Jon Beale | We didn't do the basics well enough

Swansea City Under-18s' head coach Jon Beale admitted his side’s performance was uncharacteristically poor after they suffered a 3-0 home defeat to their Queens Park Rangers counterparts.

A first-half goal from Ashley Trujillo, followed by second-half strikes from Joshua Wright and Fraser Neill, condemned the young Swans to their first home Professional Development League loss since September.

Swansea struggled to find their rhythm in the opening period, with defensive mistakes proving costly as Rangers took the lead 10 minutes before the break.

There was a brighter start to the second half, but further defensive frailties allowed the visitors to score twice in quick succession, effectively putting the game beyond Beale’s side.

Beale admitted it was the first time since taking charge in November that he had been disappointed with the group as a whole. 

But he backed his players to respond swiftly with a PDL Cup semi-final against Luton on Wednesday offering the opportunity for this age group to reach the final for the second time in three seasons.

"We’re really disappointed with the performance," said Beale.

"It’s the first time since I’ve been in charge that I’ve felt disappointed with the group in its entirety - in terms of the performance levels and how we applied ourselves throughout the game.

"We made some significant mistakes that helped the opposition, which is frustrating because that’s been an area of our game that’s actually been very strong in recent weeks. 

"We started the second half a little brighter, but once again poor defensive decisions led to conceding two quick goals, which effectively took the game away from us.

"We didn’t do the basic things that we normally pride ourselves on, and that’s unlike this group. If I’m honest, we probably lacked a bit of competitiveness without the ball.

"Everyone who works with these boys knows what they’re capable of when they’re at their best, and we have to get back to that level quickly.

"The beauty of football is that there’s always another game around the corner to put things right. We’ve got a three-game week coming up, which gives the boys an opportunity to learn, develop and respond after what was a disappointing day."