Report | The New Saints 5 Swansea City U21s 1
Swansea City Under-21s suffered defeat to an experienced The New Saints side in the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup as their excellent run in the tournament came to an end at Jenner Park.
Close-range finishes from Ryan Brobbel and Josh Pask had the Cymru Premier side ahead at half-time, and they further stretched their lead early in the second half when Brad Young poked in from a cross.
But the Swans dug in and fashioned an excellent move which saw Ben Lloyd steer home when a Lincoln Mcfayden cross was not cleared.
However, substitute Adrian Cieslewicz added a brace in the closing stages to bring to an end an excellent first foray into a senior Welsh cup for the young Swans.
Coach Anthony Wright and his staff will be delighted with the way their young squad handled the opportunity to face senior opposition, and in the end it took a TNS side who have been the dominant force in Welsh domestic football for a number of years to deny them silverware.
The Swans were forced to line up without a recognised striker with top-scorer Kyrell Wilson ruled out through injury. It left a front three of Liam Smith, Cameron Congreve and Dan Watts who – while linking up neatly in the opening exchanges – struggled to test Connor Roberts in the TNS goal.
And the reigning Welsh champions were dominant in the opening exchanges with Brobbel breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute.
The forward gave them the lead when he tapped in the rebound after a fine Remy Mitchell save had denied Rory Holden’s stinging effort.
TNS looked to quickly double their advantage. Daniel Davies fired over, and Holden crashed one against the post, before Richard Faakye made a sensational last-ditch tackle to take the ball off Brobbel’s toes to deny what looked a certain goal for the striker.
Young’s header from close range was tipped onto the crossbar by Mitchell at the expense of a corner. And it was that set-piece which allowed TNS to double their lead.
The young Swans didn’t fully deal with the delivery and the ball was fired back into the six-yard box where it was flicked beyond Mitchell by Pask from very close range. The Swansea defenders looked to the assistant, but no flag came.
Jordan Williams then forced an excellent fingertip stop from Mitchell as he pushed the fiercely struck effort around the post.
Mitchell Bates very nearly got one back before the break for the young Swans when his half-cross, half-shot from the right-hand side dipped over the keeper and hit the crossbar.
Watts hit the target shortly after the break, forcing Roberts into his first real save of note almost immediately after the restart, but TNS were soon back on the scoresheet to further stretch their lead in controversial circumstances.
The ball was robustly taken from Congreve in the middle of the park as part of a challenge which left the Wales Under-21 international needing treatment for a head injury. The officials allowed play to continue, and Brobbel was released down the left before his cross was toed in by Young at the back post.
However, the Swans dug in and responded well. They got their reward when Lloyd got one back shortly before the hour mark. The age-grade team kept the ball well until Kian Jenkins sprung the attack with a ball to McFayden, whose cross was not dealt with by Pask and poked home by Lloyd.
TNS came forward again, but Mitchell made a series of impressive stops, tipping over a headed effort before producing a magnificent double save. The second of these stops was an instinctive, reaction save to deny Young a second when the forward’s strike took a deflection off Bates.
Substitute Cieslewicz added a fourth and fifth in injury time. His first goal came when he burst forward and side-footed beyond Mitchell from just outside the box, and he then smashed into the roof of the net from Jordan Marshall's cross for his second.
It saw the under-21s’ campaign end in disappointment, but there was plenty for the Swansea development side to be proud of as the competition drew to a close.
Swansea City under-21s: Remy Mitchell, Kian Jenkins (Maliq Cadogan 64’), Lincoln McFayden, Mitchel Bates, Filip Lissah (captain), Richard Faakye, Dan Watts, Joel Cotterill, Ben Lloyd (Glory Nzingo 75’), Liam Smith, Cameron Congreve.
Substitutes: Kit Margetson, Jack Fanning, Yori Griffith, Charlie Veevers, Aimar Govea.
The New Saints: Connor Roberts, Josh Pask, Chris Marriott (captain), Josh Daniels (Adrian Cieslewicz 73’), Ryan Brobbel (Jordan Marshall 87’), Daniel Redmond, Jordan Williams, Rory Holden, Leo Smith, Danny Davies, Brad Young (Declan Mcmanus 73’).
Substitutes: Reece Thompson, Blaine Hudson, Ben Clark, Jordan Marshall, Tomas Jones.
Attendance: 711