Richards: Let’s maintain progress

Gary Richards has warned Swansea City Under-23s must continue to build on their cup form when they face Manchester United in the Premier League International Cup at Leigh Sports Village this Saturday (2pm).

The young Swans made the perfect start to their campaign with an emphatic 6-0 victory against Celtic to top Group D in September.

And the development side continued their 100 per cent record in cup competitions with a 2-0 victory in the Checkatrade Trophy against League Two outfit Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday.

“We have made a good start in the tournament but it is important we continue where we left off,” the U23s coach said.

“The boys earned a good win against Celtic, but if we don’t do well in our next two games group games, that result is obsolete.

“We want to get as many points as possible to finish top of the group and make sure we qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.

“We are proud of our campaigns in the cup competitions and we want to continue our good form on Saturday.

“The players can take confidence from Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy victory and the point we got against Manchester United in the league in August. 

“We know we will have to be at our best to get a result. Our young players are keen for any opportunity to prove themselves and they will aim to do that with another good result on Saturday.”