Swansea City Newcastle United Under-21s Gary Richards
4th April
Gary Richards hailed Swansea City Under-21s' attacking display after a 5-3 victory over Newcastle United at the Liberty Stadium on Monday.
Captain Jay Fulton opened the scoring before Owain Jones added another and a brace from winger Kenji Gorre saw the Swans take a 4-1 lead into half-time.
Jones added his second after the restart with a fine solo effort that takes his tally to five goals in three games for the U21s.
Also boosted by the inclusion of first team squad members Modou Barrow and Stephen Kingsley, coach Gary Richards hailed the Swans' first-half performance.
"It was an entertaining game with some great goals," he said. "The first half performance was excellent.
"From an attacking point of view we were dangerous every time we went forward and looked like we were going to score every time we had the ball.
"We could have had more goals but credit has to go to their keeper, who made some excellent saves.
"We built the foundations to a perfect game in the first half but we did not reach the levels we wanted after the restart, which is an area we must look to improve.
"Overall we are pleased with the chances we created, the goals we scored and the result."
The win means the development squad add three points to their play-off push in Premier League Division Two.
Despite the victory the Swans stay sixth in Premier League Division Two - two points behind West Ham, who occupy the league's final play-off place.
And with three games still to play, Richards admits the young Swans need to keep fighting for a top five finish this season.
"The win will help our play-off push but we can't take anything for granted during our final three games," Richards added.
"Our next game away against Stoke is going to be very tough. We need to maintain our levels in attack and ensure that we continue to improve.
"We have built the foundations for an excellent finish to the season with this win but we must continue to add to this performance this Saturday."
Swans Under-21s' next game is at Stoke City on Saturday. Kick-off at the Britannia Stadium is at 2pm.
Swans Under-21s' next game is at Stoke City on Saturday. Kick-off at the Britannia Stadium is at 2pm.
