The South Wales derby holds no fear for flying Dutchman Cedric van der Gun. Having played in the 'Klassieker' between Ajax and Feyenoord back home in Holland, the 30-year-old is ready for anything.

The Dutch derby, known as the 'Klassieker' (The Classic), is a fierce affair between two of the largest cities in the Netherlands. It's widely regarded as one of the most hostile, passionate and famous derbies in Europe.

So it's hardly surprising then that van der Gun doesn't flinch an inch when he was warned about the passion and fierce rivalry associated with today's derby clash between the Swans and the Bluebirds.

"I've played for Ajax twice against Feyenoord, both home and away, so I know all about derbies,'' he explained.

"The Klassieker is a hostile affair, like most derbies are throughout the world. There were 50,000 people packed into two great stadiums and the atmosphere was special.

"I remember playing in Feyenoord. It was a lovely sunny day and I went to take a throw in front of the home fans.

"The fans are really close to the pitch there and I remember this huge shadow coming over me as they all stood up to scream and shout abuse at me.

"But I loved it. It wasn't a problem for me.''

The former Ajax, ADO Den Haag and Utrecht striker has also played for Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich in a huge German affair, so he's more than used to the big occasion.

And it's something he feels will stand him in good stead for today's encounter which, according to everyone he talks to, is the biggest of them all.

"Everybody in Swansea keeps telling me there's nothing like a South Wales derby,'' he added.

"I've been looking forward to this game because I heard all the stories from Dorus (de Vries) and Ferrie (Bodde) even before I came to Swansea.

"The players have also been telling me stories about it. And even though we played Scunthorpe last Saturday, all the fans and Press wanted to talk about last week was the Cardiff game.

"One of the fans even said to me that if we beat Cardiff he wouldn't care where we finish at the end of the season. That's really something!

"But I know how important the game is for the fans; it was the same for Ajax fans against Feyenoord.

"All the build up to this game has made me really curious and it couldn't come around quick enough for me.''

And van der Gun couldn't have hoped to have gone into the game in a richer vein of form after rounding off a man of the match performance at Scunthorpe last Saturday with his first goal for the club - and even in the dreaded No 11 shirt discarded by Mark Gower!

"It was always going to take me time to get going at Swansea,'' added van der Gun. "When I came to Swansea I hadn't played for four months.

"If I'm honest, I didn't think the four months would have made a difference and I could have got up to speed straight away. But maybe I underestimated things because it always takes time to get used to new people, places and a new league.

"But I'm getting there now and it's going well. I have been getting better with every game and with every passing week.

"I enjoyed myself at Scunthorpe, but I don't think I am back to my best yet. I don't know when that will happen, but I hope to get better with every match I play.''

The amiable Dutchman certainly arrived with an impressive reputation and pedigree. He eHe

was regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in Holland when he signed for Ajax in 2000 from Den Bosch where he followed in the footsteps of greats like Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp.

Coming through the ranks alongside him during his time were the likes of Real Madrid duo Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Schneider and Manchester City's £16m recruit Nigel de Jong.

He made 35 appearances for the Dutch giants before being loaned out to Willem II in 2002.

After 30 appearances he moved to ADO Den Haag where he played alongside current Swans duo Dorus de Vries and Ferrie Bodde.

Then after his contract expired with Ajax in 2005, he moved to Borussia Dortmund where he suffered a serious knee injury - like Ferrie Bodde it was his second cruciate knee injury - that restricted him to just three appearances.

A season on the sidelines followed before he returned to Holland with FC Utrecht where he played 52 times before his contract expired at the end of last season.

It allowed him to move to the Liberty Stadium as a free agent. And what a catch!

"There were a number of teams interested in me from Holland, Germany and France,'' he explained. "Some of them in the Champions League, although they weren't the really big clubs.

"But when Swansea expressed an interest I spoke to Ferrie and Dorus on the phone. I played with them both at Den Haag and I knew they would be honest with me.

"They spoke very highly about Swansea, the city and the team, and the stories they had to tell were all positive. Dorus and Ferrie sold Swansea to me.

"The move was still a big gamble, but from the beginning I knew I wanted to come abroad and I have stuck to that. I really wanted to test myself in English football because I think both the Premiership and Championship are great leagues.

"I watch football all the time and I love the English leagues. Everything about it - the fans, the stadiums, the nice pitches, just makes it a country I really wanted to play in.

"I hope we will be able to make the play-offs this season because I'd love to play in the Premier League with Swansea. That's why I came here."

Having been brought up on the renowned Ajax philosophy of playing football the right way, the Swans seemed the obvious choice.

"I came through the Ajax youth at the age of 15 and stayed until I was 23. I learnt my football there and I know many people say it's the best place in the world to do that.

"It was a good time for me and a great education. I've only ever known how to play one way. For me it's important teams play football.

"Since I've been here, I've seen Swansea play good football at all times. For a player like me, that's really encouraging.

"I've been impressed with the Championship. It's more physical than the top flight in Holland and you have 24 strong teams who can all beat each other.

"There's not much between the 24 teams, while in Holland there is a massive gap between the top team and the one at number 18.''