Swansea City: Play-off icon unlocked cult-hero status in a unique way involving Cardiff City | OneFootball

Stephen Dobbie became a Swansea City cult-hero after winning the Championship play-off final two seasons in a row

Stephen Dobbie is often seen as an unsung hero when it comes to Swansea City winning promotion to the Premier League in 2011, but the Scotsman played an important role in helping the club to the top-flight for the first time, not least in the play-off final.

However, his time at Swansea City was far from plain sailing, with the promotion-winning 2010/11 campaign the only full season he spent in South Wales and a number of loan spells away during his three years at the club.

The Scotsman was signed on a free transfer from Queen of the South in 2009, and while he's seen as a cult hero, he also endured some frustrating times at the club and wasn't always a regular in the first-team.

Swansea's success in 2011 and Dobbie's numerous loan spells away meant that he actually made it to three consecutive Championship play-off finals as a contracted Swansea City player, an impressive feat that only added to his status as a cult hero.

Stephen Dobbie unlocked Swansea City cult hero status thanks to play-off success

While Dobbie played an important role in Swansea's play-off success in 2011, it was actually his role in the play-off final the previous season that helped his reputation amongst supporters initially.

After a difficult first season at the club under Paulo Sousa, Dobbie was allowed to leave play-off chasing Swansea in February, joining promotion rivals Blackpool on loan until the end of the season.

Four goals and four assists helped the Tangerines reach the Championship play-offs at the expense of Swansea, who had finished one point behind them, so Sousa could well have been cursing his decision to send Dobbie to Blackpool at the time.

The former Rangers man then played an important role as his side saw off Nottingham Forest in the play-off semi-final, scoring one and assisting two as they won 4-3 at the City Ground, setting up a meeting with Swansea's bitter rivals Cardiff City in the play-off final.

Cardiff were huge favourites to win promotion and become the first Welsh club to reach the Premier League, taking the bragging rights, which would have been a huge blow to Swansea, with the two clubs relatively even matched at the time.

Dobbie's Blackpool side recorded a shock 3-2 win, condemning the Bluebirds to another season in the Championship, much to the delight of Swansea supporters.

The irony wasn't lost on the Jack Army that it could have been them in Blackpool's position had they not loaned them Dobbie and he returned to the fold for the 2010/11 season.

His first season at Swansea had been a miserable one, and all of his goals had come in the early rounds of the EFL Cup, but he soon showed what he was capable of under Brendan Rodgers.

He became an important figure, playing 41 Championship games, scoring nine goals and registering six assists as Swansea finished third, making it to the play-offs.

Just like 12 months earlier, he had a standout performance against Nottingham Forest in the semi-final, scoring an impressive long-range goal and registering an assist to help his side to a 3-1 win, and he kept his place in the starting XI for the final against Reading.

Dobbie was exceptional in the final, helping to set up Scott Sinclar's second goal with an impressive run before scoring Swansea's third goal, and the pick of the bunch in a 4-2 win, leading the club to the Premier League for the first time.

In the space of 12 months, Dobbie helped Blackpool win promotion at the expense of Cardiff City before playing a pivotal role in Swansea's promotion, making him a cult-hero in SA1.

Play-off final win was as good as it got for Stephen Dobbie at Swansea City

Inevitably, after promotion to the Premier League, Swansea strengthened their squad, and it meant Dobbie fell down the pecking order.

However, he started their first game in the Premier League against Manchester City and made eight appearances in the top-flight prior to March, where he sealed yet another loan move to Blackpool.

While Dobbie featured a handful of times for Swansea in the top-flight, most of his action came in the Reserve League, where he scored six times in nine appearances, showing that he was too good to be playing at that level.

After arriving at Bloomfield Road, he helped Blackpool reach another play-off final, being defeated by West Ham United, denying Dobbie the chance of three consecutive play-off wins.

The summer of 2012 brought down the curtain on his time in South Wales, joining Brighton, before a move to Crystal Palace in 2013 which saw him join Blackpool on loan on two further occasions.

Despite four loan spells at Blackpool, he never made a permanent move to the Tangerines, although he does now work for the club as a first-team coach, following a spell as caretaker boss during the 2022/23 campaign.

Dobbie's time at Swansea was a frustrating one for the most part, but his role in helping the club win promotion in 2011, coupled with his Blackpool side denying Cardiff promotion a year earlier, means he's fondly remembered in SA1.