Report | Swansea City U21s 4 Crewe Alexandra U21s 1
Josh Ginnelly and Mykola Kuharevich got more valuable minutes under their belt and got on the scoresheet as they helped Swansea City Under-21s to a handsome victory against Crewe Alexandra at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Sam Parker – fresh from signing professional terms with the Swans – scored his first goal for the under-21s by netting the opener 20 minutes in, arriving at the far post to convert an excellent cross from Joel Cotterill.
Ginnelly doubled the lead after the break with a composed finish, before turning provider to set up Kuharevich for a tap-in, while substitute Iwan Morgan added a fourth late on.
Nathan Robinson got a late consolation for the Railwaymen as they suffered defeat on their travels.
Ginnelly and Kuharevich played an hour with head coach Michael Duff in attendance, while Nathan Tjoe-A-On played 45 minutes following his recent arrival from Excelsior.
The result gave Anthony Wright’s under-21 side their first league victory of the season, and made it six wins from six at the Swansea.com Stadium over the last 12 months for the age-grade side.
Parker, who had looked an assured presence throughout, then fired just wide of the post with a low left-footed shot after cutting in from the right flank.
With Ginnelly, Kuharevich and Tjoe-A-On all involved, and Evan Watts, Kian Jenkins, Richard Faakye Mitchell Bates, Liam Smith and Maliq Cadogan dropping out of the team that had faced Barnsley in the season opener, there were also starts for Ben Hughes, Ben Blythe and Kai Ludvigsen.
Kuharevich was involved early, twice holding the ball up well to bring others into play; Parker fired high and wide from the edge of the area from the first while Ginnelly flashed a threatening ball across goal from the second.
Ginnelly and Kuharevich nearly combined again in the 14th minute. Azeem Abdulai found Ginnelly on the right and the Ukrainian just could not make proper contact on his driven cross.
But the hosts did take the lead in the 20th minute, a good run by Tjoe-A-On cleared space for skipper Cotterill to swing in a great deep cross, and Parker arrived at the far post to find the net for his first goal for the under-21s.
Ginnelly was proving a constant threat, and he again nearly teed up Kuharevich after being fed into space by Cameron Congreve.
Great driving work from Abdulai in midfield then sent Kuharevich racing towards goal, where the striker cut inside onto his right foot but fired narrowly wide of the far post.
Kuharevich then cleared the crossbar as he raced onto a lovely Ginnelly and Filip Lissah’s ball had found the frontman, before Congreve shot straight at the keeper from Abdulai’s lovely lofted pass.
Crewe had barely threatened but Tjoe-A-On made a terrific last-ditch tackle to prevent Lewis Billington having a run in on goal, and Connor Evans then spurned a gilt-edged chance as he turned Calum Agius’ cross wide from inside the six-yard box.
That miss ensured the Swans remained ahead at the interval, with Tjoe-A-On withdraw in a planned half-time change that saw Liam Smith introduced.
Parker nearly grabbed his second of the game when he was played into space down the right, but Tom Booth in the Crewe goal made a good stop at his near post.
But Swansea did double their lead in the 50th minute when a lovely pass by Congreve found Ginnelly’s run in behind, and the forward calmly steered the ball into the far corner of the net.
The third of the contest arrived eight minutes later. Ginnelly again finding space out wide, and this time he patiently waited for Kuharevich to time his run and picked the Ukrainian out in the middle to finish from close range.
It proved to be the last action for the creator and scorer as they were replaced by Kyrell Wilson and Iwan Morgan respectively.
The substitutes combined neatly with 20 minutes to go, Wilson laying on a fine pass for Morgan in the middle, but the striker’s final effort sailed over the bar.
It then took an outstanding block from Billy Sass-Davies to deny Wilson after he had raced onto Smith's wonderful through ball and rounded the keeper, while there was still time for Morgan to rattle the woodwork.
But the striker would not be denied a goal, and his pressing work allowed him to rob keeper Booth and run the ball into an unguarded net to make it 4-0, before Robinson's last-gasp consolation and he swept home from a Lewis Nolan pass.
Swansea City Under-21s: Ben Hughes, Sam Parker, Ben Blythe, Azeem Abdulai, Filip Lissah, Kai Ludvigsen, Cameron Congreve (Mitchell Bates 80), Joel Cotterill (captain), Mykola Kuharevich (Iwan Morgan 60), Josh Ginnelly (Kyrell Wilson 60), Nathan Tjoe-A-On (Liam Smith 46).
Unused Substitutes: Evan Watts.
Crewe Alexandra Under-21s: Tom Booth, Lewis Billington, Nathan Robinson, Zak Kempster-Down, Connor O’Riordan (Luca Moore 68), Billy Sass-Davies, Calum Agius, Regan Griffiths, Connor Evans (Lewis Nolan 86), Matus Holicek (Jack Parry 69), Max Woodcock (Rhys Allport 60).
Unused Substitutes: Travis Ziglam.