Who are Swansea City’s greatest wingers ever?

The results are in from our search for Swansea City’s greatest attacking midfielder, and it turned into a remarkably close four-way battle. Gylfi Sigurdsson, Robbie James, Michu and Ivor Allchurch all picked up plenty of support, four players from four very different eras of Swansea City history.

Ivor’s inclusion prompted plenty of discussion, with a number of people pointing out that they simply weren’t around to see him play. That is always going to be one of the difficulties with a series like this. How do you compare a player from the 1950s with one from the Premier League era when most of us only experienced one of them first-hand?

In the end, though, it was Gylfi Sigurdsson who came out on top, narrowly seeing off Robbie James, with Michu and Ivor not far behind. Siggy therefore takes the attacking midfield position in our all-time Swansea City XI.

Now we move out towards the touchlines.

So, who are Swansea City’s greatest wingers?

Cliff Jones – For many supporters voting in this series, Cliff Jones belongs to an era known through stories, photographs and grainy footage rather than personal memory. But there can be little doubt about his credentials. Born in Swansea, Jones came through the ranks at his hometown club and made his first-team debut as a teenager in 1952. Blessed with extraordinary pace, he quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young wingers in British football.

Jones made more than 150 appearances for Swansea before Tottenham Hotspur came calling in 1958. It was at Spurs that he became a household name, winning the league and FA Cup Double in 1961 and earning 59 caps for Wales. Yet Swansea was where it all began. A direct, fearless winger who could beat defenders and score goals, Jones represents a generation of Swansea greats that fewer and fewer supporters were fortunate enough to see.

Leighton James

If you wanted to design an old-fashioned winger, Leighton James wouldn’t have been far from the finished product. Quick, skilful, confident and capable of driving defenders mad, the Welsh international arrived at the Vetch in 1980 as John Toshack continued assembling the side that would complete Swansea’s remarkable climb through the divisions.

James had already played at the highest level with Burnley, Derby County and QPR, and brought genuine top-flight quality to Swansea. Operating primarily from the left, he was an important part of the side promoted to the First Division in 1981 and then helped the Swans briefly threaten for the league title the following season. He could create, score and take responsibility from the penalty spot. His Swansea career was relatively short, but at the absolute peak of the club’s first golden era, Leighton James was one of its outstanding attacking players.

Alan Curtis

Where exactly do you put Alan Curtis? Across this series, that’s probably one of the hardest questions we’ve had to answer. Curt could play through the middle, behind a striker or out wide, image in a team made up of 5 Curt’s and 5 Alan Tates! (sod it, lets have Tatey in goal too!)

A product of Swansea’s youth system, Curtis made his debut in 1972 and became one of the central figures in the club’s extraordinary journey from the Fourth Division to the First. He left for Leeds United in 1979 but returned to Swansea two years later and scored one of the most famous goals in the club’s history on the opening day of the 1981/82 season, dancing through the Leeds defence as the newly promoted Swans announced themselves in the First Division with a 5-1 victory.

Skill, balance and intelligence were at the heart of his game. Curtis wasn’t necessarily the traditional winger who hugged the touchline, but as a wide attacking player capable of drifting inside and hurting teams, few in Swansea’s history can match him. And, of course, his association with the club extends far beyond his playing days.

Nathan Dyer

Nathan Dyer arrived in Swansea initially on loan from Southampton in January 2009. Few could have imagined then just how important he would become to what followed.

After joining permanently that summer, Dyer became a fixture on the right wing as Swansea developed from an ambitious Championship side into one of the most admired footballing teams in the country. His pace was obvious, but there was much more to his game. He fitted perfectly into Swansea’s possession-based style, was excellent in tight spaces and had the ability to accelerate past a defender from a standing start.

Dyer played his part in promotion under Brendan Rodgers, established himself in the Premier League and produced perhaps his greatest Swansea performance on the biggest stage. In the 2013 League Cup final against Bradford City at Wembley, he scored twice as the Swans won 5-0 to lift the first major trophy in the club’s history. More than 300 Swansea appearances and the best part of a decade at the club make him very difficult to leave out of any discussion about our greatest wide players.

Wayne Routledge

When Wayne Routledge signed for Swansea from Newcastle United in 2011, his career had already taken him around the country. Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Aston Villa, QPR and Newcastle were among the clubs on his CV, and there was perhaps a feeling that Swansea might simply be his next stop.

Instead, it became his home.

Routledge would spend a decade at the club and make more appearances for Swansea than for all those previous clubs combined. Technically excellent, intelligent in possession and comfortable on either flank, he was ideally suited to the way Swansea played during their Premier League years. He was part of the League Cup-winning side, played in Europe and remained at the club following relegation to the Championship.

Perhaps Routledge’s greatest strength was his consistency and adaptability. Managers changed, systems changed and the club itself changed enormously, yet Routledge continued to find a role. He might not have had Dyer’s explosive pace or Sinclair’s goalscoring season, but few wide players have given Swansea such sustained service at such a high level.

Scott Sinclair

Scott Sinclair’s claim to a place on this list is very different. He doesn’t have the longevity of Dyer or Routledge, but for one extraordinary season he was almost unstoppable.

Signed from Chelsea by Brendan Rodgers in the summer of 2010, Sinclair immediately became Swansea’s major attacking threat from the left. Cutting inside onto his right foot, he combined genuine pace with a goalscoring instinct rarely seen from a Swansea winger. By the end of the campaign he had scored 27 goals in all competitions.

Three of those came on the day that changed Swansea City forever. Against Reading in the 2011 Championship play-off final at Wembley, Sinclair scored a hat-trick as the Swans won 4-2 and reached the Premier League for the first time.

He followed that by netting 8 goals in the first Premier League season before leaving for Manchester City in 2012. His time here was brief compared with several others on this list, but his impact was enormous. For those two seasons, and particularly that promotion campaign, Scott Sinclair was one of the most devastating attacking players Swansea have ever had.

Six players, six very different claims. This time we’re allowing you to pick two. Who are Swansea City’s greatest ever wide men?