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The Robbie James Wall of Fame

PUBLISHED

11:25 20th September 2012

. . . club mark unveiling of wall of fame with 20 inductees

The first 20 Swans stars will be inducted into the Robbie James Wall of Fame during its unveiling on Saturday.
The Robbie James Wall of Fame, established in 2011 at the club’s annual awards night, marks the special achievements of those who have played an integral role in the club’s history.
Ten of the inductees were announced last year, with the other half revealed at this year’s end-of-season function. There will be ten further inductees each year over a ten-year period.
The wall of fame inductees are: Jack Fowler, Roger Freestone, Bob Latchford, Mel Nurse, Herbie Williams, Alan Curtis, Cyril Pearce, Harry Griffiths, Ivor Allchurch, James Thomas, Nick Cusack, Brian Evans, Keith Walker, John Toshack, Wilf Milne, Lee Trundle, Wyndham Evans, Dudley Lewis, Len Thompson, John Cornforth.
The wall of fame will be unveiled at 10.45am on Saturday ahead of the Everton game. The Wall of Fame will be placed below the bust of Robbie James, which is adjacent to the Ticket Office at the Liberty Stadium.

Inductees:
Jack Fowler - Having signed for the club for the princely sum of £1,280, this player is just one of a select few to have scored over 100 times for the club. Made 167 league appearances for the club, scoring on 102 occasions including an impressive nine league hat-tricks. Capped six times for Wales.
Roger Freestone - Whilst Jack played just 102 times, he made 549 league appearances over 13 years at the club, scoring just three league goals in the process. He was part of a record-breaking side that won what is now the League Two title. Capped once by Wales – against Brazil at the Millennium Stadium.
Bob Latchford - Started life as a Swan with a hat-trick on his league debut. He went onto score 35 goals in 87 league appearances. A former England international he was signed by John Toshack for £125,000 and is the Swans' leading scorer in the top flight.
Mel Nurse - Nurse could be talked about for a long time for he still has a strong association with the football club. With 12 goals in 267 league appearances, it tells just half a story for a man who has twice been involved in saving the club from oblivion.
Herbie Williams - Close on 500 league appearances and over 100 league goals tells you about a long association with the club as well as playing in an FA Cup Semi Final with the Swans in 1964.
Alan Curtis - Legend, as he is known around the club, needs little introduction. Made 358 league appearances scored 95 league goals and almost 40 years on from his league debut he’s now first-team coach at the Liberty.
Cyril Pearce - Made just 55 league appearances for the club but incredibly netted 43 goals in those games. Scrored 35 goals in his debut season, which remains a club record, and one more season followed before injury ended his career.
Harry Griffiths - The word legend was invented for people like the next inductee. Made 422 league appearances and scored 72 goals - tells a small part of the story that also saw this man take charge of the team for three years and start the work that was built on so successfully by John Toshack. Sadly passed away before he could see the results of those foundations but his contribution will never be forgotten.
Ivor Allchurch - 445 league games and 164 goals as well as a MBE for his services to football is just a top line highlight of a career that – including breaks – spanned almost 20 years at the club. His statue stands proudly outside the Liberty Stadium.
James Thomas - Made just 57 league appearances for the club, finding the net on 16 occasions. Whilst it was a brief association with the club, there was one game that hugely shaped the future of the club. A hat-trick against Hull City on the final day saved the Swans from dropping out of the Football League.
Nick Cusack - Representing the club in 198 league appearances and finding the net on 13 occasions, Cusack was captain of the Swans side that won the third division trophy back in 2000. Off the pitch he proved to be a real ambassador for the club particularly in the bleak days of Tony Petty and his work on and off the pitch helped to save the club towards the back end of 2001.
Brian Evans - 343 league appearances and 57 goals is a statistic in itself to be proud of over a 10 year period for the club. Signed from Abergavenny Town for the sum of just £650 back in 1963, during his time with the club he was capped seven times for Wales. He left Swansea to join Hereford but returned at the end of his career to start up his own business in Swansea.
Keith Walker - Legend tells you that you will never beat this man and with over 260 appearances for the Swans and nine goals he was a rock at the club during the 1990s. He was awarded his own testimonial season in 1999/2000 – a season that saw the Swans crowned champions of Division Three. Now back in his native Scotland, this man is never forgotten by Swans fans.
John Toshack – Tosh is one of the most famous names in Welsh football history. Coming to the club in 1978 from then European Champions Liverpool, he scored 25 goals in 63 league appearances for the club but most notably led the side to three promotions in four years and as a real contender for the football league title at the time. Awarded the MBE in 1982 for his services to football, he will always have a place in Swansea legend and no Wall of Fame would be complete without the name of John Toshack.
Wilf Milne - 586 league appearances and over 650 appearances overall is a record few will surpass. Playing in the Swans' first ever game in the Football League he was also part of the Swans 3rd Division (S) title-winning squad of 1925 and also the FA Cup semi-final team of 1926. He played for the club for 17 years and still holds the record for the most number of league appearances.
Lee Trundle - 83 goals in 166 league appearances is a statistic that gives you the first reason for the next inductee. But beyond that the player was so much more than a goalscorer, he entertained and he gave the Swans a media coverage that was pretty much unrivalled for a lower league club. A late developer into the professional game he made up for it very quickly in his career and few who saw him play will ever forget some of the things he made happen on a football pitch.
Wyndham Evans - Representing the club in four divisions is a feat few can manage and we have players in our current squad that have done it. Llanelli product Evans, though, did it under John Toshack and made almost 400 league appearances for the club and he was part of the side that won promotion at Preston back in 1981. He was awarded a testimonial against Liverpool in 1982 and played for the club for over 15 years.
Dudley Lewis - Back in the promotion winning side of 1981 a young Welsh schoolboy international was thrown into the deep end in the Swans side and as the final whistle blew at Deepdale he was the first person John Toshack searched out to celebrate with – a young lad that was just 18 at the time. Over 230 league appearances followed over a close on ten-year career with the club as well as one Welsh cap against Brazil in Cardiff. A rock at the centre of defence, he was part of the Swans promotion-winning side of 1988 before leaving for pastures new in Huddersfield Town.
Len Thompson - Joined the Swans in 1922 from Birmingham and quickly set about establishing his place in the Swans record books. Part of the 3rd Division (S) winning side of 1925, he scored the goal that sealed the title against Exeter and in total scored 89 goals in 188 league appearances before leaving for Arsenal in 1928 for £4,000.
John Cornforth - The first of only two players to achieve one certain feat for the club. It was back in April 1994 that this man led his side out onto the hallowed turf at Wembley and led them to victory in the Autoglass Trophy against Huddersfield. It was the high point in a career that saw him make 149 league appearances for the club and also earned him Wales caps against Bulgaria and Georgia.

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