Free-kick practice pays off for Dan Watts as he seals Swansea City U18s win

Swansea City Under-18s match-winner Dan Watts spent a chunk of Easter Monday on the training pitch at Landore aiming to perfect his free-kick technique, so he was delighted to see his practice pay off as he nestled one in the top corner to take the three points against Queens Park Rangers in the Professional Development League.

The youngster – along with striker Iwan Morgan – had stayed out after training, picking the brains of goalkeeping coach Paul Whitfield, and losing a couple of footballs along the way.

But it was that persistence and practice which resulted in the defining moment in their 1-0 victory on Tuesday afternoon.

“I’ve been practicing free-kicks this week and on Monday,” said Watts.

“I’ve been speaking to the goalkeeper coach asking for some pointers on where to put it depending on where the wall is and how far out the free-kick it.

“Thankfully, I struck it well and it went in. I’m just grateful.

“I’ve only scored two goals this season and both of them are from free-kicks.”

It could have been a frustrating afternoon for the young Swans who, despite creating numerous chances in the first half, struggled to find the back of the net thanks to the efforts of QPR keeper Harry Cant.

But Watts praised the team’s defensive efforts in keeping a clean sheet to ensure his goal settled the contest.

“I think we dominated the game, first half more so, but in the second half I thought we managed the game well,” he added.

“We didn’t play as well in the second half because they were pressing us, but the most important thing is the three points.

“I think the defenders and goalkeeper will be happy with the clean sheet because they take pride in not conceding goals, but you can’t ask for more than three points and a clean sheet.

“We created a lot of chances, but fair play to their keeper he had a good game.

“I think we just need to be a bit more clinical but I think that will come because we’ve shown already this season that we can score a lot of goals.

“We’re really pleased with this run of results because we’ve been working really hard in training and the coaches have been helping us a lot. It’s been a good few months playing and training.

“I think we’ve really gelled as a team. We know how each other play, we know our strengths and we have a game plan and stick to it.”