Report | Swansea City U18s 0 Fulham U18s 5

Swansea City Under-18s bowed out of the FA Youth Cup with defeat to Category One side Fulham in their rearranged fourth-round fixture at Landore.

Callum Osmand secured a hat-trick for the Cottagers, adding a second-half header to a brace of finishes from close range in the first-half, before left-back Jonathon Esenga added a fourth with an unstoppable strike from distance, and substitute Lemar Gordon made it five in the closing stages.

It was a particularly heartbreaking exit for the young Swans, who had been leading 1-0 in the original tie a week earlier before it was abandoned at half-time due to a frozen pitch.

The Swans started the game with an intensity which saw them overrun the visiting midfield in the opening five minutes, and Rohan Davies may well have turned Thomas Woodward’s cross in but for the last-ditch defending of the visiting centre-back.

Their dominance was shortlived however, and good chances fell to Luc Defougerolles, Joshua King, and Osmand, before Aaron Loupalo-Bi passed up a golden opportunity by blasting over from close range.

It wasn’t long before Fulham capitalised on their pressure. An excellent pass from Samuel Amissah picked out Osmand’s run between the centre-backs. The Fulham forward brought the ball down on his chest and slipped it below Kit Margetson in the Swansea goal.

Fulham could have doubled their lead shortly after, but Margetson produced a remarkable save with his right leg to deny Loupalo-Bi after a smart flick on by King got him in behind the Swans backline.

There was then a lengthy break in play on the half-hour mark after a late challenge on Arthur Parker left the former Fulham player unable to continue.

And the Swans rallied when the match restarted creating a handful of chances.

Aimar Govea and Woodward both sent threatening crosses into the box, while Davies’ emerged from deep to curl a first-time effort agonisingly wide with visiting keeper Marco Underwood caught in no-man’s land. Iestyn Jones also tested the keeper with a headed effort from a well-worked corner routine.

So it was a sucker-punch for the young Swans when Osmand doubled his and the visitors’ tally just before half-time. It was the best move of the half from the Cottagers who pinged the ball around neatly before the Wales age-grade centre-forward was able to convert from close range at the far post.

With a two-goal advantage, the Premier League academy side were full of confidence and had an effort deflected wide shortly after the break, while the Swans were left frustrated when balls into the channels were often finding a player in an offside position.

Osmand completed his hat-trick shortly after the hour mark, heading in from a King free-kick after a foul on Chibby Nwoko afforded the visitors another opportunity to get the ball into the box.  

Esenga added a fourth minutes later with a thunderous left-footed strike from distance which swerved viciously to find its way through a host of players and beyond Margetson.

The Swans' keeper was on hand twice to deny substitute Gordon, but could do nothing about his smart finish in the final minutes when he hit a perfectly-placed shot across the goal which went in off the far post as Swansea's run in the competition came to an end.

Swansea City Under-18s: Kit Margetson, Jack Fanning (captain), Arthur Parker (Jack Cooper 30’), Jacob Cook, Iestyn Jones, Dan Watts, Josh Pescatore (Seb Dabrowski 70’), Yori Griffith (Ramon Rees-Siso 77’), Rohan Davies, Thomas Woodward, Aimar Govea.

Unused substitutes: Thomas Searle, Ewan Griffiths, Harlan Perry, Cameron Llewellyn.

Fulham Under-18s: Marco Underwood, Bradley De Jesus, Jonathon Esenga, Samuel Amissah, Luc Defougerolles (captain), Chibby Nwoko, Joshua King, Oliver Gofford (Jayden Quashie 72’), Aaron Laupalo-Bi, Callum Osmand (Farhaan Ali Wahid 77’), Tom Olyott (Lemar Gordon 63’).

Unused substitutes: Dino Kaiser, Bradley Slade, Eddy Nsasi, Tom Wingate.