It was 40 years ago today… relive the magic once more!

Sunday, 2 May 2021, 8:00
1 min read

May 2nd 1981.ย  A date that will live long in the memory of Swansea City supporters everywhere.ย  ย A 3-1 win at Deepdale that ended a remarkable journey that began just four years earlier and lifted the Swans from Division Four to Division One in such a short period of time.

Just six years earlier, the Swans had been forced to apply for re-election to the Football League after finishing bottom of the Fourth Division but the win at Deepdale secured a third promotion in 4 seasons for John Toshack and his side.

The Swans went into the game knowing that they would secure promotion with a win thanks to their superior goal difference over Blackburn Rovers but it was against a Preston side who needed points to stay in the second division.

The Swans were backed by more than 10,000 supporters who made the long trip to North West England. This was the biggest away support for the South Wales club โ€œsince Swansea met Preston at Villa Park in 1964โ€ (South Wales Evening Post, 2 May 1981). Throughout the match, the travelling contingent backed their team vocally and โ€œincluded Cwm Rhondda and the Welsh national anthem in their musical repertoireโ€ (South Wales Evening Post, 2 May 1981).

Leighton James opened the scoring in the 24th minute whilst Tommy Craig added a second very shortly afterwards to send the travelling support into celebration and open the door to the first division for the Swans.

Alex Bruce may have pulled one back with a little over 10 minutes left to play but when Jeremy Charles scored the Swans third in the closing stages of the match it was as good as over and the Swans were a First Division football team.

Never before had a side managed to climb the league system as quickly as the swans did under John Toshack. Bill Shankly, whom Tosh had played for at Liverpool, applauded the clubโ€™s remarkable achievements. In an interview with BBC Sport shortly after the match at Preston, he asserted that Toshack could be โ€œmanager of the centuryโ€.

โ€œThis is the greatest day in the history of Swansea City and thereโ€™s no reason why they canโ€™t stabilise themselves in the big leagueโ€ he added.

Why not check out the Evening Post’s 25 year celebratory publication of that famous day here

WERE YOU AT PRESTON ON THAT MAGICAL DAY?ย  WHY NOT SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS BY LEAVING YOUR COMMENTS BELOW OR SHARE THEM ON OUR FORUMS HERE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJrDsrCf2VQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErhmMtj_mKk

Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.

Phil Sumbler

Been watching the Swans since the very late 1970s and running the Planet Swans website (in all its current and previous guises since the summer of 2001 As it stood JackArmy.net was right at the forefront of some of the activity against Tony Petty back in 2001, breaking many of the stories of the day as fans stood against the actions where the local media failed. Was involved with the Swans Supporters Trust from 2005, for the large part as Chairman before standing down in the summer of 2020.

NewsNow

League Table

Next Up

Forum Latest

Threads: 14,852

Messages: 231,427

Members: 2,018

Latest member: gracielapino34

Latest from Blog

Swans TV: Luke Williams ahead of Sheffield Wednesday | Press Conference

. . .Luke Williams talks to the press ahead of his side's Championship clash against Sheffield Wednesday the Hillsborough. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow…

Ronald’s Swansea move was “the happiest day of his life”

Brazilian winger Ronald admits that his move to Swansea in the January window was the culmination of a childhood dream that saw him wanting to play in Europe. Ronald has made an immediate impact at Championship level for the Swans and added a much needed injection of pace into a…

Swans TV: Junior Jacks | Press Conference

Swansea City's Harry Darling, Kyle Naughton, Jess Williams and Sammy Wynne sat down with some of our junior season-ticket holders for a press conference with a difference at the Swansea.com Stadium. The young supporters got the chance to ask the Swans quartet about what it's like to play for the…

Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea City – Your matchday guide

The Swans are back in matchday action on Friday as they take on relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday with the impressive win over Cardiff City still fresh in our minds. That win over the Bluebirds gave the Swans a seven point cushion ahead of the bottom three and eight over Friday’s…

Swans TV: John Cornforth | Lifting the Lid

. . . For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/swansofficial Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/swansofficial Swansea City Association Football Club is a…

Don't Miss

In the end it came to penalties – but it’s more than one thing that never changes

So that was the tournament that was Euro 2020.ย  ย For

Connor: Only 1% want us to win

Wales will tomorrow evening go in search of their second