Cameron Evans | It's a great honour to wear the armband
Cameron Evans says it was a great honour to captain Swansea City’s under-23s for the first time, although he would have preferred it to come under better circumstances.
The young defender wore the armband on Monday as the development side were beaten 4-0 by Newcastle United in Premier League 2 Division Two.
Evans, who has been with the Swans since under-nine level, was handed the armband following brother Jack’s loan move to Mansfield Town on transfer deadline day.
That means the 18-year-old has now captained Swansea’s age-grade sides at every level from under-15 upwards; notably leading the under-19s to their record-breaking FAW Youth Cup triumph last season.
Achieving the feat with the under-23s was the latest highlight in a hugely positive season for Evans.
Despite only linking up with the development side last summer after signing his first professional contract, the centre-half has established himself in the heart of defence with consistently solid performances – missing just one game in all competitions.
Evans embraced the responsibility and was pleased to follow in the footsteps of his brother.
“It was a great honour to wear the armband, especially with my brother having worn it before me,” Evans said.
"I looked up to him as a captain. It was great to see him wearing the armband, especially after the year he had.
“I’ve always wanted to be a leader at every level I’ve played, and I always like to be captain.
“Obviously, I would have preferred it to come under different circumstances, but I’m chuffed to have done it at this level.
“It’s just about helping the boys as much as I can and making them feel comfortable. If they make a mistake, I try to encourage them to react in a positive manner.
“It’s not about having a go at people all the time. Different players react to different ways of feedback.
“Before this season, I didn’t expect to play too much, so to come in and play pretty much an entire half-season and then captain the side is a terrific honour.”
