Byron Anthony hails ‘impressive’ Rio Campbell

You wait over a year for your first Swansea City goal, and then two come along in as many games.

Following his arrival from Watford in January 2020, Rio Campbell had to be patient before opening his goalscoring account for the Swans.

But after 395 days at the club, the winger finally broke his duck in the under-18s’ 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on February 27.

He followed that up by opening the scoring against former club Watford last weekend; demonstrating great instincts to lose his marker and head home from Seb Dabrowski’s cross.

Campbell played the opening 45 minutes of what was Byron Anthony's first game in charge, before he was rested ahead of appearing for just over an hour of the under-23s’ draw with Ipswich Town two days later.

Nevertheless, his contribution was praised by new under-18s boss Anthony, who revealed that the goal came following productive discussions regarding the 18-year-old's impact and positioning ahead of the trip to Watford. 

“Rio was very impressive in that first half. He was really lively and sharp,” he said.

“With Watford being his former team, he was looking to impress and show what he was about, and he definitely did that.

“I spoke to him earlier in the week about trying to be more impactful in games and carrying more of a threat.

“We’re trying to get him a bit closer to the goal – with and without the ball – and causing teams more problems in the final third, whether that’s getting shots off and linking the play.

“He took confidence from his goal against QPR and deserved his goal again last weekend.”