Swansea heroes set for parade

Swansea's Capital One Cup winning team are set for a heroes' welcome during a bus parade in their home city on Tuesday.

The Welsh club got their hands on their first piece of major silverware in their centenary season with a crushing 5-0 victory on Sunday over League Two side Bradford at Wembley.

Nathan Dyer, Jonathan de Guzman and Michu all got on the scoresheet to guarantee Michael Laudrup's side Europa League football next season just 10 years after being within a whisker of relegation to the Conference.

Laudrup, who took over the club's reins from Brendan Rodgers in June 2012, has enjoyed plenty of success as a manager in Denmark, as well as while a player in Spain and Italy, and knows exactly what it means to the Welsh city and the Swans fans.

"It is one thing to win a trophy with Barcelona, Real Madrid or Juventus, but to win one with a smaller team like Swansea is absolutely fantastic," Laudrup said.

"It is their first major trophy ever and, especially in this season, is up there with the best things. This club nearly went out of League Two. You are talking about your life.

"Two years ago they played to go from the Championship to the Premier League. That is a world of difference as well. Maybe those two things are most important. But the first major trophy ranks highly in the history of any club."

Lord Mayor of Swansea, Councillor Dennis James, said: "This is a fantastic moment for the Swans and for Swansea as a whole. After their promotion to the Premier League, Sunday's events open a new chapter in a remarkable success story for our city's football team.

"I'm sure thousands of fans will want to line the route and be part of an event that will be remembered for years to come."

The parade will start at 4.30pm outside the Dragon Hotel, before winding through the city to a civic reception at the Guildhall. Rolling road closures will be in place so that routes can be reopened as soon as the parade passes.

Leader of Swansea Council, Councillor David Phillips, added: "This is an exciting achievement and we have pulled out all the stops to get the victory parade organised as quickly as possible and we're sure it's going to be a tremendous success.

"We hope everyone who comes along has a great time, but the safety of the participants and the public is paramount. For this reason, we would ask all spectators to stay behind the safety barriers and follow any instructions that they may get from the safety stewards."