New academy intake take on their senior team heroes

Swansea City's Under-nines were recently given an unforgettable experience as they marked the start of their journey on the academy pathway by going head-to-head with the first team at Fairwood.

The newest recruits and their families were welcomed to the first-team facility by academy manager Gavin Levey, before going on to watch the men's senior team continue their pre-season preparations.

The youngsters enjoyed two short games against Luke Williams' squad, taking on academy graduates such as Joe Allen, Ollie Cooper, Aimar Govea, Ben Cabango, Liam Cullen and Filip Lissah, who have all come through the club pathway.

Lead foundation phase coach Ben Slade believes the opportunity to interact with the senior set-up is vitally important for the aspiring young Swans, who are at the very start of their respective journeys in football. 

“Thank you to the first team for the openness to bring the boys in, and play a game," said Slade.

“It’s brilliant that we can pair up those two journeys - one right at the top and and the other right at the bottom of the pathway - and ensure the players have the best support, the best experience and coaching, so when the time comes they can be those players."

Defender Cabango, who joined the academy set-up at under-15 level, underlined the importance of providing players within the academy with experiences that remain with them for years to come, and felt the afternoon had been a great success.

"For the boys to come down and train with us, it's a really good experience for them and us. They've been around Fairwood as well, so it's good they can see all the facilities," said Cabango.

"I might have taken the game a bit to competitively with two goals, but it was really good, and they beat us in the end! It was definitely enjoyable for them.

"I think they'll always remember this as something to look back on. They probably look up to us as idols, so to have the opportunity to play against us was amazing for them and us."