Having been appointed as permanent boss in May 2014, Garry Monk went into the 2014-15 season with Swansea City looking to prove himself at the highest level in his first managerial appointment.
A busy transfer window followed, with no fewer than 15 new faces being brought into the Liberty Stadium, and crucially the Swans managed to keep in-demand striker Wilfried Bony during the summer too.
Expectations were rather mixed going into the campaign, but Monk settled into the job quickly and guided the Swans to a fine first full season at the helm.
Here, Sports Mole looks back on another satisfying term in the top flight for the Welsh club.
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August
For the second season in a row, Swansea began with a match against a Manchester United side with a new man at the helm. While they were comfortably beaten in 2013-14, however, Monk's men spoiled Louis van Gaal's Old Trafford bow for their first ever league victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
Things only got better in August too as a narrow victory over Burnley made it two wins from two before summer signing Bafetimbi Gomis got his first goal for the club to send them through to the third round of the League Cup. The Swans then maintained their perfect start with a 3-0 triumph over West Bromwich Albion that saw them finish the opening month of the season joint top alongside eventual champions Chelsea.
September
As it transpired, Chelsea were next up for Swansea in a clash between the only two teams still with a 100% record in the division. Monk's side took the lead at Stamford Bridge, but a hat-trick for Diego Costa helped the hosts go on to record a 4-2 victory.
Bony, still without a goal in 2014-15, was sent off in the first half of their match against Southampton at the Liberty Stadium, and that disadvantage eventually told 10 minutes from time as the Saints nicked a late winner. There was a return to winning ways in the League Cup as Swansea swept aside Everton 3-0, but again they were reduced to 10 men in their next league match as Sunderland held on for a goalless draw.
October
Bony finally broke his duck for the season in the opening match of October, but the Swans twice squandered a lead against Newcastle United to eventually draw 2-2 in South Wales. Stoke City were next up after the international break and, despite once again taking the lead through Bony, Monk's side went on to lose 2-1.
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That made it five league matches without a win following their perfect start to the campaign, but they finally ended that run at home to Leicester City courtesy of another two goals from Bony - making it four in three games for the Ivorian.
Merseyside again provided the opposition in the fourth round of the League Cup, and Swansea looked to be heading through at Anfield until late goals from Mario Balotelli and Dejan Lovren saw Liverpool progress at their expense in dramatic fashion.
November
Another trip to Merseyside followed in the league, with Jonjo Shelvey seeing red in a stalemate against Everton at Goodison Park, but two goals in three minutes saw the Swans come from behind to beat Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium eight days later.
Champions Manchester City were next up in a tricky spell of fixtures for Monk's side, and this time it was Swansea who were victims of a comeback. Bony netted an early opener against his future employers, but the Citizens recovered to record a 2-1 victory. There was yet another goal for Bony at home to Crystal Palace at the end of the month, but again they were unable to hold on to the lead as the Eagles salvaged a draw.
December
A busy December brought mixed fortunes for the Swans, starting with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers. Their problems of holding on to leads surfaced once again at Upton Park, however, as West Ham United came from behind to win 3-1 against a Swansea side that had received their fourth red card of the season.
A second consecutive defeat followed as Tottenham Hotspur clinched a late 2-1 win at the Liberty Stadium, but victories over Hull City and Aston Villa either side of Christmas saw Monk's side secure back-to-back league wins for the first time since August.
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The year would end in disappointing fashion, however, as they were beaten by Liverpool for the second time this season, this time going down 4-1 at Anfield in a match that saw Shelvey score an own goal and throw an elbow at Emre Can that resulted in a retrospective ban.
January
New Year's Day saw Swansea receive yet another red card away to relegation-threatened QPR, but Bony's 92nd-minute goal rescued a point at Loftus Road and also proved to be his last strike for the club. The Ivorian joined Man City later in the winter transfer window having contributed nine goals in the first half of the campaign.
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They certainly did not struggle for goals in their FA Cup third-round clash against Tranmere Rovers, though, thrashing the Merseysiders 6-2 at Prenton Park to progress. They needed a Mark Noble own goal to earn a point against West Ham in the league, however, while they were thumped 5-0 at home to a rampant Chelsea to make it four without a win in the top flight.
The team's discipline was once again questioned when they were reduced to nine men in their FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Blackburn Rovers, leaving them having seen eight red cards in all competitions by the end of January.
February
It was the opposition who had a man sent off when Swansea picked up a first win since Boxing Day and only a second league win on the road since the opening day of the season away to Southampton. They were unable to build on that during a 1-1 draw with Sunderland, however, before falling to a 2-0 defeat at West Brom four days later.
The Swans fell behind for the third match in a row when Man Utd visited South Wales, but this time they were able to come back and clinch a victory to record a first league double over the Red Devils. Another victory followed, this time away to Burnley as Swansea's form on the road began to improve, giving them back-to-back league wins for just the third time this season.
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March
They could not make it three on the bounce at the start of March, however, as Spurs edged a five-goal affair at White Hart Lane despite Ki Sung-yueng and Gylfi Sigurdsson, two of Swansea's star performers throughout the campaign, getting on the scoresheet.
A third defeat of the season at the hands of Liverpool made it consecutive losses for the first time since December, but they were back to winning ways courtesy of a late Gomis strike at Villa Park in their final match of the month.
April
The prospect of European football was not entirely out of the question going into the penultimate month of the campaign, and they kept their slim hopes of a top-seven finish going with a 3-1 victory over Hull that included another two goals for Gomis. They could only manage a draw at home to Everton in their next match, however, before falling to a resurgent Leicester 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.
In contrast to the in-form Foxes, free-falling Newcastle were next up for Swansea, and Monk's side poured more misery on the Magpies at St James' Park, coming from behind to clinch a 3-2 victory and inflict a seventh consecutive defeat on John Carver's men.
May
Two goals in the final 15 minutes saw Swansea begin the final month of the season with a 2-0 victory over Stoke, and they left it late again in their next match at the Emirates. The Swans completed the league double over the Gunners courtesy of a smash-and-grab victory that saw Gomis net the winner five minutes from time.
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That result gave Monk's side three straight league wins for the first time since the opening games of the season, but they couldn't make it four on the bounce at home to Man City. The former champions, by now dethroned by Chelsea, squandered a two-goal lead at the Liberty Stadium but recovered to win 4-2, including a late strike for Bony against his former club.
A disappointing final-day loss to Crystal Palace saw the Swans end the season with back-to-back defeats, but they still managed to better last term's points tally by 14 and ended up just four points off seventh-placed Southampton and a possible return to the Europa League.
Barney Corkhill
