4-1 sounds like a convincing victory and it probably was in the end, but our U21s didn’t have everything their own way earlier in ths contest. Coach Anthony Wright had the comparative luxury of being able to select players from the fringes of the first team squad in the form of returning Ricardo Santos, plus Sam Parker and Bobby Wales. We adopted a 4-4-2 formation, Iestyn Jones starting at right back and Morgan Bates in a left sided attacking role to accommodate Santos and Wales. Sam Parker was given plenty of opportunities to attack the right side.
Evan Anderson; Iestyn Jones, Ricardo Santos (s – Josh Pescatore 46m), Arthur Parker (captain), Callum Deacon (s – Blair McKenzie 81m); Sam Parker, Harlan Perry (s – Ramon Rees-Siso 81m), Dan Watts, Tom Woodward (s – Yori Griffith 72m); Bobby Wales, Morgan Bates (s – Kai Rhodes 64m).
The rain was constant and probably played a part in keeping the attendance down at the main stadium. Bristol City fielded quite a young side with 5 players under 18. Striker Elijah Morrison was a late replacement for Sheppard, who was initially named in the starting line-up.
Swansea started in a lively fashion, Bates being just unable to get a pass from Sam Parker under control inside the area in the opening minute. 3 minutes later he was in the right spot to convert another Parker cross which found him unattended at the far post to put the Swans one up. Any sense that we would go onto dominate the match was lost within seconds when the visitors broke uncontested through our middle and Nelson stroked a neat shot home to equalise.
Nelson and Morrison gave our defenders plenty of problems, Nelson hooking an adventurous shot over from the left side of the area before cleverly collecting a high ball, taking it past Arthur Parker and drawing a foul to give the Robins a penalty on 21 minutes. Fortunately for the Swans, skipper Derrick rather telegraphed his shot, but nonetheless it was an important save by Anderson to push the penalty strike around the post. A series of Bristol City corners and set pieces followed and we looked quite vulnerable at this stage. Callum Deacon was booked as we struggled to get control of the game. Nelson and Morrison continued to trouble our defence for pace and – aside from a well-worked chance that Tom Woodward couldn’t direct beyond keeper Witchard – we just about got to half-time level. Whether or not it was the need to accommodate different players, the side couldn’t quite deliver its normal flowing passing style and notably neither Harlan Perry nor Dan Watts saw a great deal of the ball in the opening 45 minutes.
Half-time brought a change with Santos having been given a first half workout. Josh Pescatore was introduced to the right side of midfield, Sam Parker withdrew to right back and Iestyn Jones partnered Arthur Parker in the centre of defence. Pescatore made an immediate impact with a perfect run and low cross that was laid on a plate for Bobby Wales to convert from close range. Minutes later, smart passing by Perry and Bates set up Tom Woodward for a shot that deserved more than to have cracked against the outside of the Bristol City post. Our shape seemed more fluent, Perry and Watts seeing much more possession and further chances duly came the way of Bates, Pescatore and Perry. Nelson and Morrison still kept our back four on its toes, but the visitors’ breaks were less frequent.
First year scholar Kai Rhodes replaced Morgan Bates and added another dimension to the left wing threat. Another carefully crafted move from Arthur Parker through Dan Watts allowed Rhodes the opportunity to cut inside and surprise the City keeper with a sharp shot from the edge of the penalty area to put Swansea 3-1 up.
Substitutions from both sides tended to break up play, although both Yori Griffith and Ramon Rees-Siso revelled in the extra space that opened up. The weather also got appreciably worse in the last 20 minutes: it was positively hammering down.
In added time, Wales, who’d had a reasonable if fairly quiet game, brought a long ball under control, evaded his markers and slammed home the Swansea fourth in added time.
A very good result against a battling opposition who never gave up, there were sound performances across the team. Dan Watts was tenacious throughout, both creative and destructive when it mattered. Sam Parker was confident and constructive. Josh Pescatore’s introduction was also significant.
Scoring: Morgan Bates 1-0 (4m); Raekwan Nelson 1-1 (5m); Bobby Wales 2-1 (48m); Kai Rhodes 3-1 (76m); Bobby Wales 4-1 (90+3m).