Swansea City

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Joe Allen is in contention to start for Swansea City against Oxford United on Saturday (12:30 BST) as the Wales great bids farewell to professional football.

Allen has announced that the Oxford game will be his last before he hangs up his boots after 18 years playing senior football.

The 35-year-old will retire having made almost 600 club appearances and won 77 Wales caps.

Another Swansea veteran, Kyle Naughton, will also be saying goodbye this weekend after more than a decade at the club.

Harry Darling – who has been offered a new deal – Cyrus Christie, Jon McLaughlin and Kristian Pedersen are also due to become free agents this summer, while Lewis O'Brien and Hannes Delcroix are coming to the end of loan spells.

Swansea could secure a top-10 finish should they beat Oxford, who are 17th in the table, and West Bromwich Albion fail to beat Luton Town.

The Swans are chasing a fourth successive home win in what is their first game since Alan Sheehan was appointed head coach on a permanent basis, and the Irishman is keen to end an undulating season on a high.

"The lads are in a really good place," Sheehan said.

"It's two teams who are safe. Yes we want it to be a party atmosphere, but we want to build a winning culture at the football club."

Swansea City and Oxford United are set to enjoy their final game of the season with nothing on the line - bar pride, of course.

The two will meet in Wales on Saturday (12:30 BST), with Swansea six points under the play-offs and Oxford no longer in relegation threat.

The U's secured safety last time out with a 2-0 victory over fourth placed Sunderland.

They go into this game knowing their goal has been achieved but the job is not done for either side, who will want to end their campaign with a bang.

• Swansea City are unbeaten across their last four league games against Oxford United, winning each of their last three in succession (D1).

• Oxford United have failed to win any of their last four away league games against Swansea City (D2 L2), since a 2-1 victory in November 2000.

• When playing at home on the final day of a league campaign, Swansea have lost three of their last four games (W1), including a 1-0 defeat to Millwall last season.

• After winning their last match 2-0 against Sunderland, Oxford will be looking to win successive league games for the first time since January.

• Since Alan Sheehan's first Championship game in charge of Swansea City, only Burnley (29), Leeds (25) and Millwall (24) have won more points than the Swans (P12 W7 D2 L3).

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Swansea City are interested in a summer deal for Kilmarnock striker Bobby Wales.

The 19-year-old is out of contract at the Scottish Premiership club at the end of the season and is being tipped to move to the Swansea.com Stadium.

Kilmarnock could receive around £300,000 in compensation for Wales.

An under-19 intertional, Wales has been tipped to make the step up to Scotland's senior squad thanks to his form with Kilmarnock.

Wales has scored five goals in 41 senior appearances – 18 of which have been starts – having come through the ranks at Kilmarnock.

He also netted 12 goals in 24 games during a loan spell at Alloa.

In March, Killie boss Derek McInness said he would be "devastated" should Wales leave Rugby Park.

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Director of football Richard Montague says Swansea City want to bring Lewis O'Brien back to the club next season – but concedes the midfielder's next move will be down to Nottingham Forest.

O'Brien has excelled in Swansea colours since arriving on loan at the back-end of the mid-season transfer window.

The 26-year-old said last month he would be open to the idea of returning to Swansea in 2025-26.

However, he remains under contract at the City Ground next season and the cost of any deal to bring him back to Wales is likely to be significant.

"We do know Lewis has loved his time here and we have loved having him here," Montague said.

"We'd love to have him back but he's under contract with Nottingham Forest and it's largely up to them what they choose to do.

"It's something we'd really be open to and we'd love to explore further, but ultimately when he's contracted to another club, it's not us in the driving seat."

O'Brien ed Forest from Huddersfield Town in 2022 following the Nottingham club's promotion to the Premier League.

But he has played only 17 times for Forest, and spent time on loan at DC United, Middlesbrough and Los Angeles FC before moving to Swansea after they sold Matt Grimes to Coventry City.

O'Brien has scored once in 15 appearances for the Swans, with his energy and dynamism in midfield key in the club's impressive form under Alan Sheehan.

"He is going to have an awful lot of suitors because he has played so well," Montague added.

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Goncalo Franco was named Swansea City ers' 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 ing 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 ing 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 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 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 of long ing, just getting the ball up the field a little bit quicker with those es, 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 ed 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 ing 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.