Jordan Ayew has followed brother Andre’s lead by joining Swansea City, but they are not the first relatives to wear the white shirt. Here, we look at some of the other family links seen at the club down the decades.
When he came off the bench against Leicester City last month, Jordan Ayew did something that big brother Andre did 35 times. Namely, he played for Swansea City. But the Ayews are not the first relatives to have represented the Swans. Far from it, in fact. The two Ghanaian internationals are the first brothers to wear the Swans shirt in quite a while, but there have been plenty of footballing families in SA1 down the years. Below, we take a look back at some of the relatives who have worn the club’s colours.
Ivor and Len Allchurch One of the most famous footballing families of all in these parts, the Allchurches were local lads who became stars of the Vetch. Older brother Ivor’s statue stands outside the Liberty Stadium courtesy of a stellar career which took in two spells at the Vetch. An inside forward nicknamed ‘The Golden Boy’, he scored a record 164 Swans goals. Len was a fine player in his own right. A tricky winger who was likened to Sir Stanley Matthews, he scored 71 Swans goals in almost 400 appearances for the club. Roy and Dean Saunders Roy was a wing half who played just over 100 times for the Swans in the late 1950s and early 1960s after joining the club from Liverpool. After retiring as a player, he spent a number of years on the staff at the Vetch. Son Dean came through the ranks at the club and showed signs of his potential in the first team before being surprisingly released in 1985. The Swans would regret letting him go, as Saunders enjoyed a fine career as a top-level striker. Mel and Jeremy Charles The Charleses are perhaps Swansea’s finest footballing family. John – the Gentle Giant – never played for his local club, but brother Mel turned out more than 250 times in Swans colours. He was a versatile player who was consistent at either end of the pitch. Mel’s son Jeremy made his Swans debut at the age of 16. He played more than 300 games for the club, helping them win promotion to the First Division in the John Toshack era and scoring the Swans’ first ever top-flight goal.
Tom, Len and Gary Emmanuel Tom and Len were brothers who were born in Treboeth. They both played more than 50 times for the Swans in the 1930s and 1940s. Len’s son Gary was also born in Swansea, but made over 250 appearances for Birmingham and had stints at a number of other clubs before joining his home-city team in the mid-1980s.
Billy, Barrie and Alan Hole Swansea-born Billy, a winger, played almost 400 games for his local club, including their first ever in the Football League. Alan and Barrie followed their dad’s lead. Alan made 25 Swans appearances in the 1950s, while Barrie featured almost 100 times for the club in the early 1970s having previously played for Cardiff, Blackburn and Aston Villa. A third brother, Colin, was also on the Swans’ books, but never made a league appearance for the club.
Ivor, Bryn and Cliff Jones Merthyr-born Ivor played 75 games for the Swans in the early 1920s, including the club’s maiden Football League game. He had a number of brothers who played professional football, and two sons who also turned out for the Swans. Left-half Bryn played 135 games for the club in the 1950s, while younger brother Cliff, one of Wales’s finest ever wingers, featured almost 200 times before establishing himself as a legend at Tottenham. Willie and Tony Screen Brothers Willie and Tony were local lads who emerged at the Vetch in the late 1960s. Willie, a tenacious midfielder, racked up almost 200 appearances and 15 goals before leaving for Newport in 1972. Younger brother Tony started life as a defender, but was used as a forward later in his Swans career. He scored 11 goals in 156 Swans appearances before departing in 1975. Roy Paul and Alan Curtis Wing-half Paul played 175 times for the Swans before leaving for Manchester City in 1950 and establishing himself as one of Welsh football’s biggest stars. He twice played for City at Wembley, including the 1956 FA Cup final when Bert Trautmann famously played on with a broken neck. Curtis, his nephew, needs no introduction. He signed professional forms at the Vetch in 1972 and is still part of the Swans staff now, hence the nickname ‘Legend’.
Gilbert and Cyril Beech Brothers Gilbert and Cyril both made their mark at the Vetch in the 1950s. Gilbert served the Swans for many years as a left-back, clocking up 168 appearances before his departure in 1958. Cyril, a winger, was known as ‘Tulyar’ after a famous racehorse because of his blend of bravery and pace. He played 147 Swans games, scoring 34 goals.
Bill and Phil Tabram The Tabram brothers were Hafod products who played for the Swans in the 1930s. Billy, who was eight years older than Phil, played 25 games for the Swans before turning out for the likes of Port Vale and Hull. Fellow defender Phil managed 13 appearances before the Football League was suspended because of the outbreak of the Second World War.
Syd and Dai Lawrence Syd was a consistent full-back who racked up more than 350 appearances for the Swans in the 1930s. Sadly Syd died young, and son Dai was just two years old when his father passed away. But he would follow in his dad’s footsteps, as he made more than 100 Swans appearances in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A right-back, he is one of the few men who played for both Swansea Town and Swansea City.