John Swift (footballer, born 1995)

John David Swift (born 23 June 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

John Swift
Personal information
Full name John David Swift
Date of birth (1995-06-23) 23 June 1995
Place of birth Portsmouth, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, left winger[2]
Team information
Current team
 West Bromwich Albion
Number 19
Youth career
2005–2006 Portsmouth
2006 Chelsea
2006 Pace Youth F.C.
2007–2014 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Chelsea 1 (0)
2014 → Rotherham United (loan) 4 (0)
2015 → Swindon Town (loan) 18 (2)
2015–2016 → Brentford (loan) 27 (7)
2016–2022 Reading 187 (31)
2022– West Bromwich Albion 56 (12)
International career
2010 England U16 1 (0)
2011–2012 England U17 10 (0)
2012 England U18 1 (0)
2012–2014 England U19 11 (0)
2014–2015 England U20 7 (1)
2015–2017 England U21 13 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:14, 11 October 2023 (UTC)

Early life

John David Swift[3] was born on 23 June 1995[4] in Portsmouth, Hampshire.[5]

Club career

Early years

A midfielder, Swift began his career at Soccer City in Fareham, before moving to Kickers in Eastleigh.[6] He joined local Premier League club Portsmouth in 2005, but was released after just one season.[6] He joined Chandler's Ford Tornadoes, before spending six months with Premier League club Chelsea as an U13.[6] Upon his release he joined Pace Youth in Southampton After interest from Fulham, Portsmouth and Southampton,[7] Swift rejoined Chelsea after a successful trial in 2007.[8]

Youth years

While still an U15, Swift made his U18 debut during the 2009–10 season.[9] He was a part of the U15 team's success in the Junior Section of the 2010 Milk Cup, scoring in a 3–0 victory over Cruz Azul in the final.[10] Swift signed a scholarship deal at the end of the 2010–11 season and was part of the U18 team which won the 2011–12 FA Youth Cup.[9][11] He made his U21 debut towards the end of the 2011–12 season and was awarded a four-year professional contract in July 2012.[9] Swift alternated between the U18, U19 and U21 teams during the 2012–13 season and he cemented a place in the U21s the following year, scoring 9 goals in 26 appearances and winning the U21 Premier League title.[9][12]

Senior

Swift began training with the first team in the latter stages of the 2013–14 season and was rewarded for his form with the U21s by being named as a substitute for the final match of the campaign versus Cardiff City.[13] He made his professional debut when he replaced Eden Hazard in the dying minutes of the 2–1 victory.[14] Swift spent the majority of the 2014–15 season away on loan and did not receive a first team call up.[15]

Loan to Rotherham United

On 1 August 2014, Swift joined newly promoted Championship side Rotherham United on loan for the duration of the 2014–15 season.[16] He made his debut as a substitute on the opening day of the season in a 1–0 away defeat to Derby County, replacing Matt Derbyshire after 70 minutes.[17] He made his first start for the Millers in the following match versus Fleetwood Town in the League Cup first round,[15] lasting 66 minutes of the extra time victory before being replaced by Matt Derbyshire.[18] After two further appearances, Swift was consigned to the bench until 14 November,[15] when he returned to Chelsea after failing to "make a significant impact" at the New York Stadium.[19] He made just four appearances for the club.[20]

Loan to Swindon Town

On 3 January 2015, Swift joined high-flying League One club Swindon Town on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season.[21] He began his time at the County Ground by making five consecutive starts and he scored his first professional goal on his third appearance, in a 3–1 victory over Chesterfield.[22] He netted again on 7 March, sending the Robins on their way to a 3–0 victory over Notts County.[23] A fourth-place finish saw Swindon qualify for the promotion playoffs, but Swift made just one appearance in the semi-final first leg versus Sheffield United, picking up a muscle strain,[24] which saw him ruled out of the victorious second leg and the final defeat to Preston North End.[15] He made 19 appearances and scored two goals for Swindon.[20]

Loan to Brentford

On 1 October 2015, Swift joined Championship side Brentford on a loan which was later extended until the end of the 2015–16 season.[25] He made his debut two days later as a second-half substitute for Toumani Diagouraga during a 2–0 defeat to Derby County.[26] Deployed as a right winger,[27] Swift replaced Konstantin Kerschbaumer in the starting lineup for the following match versus former side Rotherham United and scored his first goal for the Bees with the opener in a 3–0 win over Charlton Athletic on 24 October.[28] He became a regular starter and scored the first brace of his career to send the Bees on the way to a 3–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 23 February 2016, subsequently being named in the Football League Team of Midweek.[28][29] After overcoming an achilles injury suffered on international duty,[30] he scored his seventh goal of the season in a 5–1 rout of Huddersfield Town on the final day.[31] Swift made 28 appearances during the season and returned to Stamford Bridge.[31][32]

Reading

Swift signed a three-year contract, with the option of an additional year, with Reading on 14 July 2016.[33] He scored on his Reading debut in a 1–0 win over Preston North End on 6 August 2016.[34]

On 27 March 2017, Swift was nominated for the EFL Young Player of the Year award along with Ryan Ledson and Ollie Watkins.[35]

On 31 July 2017, Swift signed a new five-year contract with Reading, keeping him at the club until 2022.[36] On 11 September 2021, he scored a hat-trick, in a 3–3 draw against Queens Park Rangers.[37]

West Brom

Swift signed a three-year contract with West Bromwich Albion on 26 May 2022 on a free transfer.[38] On 30 July 2022, he made his competitive debut and scored the equalizing goal in a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough in the opening game of the championship season.[39]

International career
Swift lining up for England U17 in 2012

Swift has represented England from U16 through to U21 level.[40] He made his international debut in a Victory Shield defeat to Wales U16 on 15 October 2010.[40] He was part of the U17 squad which won the 2011 FA International Tournament and the 2012 Algarve Tournament,[41][42] but he could not help the team to qualify for the 2012 European U17 Championship.[43] Swift made 9 appearances during the U19s' failed qualification attempts for the 2013 and 2014 European U19 Championships.[43] Moving up to U20 level for the 2014–15 season, Swift was a part of the squad which won the 2014 Four Nation Tournament and he finally scored his first international goal with the opener in a 2–1 victory over United States U20 on 29 March 2015.[44][45] Swift was called into the U20 squad for the 2015 Toulon Tournament and appeared in all of England's matches as the Young Lions finished fourth.[44] In November 2015, Swift made his U21 debut with a start in a 3–1 2017 European U21 Championship qualifying win over Switzerland. On 25 August 2016, he was called up for Gareth Southgate's U21 side to face Norway in a UEFA U21 Euro 2017 qualifier.[46]

Personal life

Swift attended Brune Park school in Gosport and lived in the town until the age of 16.[6][8]

Career statistics
As of matches played 9 April 2022[47]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea 2013–14[48] Premier League 1000000010
2014–15[49] 0000000000
2015–16[31] 0000000000
Total 1000000010
Rotherham United (loan) 2014–15[49] Championship 30—10—40
Swindon Town (loan) 2014–15[49] League One 182——1[lower-alpha 1]0192
Brentford (loan) 2015–16[31] Championship 27710——287
Reading 2016–17[50] Championship 36810213[lower-alpha 2]0429
2017–18[51] 2421010—262
2018–19[52] 3431021—374
2019–20[53] 4162020—456
2020–21[54] 1410000—141
2021–22[55] 38110000—3811
Total 1873150723020233
Career total 2364060824025442
  1. Appearance in League One play-offs
  2. Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Chelsea Youth

England U17

  • FA International U17 Tournament: 2011[41]
  • Algarve Tournament: 2012[42]

England U20

  • Four Nation Tournament: 2014[44]

England U21

References
  1. "John Swift". Reading F.C. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  2. "John Swift". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  3. "EFL – Squad List 2020/21: Reading – In Squad Players" (PDF). English Football League. p. 110. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  4. "John Swift: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  5. "John Swift: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  6. "Swift rise from the Tyro to the Premier League". Daily Echo. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  7. "Chelsea prospect could make Swift Blues return". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  8. "Chelsea starlet would love to play for Pompey fans". portsmouth.co.uk. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  9. "John Swift". www.chelseafc.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  10. "Milk wins for Etoile and Chelsea". BBC Sport. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  11. "John Swift: Making Progress". Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  12. "Chelsea fight back to claim Barclays Under-21 Premier League title". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  13. "John Swift Player Profile – ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  14. "Cardiff 1 Chelsea 2". BBC Sport. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  15. "John Swift Player Profile – ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  16. "Loan for Swift". chelseafc.com. Chelsea FC. Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  17. "Derby 1 v 0 Millers, report". themillers.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  18. "Rotherham United 1–0 Fleetwood Town (aet)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  19. "Swift makes Chelsea return". themillers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  20. "John Swift". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  21. "Swift Joins On Loan". swindontownfc.co.uk. Swindon Town F.C. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  22. "Swindon Town v Chesterfield". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  23. "Swindon Town 3–0 Notts County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  24. "PLAY-OFFS 2015: Captain Thompson a doubt for final". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  25. "Chelsea youngster John Swift extends Brentford loan". getwestlondon. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  26. "Derby County 2–0 Brentford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  27. "Chelsea loanee enjoying his role in Brentford's midfield". getwestlondon. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  28. "John Swift Player Profile – ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  29. "Sky Bet Football League Team of Midweek". www.football-league.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  30. Moore, Tom (27 April 2016). "John Swift speaks about his return to the Brentford side and takes aim at Fulham". getwestlondon. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  31. "Games played by John Swift in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  32. Wickham, Chris. "Josh Clarke has been offered a new contract at Brentford FC". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  33. "Swift seals Royals switch". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  34. "Reading 1–0 Preston". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  35. "Swift shortlisted for EFL Young Player of the Year!". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  36. "Swift signs up until 2022!". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  37. "Reading 3-3 QPR: QPR fight back to draw thriller at Reading". BBC Sport. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  38. "Albion announce Swift signing | West Bromwich Albion". www.wba.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  39. "Middlesbrough 1-1 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  40. "John Swift". thefa.com. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  41. "John Swift :: John David Swift :: Brentford". www.footballzz.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  42. "England U17 Algarve Tournament Squad". 18 January 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  43. "England – J. Swift – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  44. "England Matches – Under-20's". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  45. Association, The Football. "Chelsea youngster John Swift delighted to be off the mark for England – England | The FA". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  46. "England U21 v Switzerland U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  47. John Swift at Soccerway
  48. "Games played by John Swift in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  49. "Games played by John Swift in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  50. "Games played by John Swift in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  51. "Games played by John Swift in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  52. "Games played by John Swift in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  53. "Games played by John Swift in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  54. "Games played by John Swift in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  55. "Games played by John Swift in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  56. "Chelsea fight back to claim Barclays Under-21 Premier League title". 15 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
  57. Veevers, Nicholas (29 May 2016). "England under-21s lift Toulon title after win over France". The Football Association. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
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