Report | Swansea City U18s 0 Bristol City U18s 2

Swansea City Under-18s were beaten at home to Bristol City in their opening Professional Development League Cup fixture.

The Swans, who were unbeaten in all competitions until tonight, fell to goals by William Sage and Dylan Lewis as the Robins surged to victory following an impressive all-around performance.

Byron Anthony’s side looked strong defensively in the first half, until Sage’s header in stoppage time put the visitors ahead at the break.

And the Swans then found themselves two goals down just 10 minutes into the second half as Lewis found the net.

A string of injuries affecting both teams meant that neither side could properly fall into a rhythm, but it was Bristol that ultimately came out on top.

The first serious threat from either side came the way of the visitors after five minutes, when Lewis found himself on the end of a piercing through pass with only keeper Tyler Evans to beat.

However, the forward failed to reel in the ball, which rolled out harmlessly for a goal kick.

A continuous string of fouls and offsides on both ends of the pitch meant that the opening 20 minutes were marred by the referee’s whistle, stunting the ebb and flow of the contest.

Bristol City defender Harry Leeson let fly from long-range, but Evans was equal to the strike, collecting it comfortably into his chest.

The hosts were struck with injury just before the half-hour mark, as full-back Dan Watts left the contest with an ankle injury after a collision with Lewis. Watts was replaced by Ryan Bassett.

A close-range free kick for the Swans after a foul on Filip Lissah gave them a chance to break the deadlock.

Skipper Joshua Edwards’ strong delivery was headed out for a corner, though, which ultimately came to nothing.

Robins forward Sebastian Palmer-Houldern launched a half-volley goalward from the edge of the area after some sleek passing play in the hosts’ final third, but the strike did little to trouble Evans, as was the story up to that point.

And it was Palmer-Houldern who was soon involved again, this time committing a foul on defender David Roberts just before the half time whistle, for which he received the first yellow card of the contest.

The Robins capped a solid first-half showing by going a goal to the good in injury time, as defender Sage got on the end of Marley Rose’s driven delivery from the right flank and headed past Evans.

Both sides opened the second half with a substitution each; for the visitors, it was that Leeson made way for Jaden Brown.

Ben Lloyd’s night also came to an end for the Swans as he was replaced by summer arrival Charlie Veevers.

The hosts looked to set the tempo early in the second period, creating two good chances for forward Kyrell Wilson within five minutes of the restart; both were dealt with coolly by Robins right-back Rohan Nelson.

Despite a strong start for the Swans, they fell two goals behind 51 minutes in, as Lewis raced on to a loose ball and ricocheted the ball off the left post to double the visitors’ lead.

The hosts’ final substitution was made not long after Bristol’s second goal, bringing Kieran Petrie on for Wilson, who had been dealing with cramp for the majority of the second half.

The Robins answered with a change of their own, swapping midfielder Brandon Oputeri for Callum Hutton.

With an hour gone, Bristol City captain Dylan Kadji was booked for a challenge on Filip Lissah.

A leg injury to goal scorer Sage forced the Robins to make their third and final substitution with 20 minutes to play; he was replaced by McIntosh Boyd.

Roberts was the first Swan booked for a foul on Callum Hutton.

And, five minutes later, an on-field scuffle broke out between Aaron Hillier and Jaden Brown which saw both players also received yellow cards.

The Swans found themselves with a chance to claw back into the game by way of substitute Petrie, who was fed in on goal by Geoff Bony. Petrie fired low, but dragged his effort just wide of the left post.

Robins forward Lewis looked to make it a brace as a close effort rattled the bar in the dying moments of the game.

Swans midfielder Dylan Perkins came off with injury in the final minutes, forcing the hosts to play with 10 men for the remainder of the contest.

Swansea City U18s’ next game will be away from home to Charlton Athletic next Saturday.

Swansea City U18s: Tyler Evans; Dan Watts, Zane Myers, David Roberts, Filip Lissah; Ben Lloyd, Joshua Edwards (c), Dylan Perkins; Kyrell Wilson, Geoff Bony, Aaron Hillier.

Substitutes: Ryan Bassett, Ben Hughes, Charlie Veevers, Kieran Petrie, Iwan Morgan.

Bristol City U18s: James Walker; Harry Leeson, Rohan Nelson, William Sage, Zac Bell; Jamie Knight-Lebel, Marley Rose, Dylan Kadji (c); Sebastian Palmer-Houldern, Brandon Oputeri, Dylan Lewis.

Substitutes: Callum Hutton, McIntosh Boyd, Jaden Brown, Isaac Richards, Oliver Thomas.