FOOTBALL: Wonder of Wembley
3:00pm Friday 1st March 2013 in Sport Exclusive By Dan Barnes
Nathan Dyer at Wembley with his Captial One Cup winners medal and the Alan Hardaker Trophy
HISTORY boy Nathan Dyer says life at Swansea City just keeps on getting better after he starred as the Swans penned their latest illustrious chapter at Wembley last weekend.
The Welsh side secured their first major trophy in their 101-year history as they saw off the challenge of League Two giant-killers Bradford City in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday – and all eyes were on Trowbridge’s Dyer as he lit up the home of football with a man-of-the-match display.
The 25-year-old winger pounced to poke home the first of the Swans’ five goals after Michu’s shot was parried by Bradford keeper Matt Duke before sumptuously curling home his side’s third of the afternoon with his left foot after cleverly exchanging passes with Wayne Routledge early in the second period.
Dyer’s performance will also be remembered for his on-pitch argument with teammate Jonathan de Guzmán, who denied the former St Laurence School student the chance to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot.
But Dyer says that row is a mere footnote to one of the finest days of his career.
“Every year we seem to keep having bigger and better achievements and now we can look forward to playing in the Europa League next year,” Dyer told the Wiltshire Times.
“Back when I was on loan at Sheffield United from Southampton (in 2009), they wanted to keep me for longer but Swansea came in for me and I decided to go there.
“I haven’t looked back since and I definitely made the right move.
“I was so relaxed and calm on Sunday and you barely even notice the atmosphere, the size of the ground and the noise until you score.
“But it was amazing and two goals and man-of-the-match in a cup final is definitely one to tell the grandkids.
“My medal and my trophy (the Alan Hardaker man-of-the-match trophy) are definitely going in my living room in Swansea “I was disappointed about not getting to take the penalty but it wasn’t to be.
“It would have been amazing to write my name in the history books as the first person to score a hat-trick in the league cup final.
“But it didn’t happen and there’s no way I’d fall out with (de Guzmán) about it. That would be silly.”
Dyer and his fellow Swansea heroes were honoured for their historic cup win with a parade in front of over 20,000 fans in Wales on Tuesday.
But, before that, the Trowbridge star celebrated with friends and his family, who still live in the town, in London on Sunday.
Dyer said: “All of the players’ families came to the hotel after the game and it was great to see all of them before we all went off celebrate ourselves.”
