Anthony Wright | We want to go one step further

Swansea City Under-21s' coach Anthony Wright is hoping the Swans can go one step further and reach the Professional Development League national final when they face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane this evening (7pm).

The young Swans secured their play-off spot on the final day of the season thanks to Joe Thomas' first-half goal against Birmingham City at the Swansea.com Stadium.

The 1-0 victory secured a second-place finish for the age-grade side, who've racked up 16 wins in the league and scored 72 goals - second only to Millwall. 

Wright, his staff and the players had set themselves the goal of reaching the play-offs when they agonisingly missed out last year by one point, and they now have the opportunity they have been working towards all season. 

“We were so close last season, so to fulfil our objective of making the play-offs this time round is brilliant " said Wright.

“Knockout stages are something we don’t get of enough in academy football, and the boys have stepped up when they needed to.

“This season has been brilliant for the boys. This is a young group, with an average age of 18, and we've even had boys as young as 16 make their debut for the under-21s.

"We've come up against Sheffield United already this season, and at Bramall Lane. They're one of the toughest teams around, as is shown by them winning the north league title two years in a row.

"The boys have had some brilliant experiences this season, experiences they will have no doubt learned from and we want to go that step further.

"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."