Swansea City

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Goncalo Franco was named Swansea City Supporters' Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season for the 2024-25 campaign.

Franco has been a pivotal figure under both Luke Williams and Alan Sheehan since joining from Portuguese side Moreirense last summer.

And his efforts from his debut season in south Wales were recognised at the club's annual awards ceremony, held at the Swansea.com Stadium, on Wednesday night.

Jessica Williams - who contributed four goals in the Adran Premier - clinched the Women's Players' Player of the Season award.

Goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was named Men's Best Newcomer of the Season following a fine debut campaign with the Swans after joining from Burnley last summer.

The 31-year-old has played every single minute of league action for Swansea this season, keeping 14 clean sheets.

Young forward Aimee Deacon was named Swansea Women's Best Newcomer of the Season.

The 17-year-old scored 10 goals in all competitions, including two hat-tricks, in her debut campaign at the club after leaving Barry Town United last year.

Liam Cullen and Stacey John-Davis were both presented with Top Goalscorer of the Season prizes while right-back Josh Key's sublime strike in Swansea's 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on 9 April was named Goal of the Season.

Defender Arthur Parker scooped the Under-21s Player of the Season award as midfielder Jacob Cook took the Academy Player of the Season award.

Helen Elton - who recently retired after 13 years with the Swansea City Foundation - won the Community Champion Award.

Esme Allchurch - honorary president of the Swansea City Former Players' Association - clinched the Lifetime Achievement award.

The night ended with Wyndham Evans and Nigel Stevenson taking the Alan Curtis Award for their outstanding contribution to the club.

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Owain Tudur Jones says he hopes Swansea City have "done their homework" by assessing various managerial options before opting to stick with caretaker boss Alan Sheehan.

Former Swansea and Wales midfielder Jones says the work done by Sheehan since he took over on a temporary basis in February cannot be faulted.

With the Swans poised to appoint Sheehan on a long-term basis, Jones says his only "concern" is whether his old club have scoured the market for potential managerial candidates.

"What cannot be questioned is the fact that he (Sheehan) has come in and done a really good job - any manager who has almost a 60% win ratio deserves a lot of credit," Jones told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I think he has put the club in a difficult situation in terms of [it being] very hard not to give him the job.

"Only the club know how deeply they have delved into looking elsewhere and providing different options. That's the only thing I would question, have they done their homework in terms of looking?

"Then if Alan Sheehan has ended up being better than all of those people, then of course he deserves the job."

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Swansea had relegation concerns when Luke Williams departed after a run of seven defeats in nine matches in February.

But Sheehan has helped the Welsh club take 23 points from his 12 games in charge to pull clear of danger with something to spare.

With one game to play in 2024-25, against Oxford United on Saturday, Swansea are guaranteed a top-half finish and could end up in the top ten.

"At least he has given hope and the fans a bit of excitement towards the end of the season and building up to what hopefully will be a more consistent year next year," Jones added.

"He would have changed the style of play a little bit, going more direct. Not in terms of long passing, just getting the ball up the field a little bit quicker with those passes, getting more entries into the box, injecting a little bit more pace to the play.

"It's worked, there's no two ways about it, and the players seem to be enjoying playing under him, which counts for a lot as well."

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Swansea City prospect Filip Lissah looks to be ending a difficult season on a high note after returning to action for the club's under-21s.

Centre-back Lissah started a game for the first time in eight months on Monday, playing 65 minutes as Swansea's youngsters won 5-1 at Birmingham City.

The 20-year-old, who joined Swansea's youth set-up after leaving Chelsea in 2021, has been held back by a succession of injury issues this season.

Lissah made his senior debut in the FA Cup in January 2024 and is regarded as a player with the potential to become a regular at first-team level.

Speaking earlier this month, caretaker boss Alan Sheehan said Swansea are hoping Lissah's fitness problems are behind him.

"He is growing and developing. He has picked up some niggles this season and unfortunately couldn't pick up that momentum," Sheehan said.

"He's a good player. He's a good lad. He started pre-season and picked up a niggle, then came back and picked up something else.

"Hopefully he can leave that behind him and we can get him to a place where he can compete for a place in the first team."

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Harry Darling missed Swansea City's defeat at Millwall on Saturday after suffering a knee injury in what Alan Sheehan described as an "accident" on the morning of the game.

Defender Darling, 25, had been due to start at The Den, but had to be replaced in Swansea's XI by Hannes Delcroix.

"He had an accident this morning," caretaker boss Sheehan said.

"I don't want to go too much into that. It's unfortunate, but we need to look at that."

Darling is out of contract this summer, though Swansea are still hoping to convince the former MK Dons player to commit to a new deal.

He has played 39 times in 2024-25 and has been a consistent performer alongside fellow centre-back Ben Cabango.

Sheehan says Darling may be available for Swansea's season-ending home game against Oxford United next Saturday.

"We hope so," he said. "He needs to get assessed, get seen by the physios, and we'll go from there."

Darling has been in fine goalscoring form of late, finding the target three times in his past six games to take his tally for the campaign to five. Only Liam Cullen and Zan Vipotnik have scored more often for Swansea this season.

Darling's late withdrawal meant the Swans named two goalkeepers on the bench at Millwall, with youngster Kit Margetson joining regular back-up Jon McLaughlin in the matchday 18 because he was the only other player in the travelling party.

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Lawrence Vigouroux says Swansea City must not be "pushed about" when they bid to continue their winning run at Millwall on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Swansea go in search of a sixth successive Championship victory but face a Lions side who are also in fine form.

Alex Neil's team are eighth in the table, three places above Swansea, having won four of their past five matches.

Goalkeeper Vigouroux says Swansea are expecting a stern examination at The Den – but that they will take inspiration from recent away successes at Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland as well as last month's draw at Leeds.

"It will be another tough game but a lot of the games have been tough," he said.

"We have just got to keep playing the way we have. We dominate quite a lot of teams on the ball and also we have been very dangerous in the final third. If we continue that, it will be really good game.

"They need to win but we are not here to be pushed about. We are a big club and we have got to go there, go toe to toe and try to get three points."

While Millwall are only three points outside the play-offs, Swansea are six points adrift of sixth-placed Coventry City.

The Swans are technically still in contention to extend their season going into the penultimate round of second-tier fixtures in 2024-24.

Realistically, however, the Swans can begin planning for another year in the Championship – and Vigouroux is hoping this campaign will finish with a flourish.

"I think the good thing is that we can hopefully take it into next season," he added.

"We have done really well over the last 11 games. If we can continue that and then go into pre-season, it can only be good for the club."

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Swansea City will take on Millwall this weekend knowing victory may give them a very slim play-off chance heading into the final day of the season – but only if Coventry City lose to Luton Town in their early kick-off on Saturday.

Alan Sheehan's side are in sparkling form, having won five successive games to move to within six points of the top six.

Swansea must keep that winning run going against Millwall and Oxford United seven days later to have any hope of finishing in the play-offs – but even then they would be relying on a number of results going their way plus a major goal difference swing.

The unlikely play-off talk will be over if sixth-placed Coventry get anything from their trip to Kenilworth Road (12:30 BST).

Should a Coventry side featuring ex-Swans skipper Matt Grimes (below, alongside Frank Lampard) lose, Sheehan's men – who are currently 11th - would move to within three points of sixth with a win over the Lions, who are eighth.

But Swansea would also need seventh-placed Middlesbrough to be beaten at home by out-of-form Norwich City.

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Should all those results happen, Swansea could sneak into sixth place on the final day if they beat Oxford and Middlesbrough win at Coventry – but only if, in the process, the Swans somehow turnaround Boro's advantage in the goal difference column.

As it stands, Swansea are on minus four while Michael Carrick's team have a goal difference of plus 10.

On top of all that, the Swans would need ninth-placed Blackburn Rovers to lose at least one of their games – Rovers host Watford before going to Sheffield United – and West Bromwich Albion, who are 10th, to drop points in one of their fixtures – at Cardiff City and at home to Luton – to be absolutely sure of finishing above those two sides.

All in all, therefore, there will surely be nobody tipping Swansea to reach the play-offs.

But it says something about the run Swansea have been on that they are even in the conversation, having been glancing nervously towards the other end of the table not so long ago.

Millwall will look to keep their dreams of the play-offs alive when they host Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Lions are three points outside the top six but with their -1 goal difference working against them.

Boss Alex Neil is still holding onto hope that they can squeeze into a spot but to do so, they may need to do the league double over the Welsh side - something they haven't done in four decades.

• Millwall have won three of their last four league games against Swansea (L1) and are looking to complete their first double over the Swans since 1984-85.

• Swansea have won five of their last seven away league games against Millwall, with the exceptions being a 1-1 draw in June 2020 and a 2-1 loss in March 2023.

• Millwall have won their last four home league games, last winning five in a row in the same campaign in March/April 2016 (6).

• Swansea have won their last five league games, last winning six in a row in November/December 2007 while in League One.

• Mihailo Ivanovic has scored 11 Championship goals this season, more than twice as many as any other Millwall player. The Serbian has scored six goals in his last seven appearances.

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Iwan Roberts says Swansea City caretaker head coach Alan Sheehan reminds him of the club's former boss Steve Cooper.

Swansea were glancing nervously towards the Championship relegation places when Sheehan replaced Luke Williams in February.

But Sheehan's team have since taken 23 points from 11 matches to climb to within six points of the play-off spots with two games remaining this season.

Cooper, the former Nottingham Forest and Leicester City boss, began his senior club managerial career at Swansea, leading the Welsh club to the Championship play-offs in 2020 and 2021.

"Sheehan has done an unbelievable job," Roberts told this week's Feast of Football podcast.

"All right they are not spectacular - he is not the stat-packed manager that we see in the modern era.

"He is low-risk. I think that's why the two centre-halves are playing ever so well. They will still get it from the goalkeeper, but if there's any risk, it goes. They get it wide, they get early crosses in. The goalkeeper is not afraid to put his foot through the ball.

"Sheehan reminds me very much of a Steve Cooper-type head coach. He makes sure he gets his defensive shape solid so they don't concede."

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Swansea go in search of a sixth straight victory at Millwall on Saturday.

Last Monday's 2-1 success at Queens Park Rangers means the club are on their longest winning league run since 2007.

"They have got an edge to them. They look like they have got hunger, energy," Roberts added.

"The two boys in midfield, [Goncalo] Franco and Lewis O'Brien, I am not sure if I have seen a harder-working midfield duo.

"They look a different side."

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Owain Tudur Jones says Swansea City should not just hand Alan Sheehan the role of permanent manager, even after his impressive spell as caretaker.

The Swans have claimed 23 points in 11 games since the Irishman stepped in following the departure of Luke Williams in mid-February.

Saturday's victory at Queens Park Rangers saw them win a fifth straight league game for the first time in 18 years, but former Swansea and Wales midfielder Jones still believes the club's American owners and director of football Richard Montague should be casting their net wider than just Sheehan.

"I'd like to see other people interviewed as well and if he stands out above the crowd then brilliant," Jones told Radio Wales Breakfast.

"But instead of just giving it to him, even though he's done a remarkable job, I would like to see the club having a long-term plan in terms of really pinpointing who the best man will be."

Swedish duo Kim Hellberg and Henrik Rydstrom are reportedly among the names Swansea have considered, and they are thought to have spoken to a number of potential candidates since Williams departed following a run of seven defeats in nine matches which had raised fears of a potential relegation fight.

After their upturn under Sheehan, the Swans now find themselves just six points below the play-off places with two games to go.

"It's almost something that we feel comes around every year," added Jones.

"Swans have a little flirt with relegation and people get worried, then towards the end of the season they pick up and you think 'are they going to make the play-offs?' and it ends up being a little bit too much of a task. It gives people positive vibes going into the summer."

The former midfielder, who played for the club between 2005-2009, hopes Swansea can at least this time build on the momentum.

"You seem to go round in circles. The trick now is going into the summer, it will be another Championship season next year, and it's about the right appointment," Jones added.

"Whether Alan Sheehan is going to be the next manager - he's really staked his claim, couldn't have done any more - but the club have had time and will have time to reflect and really pinpoint and come up with a plan in terms of who they're going to interview for the job.

"Whether it's Alan Sheehan or somebody else, hopefully good times are ahead for the club."

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Alan Sheehan has helped Swansea City claim 23 points in 11 games since taking over as caretaker boss in mid-February.

It is form which would be deemed acceptable at any club in the Championship given that Sheehan's points return – when reproduced over a full season, of course – would almost certainly be good enough to deliver automatic promotion.

The fact that this sparkling run has come after Swansea's desperate spell at the start of 2025 makes it all the more impressive.

Having featured various signs of promise, Luke Williams' Swansea reign ended in mid-February with relegation concerns.

The Swans were 17th in the table and a relatively healthy eight points clear of the bottom three when Williams departed.

But Williams' ailing side were on a run of seven defeats in nine matches and worries over a potential relegation scrap were growing by the game, the battling victory at Bristol City on 9 February aside.

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Fast forward a couple of months and, with two fixtures remaining in the Championship season, Swansea are 11th, only six points outside the play-off places and a whopping 14 clear of the relegation zone.

Sheehan's Swansea have been a tough nut to crack, keeping seven clean sheets, but have had enough attacking success to win seven of the Irishman's games while losing only two.

As a result, Sheehan has the fans singing his name and various players backing him for the job in media interviews.

For the moment, however, there has been no word from the club's hierarchy – whether that be their American owners or director of football Richard Montague – over whether Sheehan has done enough to be offered a long-term contract.

As it stands, therefore, Sheehan's stint in charge will be over in a couple of weeks' time.

It is no secret that the club have been talking to other managerial candidates, with numerous names at home and abroad thought to have been considered since Williams said his goodbyes.

But given the team's spectacular form, it would be a major call should Swansea's decision-makers – all of whom, it should be remembered, are fairly new to their roles – decide to look elsewhere.