Shephard reflects on Palace defeat

1st April
Liam Shephard felt that the Swans Under-21s lacked "spark" and "cutting edge" after they were beaten 3-1 by Crystal Palace at the Liberty.

The young Swans were aiming for their third successive league win against the Eagles, but fell short, courtesy of a second-half brace by Jerome Williams.

After Luke Croll had given the visitors an initial lead, Shephard struck a sublime equaliser, just ten minutes before the midway point.

But two Williams finishes from close-range, after the Swans failed to clear their lines from set-pieces, saw Palace clinch all three points in SA1.

And Shephard, who has been ever-present for the development side this season, felt the Swans lacked the spark that they have had in recent weeks.

"They played to their strengths and we didn't really deal with them," said the U21s right-back. "They were physical and dangerous from set-pieces.

"Tonight, I felt we lacked the spark that we have had in recent games. We kept things simple, but we didn't have any cutting edge in the final third.

"We had a lot of the ball and they didn't do too much other than score three from set-pieces, so it was disappointing.

"Now it's our job to get a good reaction going into our final two games of the season. 

"We have to turn our focus to the next match now and get back to winning ways."