:58Watch it!
0:19:58 > 0:19:59I can't!
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Watch with me, watch with me.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02I can't!
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'Left-footed, up he comes, and scores!'
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Yes! Yes! Yes!
0:20:11 > 0:20:13'That's the first step to survival!'
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Local boy James Thomas had put the Swans ahead,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23but Hull came back fighting, scoring two goals.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26'Hull are pressing again. Mistake by Michael Howard this time.'
0:20:26 > 0:20:30'Reeves is in, chips Cutler, and that's in the back of the net!'
0:20:30 > 0:20:33'And has Martin Reeves put Swansea in the Conference?'
0:20:35 > 0:20:40I will always remember that after we went 2-1 down,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44the silence in the crowd was incredible.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46It was like a real feeling of fear.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52The two fullbacks, at that time, they were even close to crying,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55because they felt that they made mistakes
0:20:55 > 0:20:58where they could have incredible implications.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07'Thomas tries to come inside. That's a penalty. It's a penalty!'
0:21:07 > 0:21:12'That's the second, handball, and Swansea have got a lifeline.'
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'A minute before half-time.'
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'James Thomas, for the second time, steps up, left-footed, scores!'
0:21:21 > 0:21:24'There is life for Swansea City!'
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Swansea had built a fragile lead. Now they needed to finish the job.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43The ball broke, and I'd already scored two in the game,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I was confident, and when you're confident,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49you tend not to really think about things, and the first thing
0:21:49 > 0:21:52that came into my mind was, "He's off the line, chip him."
0:21:53 > 0:21:55'James Thomas is through!'
0:21:55 > 0:21:57'Thomas against the keeper, chips him!'
0:21:57 > 0:21:58'Oh, yes!'
0:21:58 > 0:22:02'Superb goal by James Thomas!'
0:22:02 > 0:22:05'The hat-trick for Thomas,
0:22:05 > 0:22:10'and it's his hat-trick that could ensure survival for Swansea City!'
0:22:10 > 0:22:15'To see it hit the back of the net was just unbelievable.'
0:22:22 > 0:22:24You couldn't wish for a better goal.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28That was a surviving goal that kept us in the league.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29As soon as that fourth goal went in,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33you just sensed that Hull were going away on their summer holidays.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36There was no way they were going to get two goals back, and I think
0:22:36 > 0:22:40then we started to enjoy ourselves a bit for the rest of the day.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43'There is the final whistle!'
0:22:43 > 0:22:47'Swansea City will stay in the Football League.'
0:22:47 > 0:22:52'They needed three points for survival. They have got them.'
0:22:52 > 0:22:54'We have the crowd invasion.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:58It was a great moment.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01I think, suddenly, all the pressure just relented,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and all the weight on the shoulders were lifted.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08It was just such a relief. You could feel it in the whole stadium.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11The end story was Roy Of The Rovers material, wasn't it?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14James Thomas, Swansea boy, scores a hat-trick.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I had my shirt ripped off me by the fans, my shorts, as well.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19All I was left with was my socks.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27You knew that was a turning point at the football club.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29First because it was a wake-up call,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31it was the moment to get everyone together,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36and probably just to realise that something special would come
0:23:36 > 0:23:39out of that, because we were very, very close
0:23:39 > 0:23:43to making it nearly impossible for the football club.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47They'd survived. Just.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50But the impact of the win had left a lasting impression.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Leon Britton had to return to West Ham,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56but now had no doubt about where he belonged.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I didn't want to go back there, after the experience I had
0:23:58 > 0:24:01at Swansea, and go back to reserve team football. That was it.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I wanted to go out and play on Saturday at three o'clock
0:24:04 > 0:24:07in the Football League, so I felt I owed Swansea.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10They're the ones that gave me the opportunity, so I had to give them,
0:24:10 > 0:24:11you know, something back,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13because they're the ones who took the chance on me.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16For James Thomas, the Hull game would be the end of the road.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Struggling with injuries, he would bow out of football.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24It was so frustrating, because every day in training and playing I was
0:24:24 > 0:24:31in pain with my knee, and not able to get to the level that I could before.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I got a bit disillusioned with the game, really,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38and I just wanted to take a backwards step, and I didn't watch
0:24:38 > 0:24:42any of the Swans' games or anything for a couple of years after.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48As Thomas retired, the team gradually began to improve.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53New heroes emerged, and old ones returned.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Leon Britton came back, this time on a permanent deal.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And in the boardroom, the owners were learning how to run
0:25:02 > 0:25:04a successful football club.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08It probably took us a little bit of time to realise,
0:25:08 > 0:25:09if we're going to do this properly,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12that we had to rule with our heads, and not our hearts.
0:25:15 > 0:25:21In 2005, they were promoted out of the bottom division.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24'It has finished here, and the Swansea City fans
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'are flooding onto the pitch. Swansea are promoted.'
0:25:27 > 0:25:32'They move to a new home with a higher level of football. Job done.'
0:25:34 > 0:25:36The club was going in the right direction,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and moved to a new home, the Liberty Stadium.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43But now they faced a new problem.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46In League One, they would be up against big-money teams
0:25:46 > 0:25:49with a powerful, physical style.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Swansea didn't have the money to buy those type of players,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55so they would have to find another way to compete.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59They turned to former player Roberto Martinez.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Untested as a manager, he believed Swansea could take on the big clubs
0:26:04 > 0:26:07by playing a passing style of football,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10something rarely seen in the lower leagues.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12We had to try and do something different,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14because other clubs probably had more financial backing
0:26:14 > 0:26:17behind them, and we had to find a way of doing something different.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22Huw had spoken to him at length over the years, we all had,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and his philosophy on how he felt it should be played had struck
0:26:25 > 0:26:28a chord with us, I think.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I knew players that, technically, were very, very gifted,
0:26:31 > 0:26:37and they could play in that manner, so everything was ready for me
0:26:37 > 0:26:42to make that commitment, and obviously, Huw Jenkins,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47as a young chairman, a young board of directors,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51they would be supportive and they would be patient with the changes,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54because when you push drastic changes, it takes time.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Martinez believed the Swans had huge potential,
0:27:00 > 0:27:06and wasted no time in putting his new style of play into practice.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10It was all about passing the ball and being comfortable with it,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13not being afraid to accept the ball in all areas of the park.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17We went from having an average of 120 passes a game
0:27:17 > 0:27:20to start getting 300 passes
0:27:20 > 0:27:25and trying to build that up to 800 passes that we got in certain games.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28At the start, it is a bit nerve-wracking
0:27:28 > 0:27:31when you're being asked to get it off the keeper as a midfielder,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and you make a mistake, and you're thinking the easy option is
0:27:34 > 0:27:38just to play a long ball and you're not in trouble then, but I think
0:27:38 > 0:27:42he kept on banging on that we've got to play this way, and he backed us,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and we all believed in what he wanted to do, and that's the main thing.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48You need a group of players that believe in what the manager wants.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Slowly but surely, the team began to click.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00'Britton has the ball. Inside to Bauza. He's found Scotland.'
0:28:00 > 0:28:02'Inside the penalty area, Jason Scotland.'
0:28:02 > 0:28:05'He's got Bauza in the middle, and it's there!'
0:28:05 > 0:28:09'Swansea City, five points clear now at the top of League One, as they
0:28:09 > 0:28:13'close in on Championship football for the first time in two decades.'
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Roberto, obviously, as a manager, took it on leaps and bounds.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21With Roberto, we'd score four if they'd scored three.
0:28:21 > 0:28:27'Robinson. Oh, this is superb from Swansea. Scotland, Bauza, 2-0!'
0:28:28 > 0:28:30After just one season in charge,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Martinez took the team to the second tier of English football.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36'Swansea are back in the Championship!'
0:28:36 > 0:28:41'They're there for the first time in 24 years!'
0:28:41 > 0:28:44For the first time since the Toshack years, the Swans were on a roll.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48How can you have a day like this without talking to the
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Swansea legend that is Alan Curtis?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Alan, I know you've done it all in football...
0:28:53 > 0:28:54CROWD CHEER
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- Can you ever get tired of days like this?- No, you can't.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00It's been 24 long years, and thankfully,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03we're back where we are, and hopefully we can push on again.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06The team loved the new way of playing,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09but some fans weren't still convinced.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14We celebrated the League One title in record-breaking style.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18I will always remember the parade that we had around the city.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22I had a fan following the bus saying, "Next season, 4-4-2!"
0:29:22 > 0:29:26So even then, there was a real difficulty in trying
0:29:26 > 0:29:29to get everyone to understand what we were trying to do.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34'Sinclair, right-footed. Chance. Dribbles past one, then another.'
0:29:34 > 0:29:39'Comes to Moore. Sinclair again! Brilliant goal by Swansea City!'
0:29:39 > 0:29:42The Martinez style had attracted admirers,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45and he would leave to manage in the Premier League,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48but, crucially, his philosophy would remain.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Now any manager coming to the Liberty Stadium
0:29:51 > 0:29:53would have to buy in to this kind of football.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58'Great passing by Swansea. Bauza, teeing up Scotland, and Gomez!'
0:29:58 > 0:30:00You have to find the person
0:30:00 > 0:30:04who genuinely believes in the way we do things.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08They need to be able to play what our fans expect now.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Our fans expect to play that type of football,
0:30:11 > 0:30:13and they allow a manager to do it.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Historically, Swansea have a really, really poor record of not retaining
0:30:17 > 0:30:20managers for any length of time, the turnover of managers.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24And the turnover of managers has carried on over the last ten years,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26but we've become the exception to the rule,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and the turnover of the managers has actually improved the
0:30:29 > 0:30:33performance of the club, and that's really, really unusual in football.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38It just doesn't happen, when you lose managers and the club improves.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42By 2011, under manager Brendan Rodgers, Swansea had climbed
0:30:42 > 0:30:45towards the top of the table.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52'It's Leon Britton! Where did that come from? Where did that come from?'
0:30:52 > 0:30:54They were now on the brink of a return
0:30:54 > 0:30:57to the top league of English football.
0:30:57 > 0:31:04'Pratley, from distance, and it will go all the way into the Forest goal!'
0:31:04 > 0:31:06'Swansea City have a third!'
0:31:06 > 0:31:10'The Swans are going to the Championship play-off final!'
0:31:10 > 0:31:12'They're going to Wembley Stadium!'
0:31:14 > 0:31:17I've been at the club for quite a while and seen a lot of lows,
0:31:17 > 0:31:20but recently we've had a few promotions, and to get to the
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Premiership would be a dream come true for a lot of the lads.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28Incredibly, the club, which at its lowest point was sold for a pound,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31would be involved in a game worth 90 million,
0:31:31 > 0:31:35a play-off for a place in the Premier League.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39'All roads lead to Wembley for Swansea City fans,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42'ahead of the game which could bring Premier League football to Wales.'
0:31:42 > 0:31:45'Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers says today's game could be
0:31:45 > 0:31:49'a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure Premier League football.'
0:31:49 > 0:31:53We had a group of about 20 people, family and friends,
0:31:53 > 0:31:59people who sit by us at the Liberty, and we were all together there,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02And I think most of us were crying by the time we left Swansea.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Yes, we were, weren't we?
0:32:04 > 0:32:05I wasn't!
0:32:20 > 0:32:21It was a special moment for all of us,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24because there was a lot of players together in that group
0:32:24 > 0:32:26who'd been on the journey for five or six years,
0:32:26 > 0:32:30and we'd all done it together, and it made it that bit more special.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Among the thousands of Swansea supporters was one fan
0:32:33 > 0:32:35who'd played his part in getting the club to Wembley.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40I work for the Welsh Ambulance Service.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43It's something I never thought I'd see myself doing ten years ago,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45when I lobbed that ball over the Hull keeper.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50I went to the play-off final, and it was unbelievable.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54It's nice to follow the Swans now as a supporter,
0:32:54 > 0:32:55rather than a player, now.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59The fact that we were actually in that game
0:32:59 > 0:33:01doesn't seem real at the time.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Because we've all come from the background, you know,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06that ten or 12 years ago.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11If beating Hull had been about survival,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15the play-off final was about fulfilling a dream.
0:33:15 > 0:33:16'Dyer turns in the box.'
0:33:16 > 0:33:18'Khizanishvili gets a foot in.'
0:33:18 > 0:33:20'Penalty, Swansea City!'
0:33:23 > 0:33:27'Scott Sinclair has taken the responsibility to give
0:33:27 > 0:33:32'Swansea City first blood in this Championship play-off final.'
0:33:32 > 0:33:37'Sinclair hits it, sends Federici the wrong way!'
0:33:37 > 0:33:40'Swansea City lead by a goal to nil!'
0:33:52 > 0:33:56'And this is Dobbie, breaking into the penalty area, right-hand side.'
0:33:56 > 0:33:58'It's Scott Sinclair again!'
0:33:58 > 0:34:01'It's 2-0 Swansea City!'
0:34:01 > 0:34:03'Two goals in a minute!'
0:34:04 > 0:34:07When the Swans were at Wembley,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I was in Swansea Hospital with my wife.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Everybody in the hospital was running up
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and down the corridors, whoa! Jumping and shouting!
0:34:15 > 0:34:16I could tell how the result was going
0:34:16 > 0:34:18by the way people were behaving.
0:34:18 > 0:34:19'Dyer attacks,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22'goes down the right-hand side, slides in the cross.'
0:34:22 > 0:34:25'Third goal, Swansea City!'
0:34:26 > 0:34:30'Oh, they can start planning their trips to the Premier League now!'
0:34:31 > 0:34:343-0 up at half-time,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37the fans couldn't believe what they were seeing.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Swansea never do anything easy, and you think,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43"Well, for once in our lives, we're going to win a game easily."
0:34:43 > 0:34:46But, of course, us two were standing at half-time going,
0:34:46 > 0:34:47"Three's not enough!"
0:34:47 > 0:34:50And they were right. Reading fought back.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52'Corner for Reading.'
0:34:52 > 0:34:55'Mills' header! It's 3-2!'
0:34:55 > 0:34:58'It's game on again!'
0:34:58 > 0:35:01'And no, it's not so simple for Swansea City.'
0:35:03 > 0:35:06That's probably the closest I've ever come to questioning,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09"Do I really want to support this football club?"
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Because had we not won that game,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13I honestly don't think I could have gone back.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14Devastated.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17I couldn't imagine going back the following season.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21But this wasn't like the old times.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23The Swans would finish the job.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Just like against Hull, they would win 4-2.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29As the clock ticked towards the final whistle,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32directors Leigh Dineen and Martin Morgan
0:35:32 > 0:35:35knew the club was about to change forever.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38There were 90 seconds to go, and I said, "It's finished, now."
0:35:38 > 0:35:40"It's never finished," he said.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43"It's £1 million a second for the next 90 seconds,"
0:35:43 > 0:35:46he was screaming, and I remember that, and then when
0:35:46 > 0:35:53the whistle went, he just suddenly thought, "We're here now."
0:35:54 > 0:35:55"That's not going to be taken away."
0:35:55 > 0:35:57"We're going to go to the Premier League."
0:35:57 > 0:35:58"We're going to go and enjoy it."
0:35:58 > 0:36:03'Swansea City are soaring into the Premiership!'
0:36:03 > 0:36:08'Eight years after almost falling through the Football League trapdoor,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11'they've marched through the gateway
0:36:11 > 0:36:15'to the fame and fortune of the promised land!'
0:36:19 > 0:36:22It took Swansea City 28 years
0:36:22 > 0:36:25to return to the top league of English football.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30But the journey really started ten years ago, when,
0:36:30 > 0:36:35at their lowest ebb, supporters, players and managers came together
0:36:35 > 0:36:37to keep the club alive.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Swansea City is not a normal football club.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43You really get attached to it.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Once you get involved, you're involved forever, and from
0:36:46 > 0:36:50a distance, you can be extremely proud of their achievements,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and the players that were involved that day, to see
0:36:53 > 0:36:56players like Leon Britton that they've been through everything
0:36:56 > 0:37:02for our football club, and with that football club, is phenomenal.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04After joining on loan a decade ago,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Leon Britton continues to play for the Swans.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Alan Curtis, who first played for Swansea over 40 years ago,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20is still with the club and is part of the coaching team.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25The board have continued their policy of finding managers
0:37:25 > 0:37:28who fit their philosophy of how to play the game.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32They are now managed by one of the world's greatest ever players,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Michael Laudrup.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39In their darkest days, they could only afford bargain players.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44Now they are breaking club records with multi-million-pound signings.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47What they have achieved continues to win admirers.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50People have said in previous years about teams coming up
0:37:50 > 0:37:52and being like a breath of fresh air.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55This is a team that can play, and they play the right way,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and it's amazing what you can do with a group of players,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02with the right coaching and get them playing together as a team.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07That's the icing on the cake, isn't it?
0:38:07 > 0:38:11To listen to all the tributes from the great and the good of football,
0:38:11 > 0:38:16talking about the Swansea way of playing,
0:38:16 > 0:38:17and you pinch yourself, sometimes.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24They've gone from a team, ten years ago, fighting for survival,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27and now, all of a sudden, they're talking about us competing
0:38:27 > 0:38:30with Manchester United, Manchester City, and all these people.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34And outplaying them. Lord alive!
0:38:34 > 0:38:36In 2013, they won the League Cup.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Now, for the first time in two decades,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41they will play against some of Europe's finest teams
0:38:41 > 0:38:42in the Europa League.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45The first major trophy ever in the history of this club,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48so it's a huge achievement.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55The club is still owned and run by the fans.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd