Mention the name Nathan Dyer to Nottingham Forest supporters and they’ll probably immediately have flashbacks to the crushing play-off semi-final defeat of 2011.
The Reds, then managed by Billy Davies, were held to a 0-0 draw in the play-off first leg at the City Ground after the Swans had Neil Taylor dismissed just two minutes in for a foul on Lewis McGugan, with Dyer a key tormentor in their battling display to frustrate Forest and their sell-out crowd.
Almost 200 miles south and across the border into Wales a few days later, the second leg ended in despair for the Reds, with Brendan Rodgers’ side rallying to a dramatic 3-1 win and going on to secure promotion to the Premier League - where they remained up until last May.
Now, nearly eight years on, Dyer will be part of a new-look Swansea side that arrive in Nottingham for the first time since that play-off semi-final looking to keep their rather slim hopes of a spot in the top six alive.
Dyer, who is the Swans’ longest-serving player recounts that May afternoon by the Trent.
“It was a game that not all of us had been involved in before, so we were just really excited to get started," he told the Swans’ website.
“I remember the tackle and the referee producing the red card. Straightaway, we all thought ‘oh no!’
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"Forest were a strong side and we were a man down against them wondering how it was going to go.
"As a team of 10, you can either stand up and be counted or you can crumble.
"We showed a lot of maturity and it was a massive result for us.
"Playing the first leg away from home is always hard, so holding on the way we did was massive.
"Overall, we were very happy with the performance and knew we could start afresh in the second leg with an advantage."
The class of 2019 played out a stalemate in south Wales earlier in the campaign, with Forest then under Aitor Karanka and Swansea adjusting to life back in the Championship with Graham Potter at the helm.
This time around, with just eight games left, the importance of the game has taken on extra significance, especially for the Reds, who know their hopes of a place in the play-offs are hanging by a thread and they must win if they're to keep in touch with those above them.
For the Swans, a 10-point deficit looks almost insurmountable, but they will hope the bonkers nature of the Championship gives them hope.
Swansea will be buoyed by their performance against Manchester City, which saw them lead 2-0 in their FA Cup quarter-final before losing 3-2, and Dyer says that display has given them real heart.
"Over the past two or three games, we’ve played unbelievably well," he said.
"We went into the Manchester City game feeling confident in our ability to play football. A lot of the boys hadn’t played against a team of that calibre before and it can be a daunting process.
"However, having the blend of youth and maturity in the team ensured we held ourselves together. We showed a lot of teams what we can do as a team and as individuals.
"Forest are a massive club with a lot of history. It’s going to be good to go back there and relive old memories against a good side.
“Hopefully, we can play well and get the three points."
