Leon Britton turns Swansea history teacher in bid to avoid relegation

If there is any player who knows what it takes to fight for survival at Swansea City, it is their club captain, Leon Britton. Swansea were 90 minutes away from dropping out of the Football League in May 2003 but they beat Hull City to avoid relegation. Britton, who was just 20 at the time, played in the Swans team that won 4-2 in a game that was a catalyst for the club’s rise to the Premier League.

Saturday’s 2-0 win over Stoke City ended a six-game winless run and saw a familiar face restored to the starting XI. Britton, now at the ripe old age of 34, played his first game since December after injuries and non-selection kept him out of the team. The midfielder, who has been with the club for 15 years across two spells, controlled the tempo of the game and was given a standing ovation when leaving the pitch with five minutes remaining.

Despite not playing a first-team match in 2017 before Saturday, Britton has been making sure Swansea’s relegation battlers know what it takes to play for the club by giving each player a DVD of Jack to a King – a documentary about the club’s rise from almost going out of the Football League to reaching England’s top tier. “I gave them the DVD of Jack to a King on Friday,” Britton said. “I got 25 copies of it and gave it to each of the boys and said: ‘Listen, if you get a spare hour or so before the game against Stoke just have a watch.’”

It is an admirable gesture by Britton and it shows his deep affection for the club he first joined in 2002. Some of Swansea’s foreign players such as Fernando Llorente, Federico Fernández and Borja Bastón might not know how far the Welsh club have travelled in their climb to the Premier League. “Maybe some of them don’t understand – they come to a Premier League club and think it’s always been like this and you don’t blame them,” Britton added. “It wasn’t that far in the past that we were washing our own kit and trying to find somewhere to train so I just wanted them to have a watch and see how much it means to some people.”

After winning promotion to England’s top tier in 2011, Swansea’s Premier League journey has been a relatively happy one, from stunning their competitors with an attractive brand of football under Brendan Rodgers to winning the League Cup with Michael Laudrup in 2013. No one will forget their highest top-flight finish of eighth, achieved under the stewardship of Garry Monk two years ago.

They were the highs, but this season has brought new lows. Swansea, under new American ownership, are in serious danger of playing Championship football in August. Led by the former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement, they are two points adrift of 17th-placed Hull City with four games remaining.

It is in tough times such as these that you need a person like Britton at your club. He has been organising team meals over the course of the season to ensure spirits in the squad remain high. “It is important that everyone sticks together and we have that team spirit,” he said. “It is difficult when you are losing but we try and remain a close-knit squad. When you are in a working environment it is a bit hard to get to know people and what makes them tick.” And now the clock is really ticking on Swansea’s Premier League future.