'Don't give up' the Swans message as Sheehan gets big chance

There is a message on the wall which dominates Alan Sheehan's office at Swansea City's training ground.

'You have come too far to only come this far' reads the sizeable print above his desk.

"It's a message for all of us and for all the players - it means don't give up now," Sheehan explains.

"Don't waste a day. If you waste a day, somebody has an opportunity to pass you."

On Saturday, Sheehan's first full season as a head coach begins when Swansea start the 2025-26 Championship campaign at Middlesbrough.

This is an opportunity the former left-back has been working towards since his first stint as a captain – at Notts County more than a decade ago – shifted his outlook on football.

"That was the first part of it," he says. "Then it was how I started seeing the game."

Sheehan's playing career spanned 16 years, from his debut as a teenager at Leicester City in 2005 to the last of more than 450 career appearances at Oldham Athletic almost four years ago.

After moving from his native Republic of Ireland to join the Foxes as a 16-year-old, Sheehan played for 12 clubs and won two promotions, both with Luton Town, from League Two in 2017-18 and League One 12 months later.

The second tier was the highest level he reached, with Leicester, Leeds United and the Hatters.

"It was OK," Sheehan says of his playing career.

"I had a lot of clubs, a lot of different managers. Sometimes I was flavour of the month, sometimes I was not.

"From being made to train on my own to captaining teams to promotion - I have seen the highs and lows of this game.

"I think as a coach I try to treat the human as well as the player. But also there has got to be a bit of grit with that to try to get better."

Sheehan was club captain at Luton when Graeme Jones became manager in 2019, when the club were preparing for their return to the Championship.

Sheehan was almost 33 when Jones, Swansea's assistant boss in the Roberto Martinez era, walked through the door at Kenilworth Road.

"Jack Stacey and James Justin left in the first week I was at the club," Jones tells BBC Sport Wales.

"My other full-back was Alan Sheehan, who was almost finished as a player. He will tell you that himself.

"He was no use to me and I was no use to him, but what an incredible pro and what an incredible character. We worked together for six months and I loved the guy."

Jones, who is now on Eddie Howe's Newcastle United staff, says Sheehan's "leadership traits" were apparent even though his game time was limited.

"He would put his head above the parapet," Jones adds.

"We were like kindred spirits and we have kept in touch ever since.

"I would follow Alan. He knows what he wants and he will find a way to win. That's the type of bloke he is."

Having begun studying for his coaching badges at Luton, Sheehan got a first taste of coaching – while still a player – after joining Keith Curle's Northampton Town in 2020.

He followed Curle to Oldham, in League Two, as player-coach in 2021 before returning to Luton – just days after announcing the end of his playing career – as a coach under Nathan Jones in January 2022.

After Luton were beaten in the Championship play-offs that spring, Jones – and Sheehan – left in November for what proved to be a short-lived spell at Premier League Southampton.

His return to the dugout came at Swansea, where he was appointed as an assistant head coach in 2023, first to Michael Duff and then – after his first spell as caretaker boss – Luke Williams.

When Williams lost his job in February, Sheehan took the reins on a temporary basis for a second time and did enough during what remained of last season to land a three-year deal.

Now, in a sense, comes the real business for Sheehan. He has his own staff on board and has new faces in his playing squad - though Swansea still have much to do before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

While recruitment is required, Sheehan is adamant Swansea will not come up short due to a lack of endeavour.

"I wasn't always like it as a player," he concedes. "But something switched when I came over to this side.

"My mindset is totally different. I have been at it for a number of years now and my work ethic is how I judge myself."

Paul Williams, the former Premier League player with Coventry City and Southampton who briefly coached at Swansea under Bob Bradley, now works for the Football Association (FA) as a coach educator.

He was Sheehan's tutor as the Irishman completed obtained his pro licence in 2024.

"He is someone who is dedicated to his role," Williams says.

"To me, his level of detail, his tactical nous and his leadership qualities stand out.

"I think if he is supported at Swansea, if he is given the opportunity to flourish, then Swansea will end up in a better place."

Sheehan's ambition is obvious. The sense is that having missed out on the very top level as a player – and having been there only briefly as a coach – the 38-year-old is determined to work his way back to the Premier League.

Achieving that goal at Swansea will be no easy task given that there are many other clubs in the second tier with more financial clout.

Take the case of Lewis O'Brien, for example. The midfielder excelled during a loan spell with the Swans last season and was open to the idea of coming back this summer.

The club tried to land O'Brien on a permanent deal, only for Swansea's offer to be dwarfed by the deal which has seen the 26-year-old join Wrexham.

Swansea, therefore, have once again been left trying to unearth players who have the qualities to thrive in the Championship, with just one summer recruit, Cameron Burgess, arriving with a proven track record in the division.

Nevertheless, Sheehan believes that given time, the top division is a realistic target.

"We all want to get to the Premier League," he says.

"You have to build momentum and belief, and you have got to improve in every window over a course of time to build that momentum to get there.

"But the mindset has got to be, why can't we together get to the Premier League in time?"

They have come too far, after all, to only get this far.