Anthony Wright | No matter what happens, it's been a brilliant experience

Coach Anthony Wright believes Swansea City Under-21s will all emerge as better players from their Nathaniel MG Cup experience, regardless of the outcome of this evening's final against TNS at Jenner Park (5.30pm).

The Swans booked their place in the showpiece by beating JD Cymru Premier side Cardiff Met on penalties in the semi-finals, and are now just 90 minutes away from listing silverware.

They previously saw off competition from Briton Ferry Llansawel, Camarthen Town, Caerau Ely and Cardiff City Under-21s en route to the final.

The young Swans face a TNS side who are nine-time winners of the cup, and Wright revealed that his side had set themselves the target of reaching the final when they were granted a wildcard entry last summer.

But, whether they lift the trophy, or not, the challenge of facing senior men's teams is one Wright feels his squad have benefited from.

“It’s been brilliant. We want to give these players different experiences, and I think this competition has done just that," he said. 

“When we played Carmarthen, we had only been back in training two or three weeks, so that posed us a couple of selection issues.

"There was a big crowd down there, which is great for our players. Also, with the physicality, it’s given a chance for our players to know how to protect themselves and use it to their advantage. 

“We progressed and defeated Caerau Ely, and then we played Cardiff, and that was a big occasion. 

“We tried to really hype the game and occasion up, which we don’t usually do, just so we can put the players under different pressures, to see if emotionally they can control themselves. It was a big occasion for the players, and I thought we dealt with it really well throughout the game. 

“We came through on penalties, and that’s happened twice this competition. Our players don’t get put in that position that often, so as a learning experience that’s another massive boost to us. 

“The returns have been absolutely endless, and it’s been really good for us.

“The main objective was to do our best and try and get to the final, which we’ve done, and now we want to do our best to win it. 

“We know how difficult it’s going to be, we know we’re coming up against the toughest opponent we could come across, so all of us need to be on our 'A' game, and we will have to be at a very high standard to compete on Saturday.

"But, overall, the experience and learning that this competition has given the boys has been immense."