A stunning win yesterday against Sheffield United who sit at the top of the PDL North and who haven’t lost for six months. Until yesterday that is.
Here is the PDL South table after this game.
Goal scorers.
Info - The Professional Development League is split into two divisions of 10 teams of category two rated academies - north and south. Each team plays the opponents in their own division home and away. They then also play teams from the opposing section once - which could be either home or away - to make up a 28-game season.
Latest fixture
From the OS. Latest match report.
Swansea City 4 Sheffield United 1 ( Swansea.Com Stadium )
Josh Thomas scored a brace as Swansea City Under-21s returned to winning ways and maintained their 100 per cent record at the Swansea.com Stadium with victory over Sheffield United in the Professional Development League. Taking on the champions of the northern section of the competition, the hosts took the lead through a Levis Pitan own goal, before Jili Bayubu levelled for the Blades.
But Thomas won and converted a penalty to put the Swans back in front before the break, and then fired in a low strike to seal the three points in the closing stages, before substitute Joe Thomas finished a superb team move to put the icing on the cake. It meant Anthony Wright’s side bounced back from consecutive defeats, and back up wins here against Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic and Hull City with another three-point haul at the home of the senior side.
It also marked the first time the visitors had lost in the league since November.
The Swans showed two changes from their defeat at Barnsley last time out, with Harry Jones and Azeem Abdulai coming in for Kian Jenkins and Ben Blythe respectively. The home side started well, zipping the ball about and denying the visitors an early foothold in the game. Ben Lloyd, fresh from signing a new contract just last week, showed good skill and acceleration to fire a threatening ball across the face of goal before the midfielder could not quite get on the end of a Smith pull-back.
But it was Remy Mitchell in the Swansea goal who made the first save of the game, getting solidly behind Antwoine Hackford’s low strike from just inside the area. However, it was the Swans who took the lead in the 20th minute, Liam Smith driving towards the byline to deliver and see his cross inadvertently turned into his own net by Pitan.
The Blades sought a quick response and Luther Williams headed just over the bar from a corner a few minutes later. The Swans responded with a lovely flowing move, working their way from back to front, where Josh Thomas saw his strike saved by Luke Faxon in the United goal. But the visitors levelled from their next attack, Sai Sachdev driving forward down the right and picking out Buyabu for a simply finish at the far post.
However, the Sheffield youngster blotted his copybook a few moments later, bundling Josh Thomas over as he burst into the box and the Swansea striker found the net from the resulting penalty despite Faxon getting both hands to his effort. The Swans retained their lead at the interval, but had a let-off early in the second period when Azeem Abdulai was caught in possession and Louie Marsh sent a curling shot narrowly over the bar.
It was proving a keenly-fought contest and Buyabu and Abdulai went in the book after an altercation near the touchline as the teams battled for the ascendancy. Kai Ludvigsen then made an important challenge as Hackford looked to turn him and get in behind the Swansea defence.
The Swans put the game to bed with 17 minutes to play, the hosts recycled the ball after Joel Cotterill’s volley had been saved and it was worked to the right side of the area for Josh Thomas to drill home his second goal of the game. Swansea wanted more, Lloyd stinging the gloves of Faxon at the end of a flowing move, and they did added a fourth goal through substitute Joe Thomas after a sweeping move also involving Cotterill and Smith.
Swansea City Under-21s: Remy Mitchell, Harry Jones (Joe Thomas (77), Sam Leverett, Azeem Abdulai (Ben Blythe 89), Kai Ludvigsen, Filip Lissah, Cameron Congreve (Ruben Davies 69), Joel Cotterill (captain), Josh Thomas (Mitchell Bates 77), Ben Lloyd, Liam Smith.
Unused Substitutes: Kit Margetson.
Sheffield United Under-21s: Luke Faxon, Sai Sachdev, Jili Buyabu, Levis Pitan, Luther Williams, Kyron Gordon, Sydie Peck (captain), Charlie Staniland, Antwoine Hackford, Louie Marsh, Josh Smith (Fernando Macedo 73).
Unused Substitutes: Jack Waldron, Callum Yam, Ben Drake, Sam Aston
What the boss said post match.
Coach Anthony Wright thoroughly enjoyed watching his Swansea City Under-21s side in action after they recorded another convincing home win at the Swansea.com Stadium with a 4-1 victory over Sheffield United in the Professional Development League. Taking on the champions of the northern section of the competition, the hosts took the lead through a Levis Pitan own goal, before Jili Bayubu levelled for the Blades.
But Josh Thomas won and converted a penalty to put the Swans back in front before the break, and then fired in a low strike to seal the three points in the closing stages, before substitute Joe Thomas finished a superb team move to put the icing on the cake. It meant the age-grade side bounced back from two consecutive defeats, and backed up wins against Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic and Hull City with another three-point haul at the home of the senior side.
“I’m just so pleased with the overall performance. The boys showed so much courage to get on the ball. Their movement and their discipline to work certain areas, to play out under a high press, was a real joy to watch,” said Wright. “I’ve really enjoyed that performance today, and it was topped off with four goals, which I know we've got in us.
“The boys are pleased, and with full respect to Sheffield United, they’ve won the north league and they’re a very good side, and we knew that going into the game today. “We knew that our performance had to be of a high level to get anything out of the game, and the boys accepted that challenge that we set them. “I’m just over the moon with the whole performance today. I think our game management just after half-time was tremendous. It showed how much the players are really coming on individually and collectively.
“We spoke last week after Barnsley that we needed a little bit more control of the game, which I think we did incredibly well with in the second period." Swansea City head coach Russell Martin and assistant coach Matt Gill were among those in attendance to witness the young talent displayed on Monday afternoon.
“The gaffer and his team have been so supportive of everything that we do, they’re behind us all the way. The interaction I get with them is brilliant and then we try and be as close as we can to the first team," added Wright. “That’s the unity within the club, and that’s something that will progress right through the system and we’ll all benefit from it.
“For us to be able to showcase ourselves at the stadium with fans coming out to watch, everyone will see that the future really is bright with this group.”
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