FA YOUTH CUP PREVIEW: Swans U18s v Arsenal U18s

14th January

Swansea City Under-18s are boosted by the return of Joe Rodon and Daniel James for the FA Youth Cup clash with Arsenal at Llanelli's Stebonheath Park on Friday (7pm).
The 18-year-olds were included in Alan Curtis' first-team squad for last weekend's FA Cup tie at Oxford United, which meant they missed the U18s' league defeat to Arsenal the previous day.
But they return to the squad as they young Swans target a place in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup.
Last Saturday, the Gunners ran out 5-2 victors in the league encounter between the sides, with goals from Keiran Evans and Jordan Jones proving mere consolation.
And coach Chris Llewellyn hopes the young Swans will have learned their lessons from that defeat in order to progress in the cup.



"It's a strange situation for us because although we played Arsenal last week, we don't expect them to field the same side as they play Leicester in the league the following day," said Llewellyn.
"They could play a totally different XI, but that won't affect our preparations as we are concentrating on ourselves.
"We hope to learn from the errors made in last weekend's defeat and force our influence on the game.
"It's an exciting competition to be involved in, and we really want to progress."
Llewellyn also pointed out the benefits the inclusion of Rodon and James in the first-team squad will have on the young Swans.
The pair were both unused substitutes as the Swans went down 4-2 at Oxford last Sunday, but Llewellyn believes their call-ups can bring many positives.
"It was great for Joe and Dan to be included in the first-team squad for that game," he added. "It was an invaluable experience for them.
"It also shows the rest of the U18s squad that youth will be given a chance at this club, so the incentive is there to progress."
Along with Rodon and James, Ben Morgan is also included in the squad while Causso Darame remains sidelined with a back injury.
Entry is £3 for adults while senior citizens and U18s can watch for free.

SWANS U18s: Lewis Thomas, Ross Treacy, Sean Hanbury, Connor Quigley, Joe Rodon, Brandon Cooper, Aaron Lewis, Tom Dyson, Jordan Jones, Jack Evans, Marco Dulca, Dan Jefferies, Liam Cullen, Liam Edwards, Daniel James, Brandon Griffiths, Keiran Evans, Mael Davies, Jack Watts, Ben Morgan

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