Richards frustrated with U23s' draw

Gary Richards conceded Swansea City Under-23s let two points slip through their fingers as two late goals saw them draw 3-3 with Derby County at St George’s Park.

The young Swans looked on course for a fifth successive Premier League 2 victory as goals from George Byers, Aaron Lewis and Courtney Baker-Richardson gave them a 3-1 lead.

But a deflected effort form Luke Thomas was added to by Kyron Stabana inside the final 15 minutes to pull the Rams level.

Despite seeing the Swans' unbeaten run in Division One stretch to five games, Richards admitted it was frustrating to only come away with a draw.

“It was definitely two points dropped,” the under-23s coach said.

“It was a 70-minute performance and we let ourselves down in the last 20. We dropped off and let them back into the game.

“We should have shut up shop at 3-2 and seen the game out, so the result is very frustrating.

“We created plenty of chances in front of goal but there are lessons to learn from tonight. Everyone is disappointed with the result.”

The point lifted the young Swans to fifth in the Division One table.

And despite the disappointment of not landing a victory, Richards felt there were positives to take.

“Yes we have maintained and extended our unbeaten run,” he said. "But right now the result hurts a bit.

“It was good to see three different goalscorers find the back of the net.

“Mael (Davies) can be pleased with his performance. He made his first league appearance and came in at right-back and did a good job.

“He helped create and assisted our first goal with a great cross.

“As a team there are definitely things to work on going forward. We need to look at where the little things went wrong and where we can do better.”