Cardiff Swansea Derby Days celebrates 100 years of this marvellous fixture, warts and all, and tips its hat to unforgettable players and matches. Palmer provides a nostalgic journey through the decades of the derby, evoking memories of players such as Mel Nurse, Phil Dwyer, Leighton James and Darcy Blake who were cheered and booed over the years by fans. Interviews with legendary players vividly illustrate some classic Swansea-Cardiff games and provide a glimpse of the action from both sides of the fence. Particularly striking is how the life of a professional footballer has changed (for the better) in recent times and how the game itself has evolved. The book records the massive crowds of the fifties, sixties and seventies as well as the dark, violent strewn days of the eighties and nineties through to the present day where the derby match had a rebirth at Swansea City's new Liberty Stadium. The teams had not met for nine years and a crowd of over 17,000 put the fixture back in the forefront of national exposure for all the right reasons. Whether a Swan or a Bluebird, you will love - or sometimes hate - this celebration of the Cardiff-Swansea derby.
In the words of John Toshack, 'Up the city!' and 'Come on you Swans!'
- ISBN10 1904091539
- ISBN13 9781904091530
- Publish Date 30 September 2011
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 19 October 2013
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Vertical Editions
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 208
- Language English