Anthony Wright | Result tough one to take

Anthony Wright felt Swansea City Under-21s' loss to Charlton Athletic was 'tough to take' as they suffered a heavy defeat against the Addicks in London.

The Swans had started brightly as Josh Pescatore went almost had the opener with nine minutes played, but a penalty to the Addicks came seven minutes later and Ethan Brown was the one to convert.

But the goals came thick and fast for the hosts as Kahiem Dixon doubled their lead shortly after, followed by a quick fire goal from a trialist to ensure a 3-0 lead at the half-way point.

Charlton added another three goals after the restart, Dixon got his hat-trick and Shia-Lee Burnham netted almost immediately after being introduced as a substitute.

"That was a tough result for the players to take today. We started brightly and played on the front foot, but the game turned when we conceded a penalty against the run of play," said Wright.

"Despite regaining our momentum, we were punished by two long-ball counter-attacks—situations we had prepared for but failed to manage effectively.

"A 3-0 deficit at half-time felt harsh given the control we had in open play, but at this level, you cannot afford to concede such soft goals as we did and also play with the ball in front of the opposition on too many occasions, we needed to get in-behind and stretch their back line from middle third build and with that we were a bit naive to play the game in front of the opposition.

"With a depleted squad, half-time changes forced players out of position, yet we still created two excellent chances to get back into it. 

"Ultimately, their fourth goal took the sting out of the game. I can’t fault the players' character or work rate, but the game was a very harsh lesson for the inexperienced group and one I’m sure they will be better for in the future."