Anthony Wright praises Cotterill character

Anthony Wright has hailed the mindset and character of Joel Cotterill after the young midfielder opened his Swansea City Under-18s goalscoring account for the season.

Cotterill – the younger cousin of former Swansea winger David – was on target as the under-18s came from behind to see off Queens Park Rangers at Landore last weekend.

One of three under-16s players in the young Swans’ starting line-up, the central midfielder demonstrated his readiness and capability of handling responsibility at a higher level.

Having provided a vocal presence throughout the contest in the middle of the park, Cotterill was brought down in the penalty area with the scores level at 1-1 following a surging run into the heart of the QPR defence.

The 16-year-old then picked himself up to confidently fire home from 12 yards and complete the turnaround for the Swans, who would go on to record a 3-1 win in Wright’s final match in charge.

And the new under-23s assistant coach highlighted the mental strength that Cotterill demonstrated.

“Joel got on the ball a lot and kept it moving for us in the right areas,” he said.

“In fairness to him, he has a real good mindset.

“Stepping up shows good character, especially with him being a youngster in the group. 

“It was a really good penalty as well; he showed composure and quality with the finish.”

A versatile midfielder, Cotterill operated in a holding role during the victory over QPR.

He is also capable of playing as a box-to-box midfielder, as well as in a more advanced position further up the field.

And Wright has challenged the youngster to make significant impacts in the final third on a more frequent basis.

“We probably see him as a number eight; he has the ability to get from box to box and good quality on the ball,” the under-23s assistant coach said.

“He has also played a lot as a number 10.

“When we can release him to play further up the pitch, we’ll then see that quality in more advanced positions.

“And hopefully, he can add more goals and assists to his game.”