Swansea Metropolis followers could not have been shocked to find that their staff will head off on their travels on the opening weekend of the brand new season.
In current instances, in spite of everything, it has often been the best way.
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Swansea’s journey to Stoke Metropolis on the weekend of 15 August can be their third successive away fixture on the opening day of a brand new marketing campaign.
Extra remarkably, it is going to be the Swans’ seventeenth opening-day away sport previously 20 seasons.
The three house fixtures previously twenty years have been a draw with Birmingham in 2023-24, a win over Hull Metropolis in 2019-20 and a 4-1 defeat by 12 years in the past.
The Swans will head to Stoke searching for a primary opening-day win since started his mortgage from with the one objective at Preston in 2020-21.
That was one among 5 Swansea away successes in 9 seasons, a run which additionally included triumphs at Sheffield United, , Queens Park Rangers and – most memorably – Manchester United, when (pictured above) and Gylfi Sigurdsson struck both aspect of a objective from Wayne Rooney.
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Can Swansea start the 2026-27 marketing campaign with one other triumph on their travels?
Actually, they’ll head to Stoke understanding nothing will come straightforward within the Potteries.
Swansea have gained solely as soon as in 15 visits to the Bet365 Stadium since a objective from Kristian O’Leary – who’s now a part of the Welsh membership’s teaching employees – secured a 2-1 away success in 2001.
The one Swansea victory since then got here in 2020-21, when ‘s contentious late penalty gave Steve Cooper’s aspect all three factors.