King: Youngsters will benefit from first-team experience
1st August
Adam King believes Swansea's young starlets will reap the benefits from their experience of playing a strong Championship side on Tuesday night.
A youthful Swans squad suffered a 3-1 friendly defeat to the Cherries as Garry Monk's side continued their preparations for the 2014-15 Barclays Premier League campaign.
Marc Pugh scored twice in the first period to give the hosts a two-goal lead heading into the interview before Brett Pitman added a third after half-time.
Jefferson Montero pulled one back for Monk's men with his first goal for the club as the young Swans put up a stern fight against a strong Bournemouth line-up.
And King, who also travelled with Swansea's first-team on their tour to America, feels the club's youngsters will gain a great deal from their first-team experience.
"We will take a lot from being in this environment, playing in front of all of the fans against a strong side," said King.
"The gaffer said in the dressing room that this was "real football", so the experience will make future challenges for us a lot easier.
"It was near enough an Under-21s team that ended the game. And in the second-half it was 1-1, so it shows we are capable of getting to that standard. It was a good exercise for all of us."
And the 18-year-old midfielder believes the Swans are shaping up well ahead of the new season after a successful pre-season so far.
He added: "In America, we were doing a lot of work behind the scenes - the things that people don't see, such as the shape of the team and the tactical side of the game.
"We've been working hard, and I think you can see that in the games we have played. It's just about keeping that going and carrying that effort into the season.
"For me personally, it's been great to be involved. Playing with the first-team is a big step up, but I think it drags you up to their standard, which is going to help me and the other younger boys in the long run."
