Blake: It's great to be back

Matthew Blake was pleased to put months of frustration behind him after making his return to action for Swansea City Under-23s.

The left-back made his first appearance since September in the young Swans’ 5-1 victory over Derby County on Monday.

The 19-year-old marked his return by assisting the opening goal for Botti Biabi, while he also played a part in the second and was delighted with the impact he made.

“It’s great to be back out there,” he said.

“Coming back into a game like this and knowing I’ve done my bit by helping us getting the three points is really good.

“Usually, they build up your game time with 45 minutes or 60 minutes, but I’d much prefer getting back into the groove as soon as possible, so I’m happy that was the case and it’s given me a lot of confidence."

Having signed his first professional contract in the summer, Blake has endured a difficult start to 2018-19.

Back and quadricep injuries have limited him to just four appearances for the development side in all competitions.

And he is keen to make up for lost time going into the second half of the campaign.

“It was a frustrating first half of the season,” he added. “But the people I worked with helped me through it and I never felt like I wasn’t a part of the team.

“The most frustrating thing was when the boys were going out to training while I was still in the gym. 

“Obviously, I didn’t play as much as I would’ve liked but there’s still half of the season remaining, so I just want to try to play as many games as possible and prove what I can do.”