SWANSEA CITY v WEST BROMWICH ALBION http://www.swanseacity.comH
aving impressed with then
Scottish Premier League
side Dunfermline Athletic
during the 2006-07 season,
the Swans swooped to sign Dutch
goalkeeper Dorus de Vries when he
became a free agent at the end of
that campaign.
The 6ft 1in stopper – formerly of SC
Telstar and ADO Den Haag – made
an instant impression at the Liberty,
appearing in 58 of the Swans’ 59
matches in all competitions in his
debut season in south Wales.
That included being an ever-present
for Roberto Martínez’s side as they
won the League One title and
boasted the fourth-best defensive
record in the division, conceding just
42 goals in 46 games.
“I loved my time at Swansea,”
reflects de Vries, who went on to
make a total of 203 appearances for
the club between 2007 and 2011. “It
was incredible to be part of the
journey in terms of where the club
was when I first arrived to where
they are today.
“Winning the League One title was a
very special moment, especially
topping a division that contained big
clubs like Leeds United and
Nottingham Forest.
“We carried the momentum of that
promotion into the Championship
and we were pushing to get in the
Premier League each season we
spent in that division.”
The Swans finished eighth in their
first campaign back in the second
tier since 1984 and, once again, de
Vries was an ever-present in goal.He also played in every league match
of 2009-10 as Paulo Sousa’s men
climbed a place to seventh, and kept
a club-record 25 clean sheets in all
competitions – surpassing Roger
Freestone’s previous best of 22 – to
win the Football League’s golden
glove award.“Of course, it was a very proud
moment to surpass the record of a
club legend like Roger,” smiles de
Vries. “But I only played a small part
in breaking that record.
“To keep that many clean sheets is
down to everyone in the team. Not
just the goalkeepers and the
defenders, but the midfielders andforwards defending in front of us,
too.”
The Dutchman’s final season in a
Swans shirt was a memorable one
as they gained promotion to the
Premier League for the first time. He
made the last of his 203
appearances for the club in their 4-2
victory over Reading in the
Championship play-off final in May
2011 and, unsurprisingly, the
campaign is one he looks back on
fondly.
“It was a great experience to be
pretty much an ever-present in the
Swansea City line-up that season,”
comments de Vries. “In the summer
of 2010, the board made a great
decision in appointing Brendan
Rodgers as the club’s new manager.
“Things clicked very quickly with the
team and the manager, who also
made some great signings. It turned
into a memorable season.
“The Championship is such a tough
division with the number of matches
you play and getting promoted,
especially via the play-offs, is no
mean feat.”
The goalkeeper departed the Liberty
Stadium to sign for WolverhamptonNAME: Dorus de Vries
THEN: Made 203
appearances for
Swansea City between
2007 and 2011.
NOW: Has been with Celtic
since 2016.THE CHAMPIONSHIP
IS SUCH A TOUGH
DIVISION WITH THE
NUMBER OF
MATCHES YOU PLAY
AND GETTING
PROMOTED,
ESPECIALLY VIA THE
PLAY-OFFS, IS NO
MEAN FEAT.AS PART OF A REGULAR FEATURE, ANDY GREEVES DISCOVERS
WHAT FORMER SWANSEA CITY PLAYERS ARE UP TO THESE DAYS.Dorus^ de^ Vries