Toshack urges U23s to step up

Cameron Toshack says Swansea City Under-23s are likely to rotate their squad for the Premier League Cup clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (noon).

The young Swans are aiming to record their first victory of this season’s competition at Landore, after opening with a 1-0 defeat against Oxford United last month.

The under-23s have reached the final in each of the last two years – lifting the trophy in 2017 – and will be hoping for another strong run in 2018-19.

But Toshack insists the main focus in the competition is on ensuring his players are getting valuable game-time and experience under their belts.

“Result-wise we didn’t start our campaign in the way we would’ve liked,” he said. “Performance-wise we did really well, but we needed to be a little more clinical in that final third.

“With the group format, there are a lot of games to be played and, as we found last year, you don’t have to get out of the blocks quickly.

“It’s nice if you do, but our focus is on wanting our players to play football in competitive games.

“We will no doubt look to utilise these cup games to freshen things up and give other players the opportunity to play, so it’s up to them to step in and take their chance.”

The Swans welcome a Wolves side who are currently second in Premier League 2 Division 2 and just one point behind leaders Reading.

The two teams played out a couple of exciting contests two seasons ago, with the Swans winning 4-3 away before drawing 2-2 at the Liberty.

And Toshack is expecting another test on Saturday. 

“Since Gary Richards and I have been involved with the under-23s, we’ve had some great tussles with Wolves,” he added.

“It’s always very competitive and we’re looking forward to another difficult challenge.”

*Entry to the game at Landore is free, but please be aware that there is no parking available.