Gary Richards looks to continue proud cup home record

Gary Richards hopes Swansea City Under-23s can continue their impressive home record in the Premier League Cup when they welcome Colchester United to Landore on Saturday (2pm).

You can watch the match on swanseacity.com or via our official Facebook page from 2pm.

The young Swans have collected three points from their opening two games in Group A.

After opening with a 2-1 victory away at Charlton, the development side were narrowly beaten 1-0 at Reading earlier this month.

The Swans will be aiming to maintain their impressive run in the competition at Landore, where they last tasted home defeat against Bristol City in February 2017.

“We’ve had two away games so far and produced decent performances. It’s our first home game, so we’re hoping to put in a good display and make a good start at Landore,” the under-23s coach said.

“We’ve generally done fairly well at Landore in this competition over the years, and we want to continue that.

“This cup has been really good to us. I think it plays a key part in the players’ progression.

“It offers different challenges and styles, so it’s a great learning experience for the boys.”

Steve Cooper revealed that Aldo Kalulu will once again be involved for the under-23s as he steps up his recovery from injury.

The French forward, who is on loan from Basel, made a positive impact in last week’s 1-1 draw with Fulham in Premier League 2 Division Two – producing some dangerous runs into the heart of the Cottagers’ defence, while providing the assist for Will Rickard’s goal.

And Richards is hoping for more of the same from the 23-year-old on Saturday.

“Aldo was great to work with against Fulham. He gave everything he could and the players definitely enjoyed having him in the team,” he added.

“Hopefully, it will be similar on Saturday. 

“When professionals drop into the team, it’s great for our players to learn from them. It can be nothing but beneficial. 

“Aldo will be looking to produce another good performance, get the minutes he needs and step up his recovery.

“All our boys look up to players like him. We’re a fairly young team so having an experienced pro drop in will certainly do them a lot of good.”