Toshack hails young Swans' heroics

Cameron Toshack has heaped praise on Swansea City Under-21s for producing what he described as one of the best performances he has seen in their 1-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon.

The young Swans took a significant scalp in the Checkatrade Trophy as they defeated the League One side at the Cherry Red Records Stadium thanks to Aaron Lewis’ late goal.

Toshack was delighted with the efforts of the development side, who included eight teenagers, and believes they thoroughly deserved maximum points.

“Within the four years that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the under-23s, that has to rate as one of the best performances that I’ve seen,” he said.

“We fielded a total of eight teenagers and, to a man, they all did their job considering we were playing a League One side consisting of men with real experience.

“They produced a mature performance for large parts of the game and at the end, I felt the goal was deserved for their application.

“Getting a result like that is a lot easier said than done so it should be celebrated. As a whole group, they should be very proud.”

Last night’s victory was the under-23s’ first of the season in all competitions.

With several younger players being integrated into the side, Toshack insists they need time to find their feet but is confident the Wimbledon win will provide a platform to build on.

“Patience is a key word in the development of young players,” the under-23s coach added.

“You can’t expect them to produce consistently but, once they do, you know they’re capable and the challenge is to strive to establish that consistency.

“Young players will surprise you with how good they are by playing without fear and what they have done is set the bar by proving what they are capable of doing.”