Swansea City Under-18s | Road to the PDL Cup Final
As Swansea City Under-18s get set to take on Millwall in the Professional Development League Cup Final on Wednesday, we take a look at their journey to the final at The Den.
Tickets for this match are being sold by Millwall and can be purchased HERE.
September 2, 2023 - Swansea City 4 Cardiff City 2 - Group Stage - Match One
A hat-trick from Sammy Henia-Kamau and a header from Jack Fanning got Swansea City Under-18s' Professional Development League Cup campaign off to a flying start as they beat Cardiff City at Landore Training Ground.
The hosts took an early lead through a Henia-Kamau goal, before Dan Ola levelled for the visitors.
But Fanning headed home to put the Swans back in front once again, and Henia-Kamau won and converted a penalty to put the hosts two goals to the good before the break.
Cardiff pulled another goal back when Will Spiers converted a spot-kick for the Bluebirds.
But Henia-Kamau made sure of the win as he completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute, drilling home after a superb run down the right flank.
October 21, 2023 - AFC Bournemouth 0 Swansea City 1 - Group Stage - Match Two
Ten-man Swansea City Under-18s made it back-to-back Professional Development League Cup wins after Thomas Woodward's first-half strike proved the difference against AFC Bournemouth at the Canford Park Arena.
The 16-year-old opened the scoring just before half-time following a fine team move, and the Swans prevailed as they held on to secure a clean sheet at the other end despite a late red card for Jack Fanning.
The win placed the Swans firmly on top of Group A, with one game remaining.
November 25, 2023 - Plymouth Argyle 3 Swansea City 3 - Group Stage - Match Three
Swansea City Under-18s progressed to the quarter-finals of the Professional Development League Cup after a tense and dramatic draw against Plymouth Argyle.
The Swans finished the group stage campaign top of Group E after wins over Cardiff City and AFC Bournemouth in previous rounds, holding off a late Argyle fightback on their travels to advance to the last eight.
The visitors knew they would go through if they avoided defeat, while a win would send the home side into the quarter-finals, and it made for an entertaining contest with so much at stake.
Fin Wilkes opened the scoring by tapping in a rebound for Plymouth inside 20 minutes, before Rohan Davies netted an equaliser from close range moments later.
The Swans were on the front foot from then on as Woodward sent a stunning header into the back of the net, before bagging his second from the spot in the second period.
It looked as though Swansea were about to progress in comfort but the hosts had other ideas.
They pulled one back from a penalty kick converted by Welsh youth international Joe Hatch, and had a glimmer of hope when Freddie Issaka's deflection found the net in the closing stages.
But the Swans saw out the remainder of the game and made sure there was no repeat of the previous season's heartbreak, when defeat to Plymouth had dumped them out of this competition at the same stage.
March 1, 2024 - Sheffield United 0 Swansea City 3 - Quarter-final
Swansea City Under-18s progressed to the semi-finals of the Professional Development League Cup with an emphatic victory over Sheffield United.
The Swans found themselves 1-0 up inside a minute, the referee awarding a penalty for a foul on Seb Dabrowski in the area, converted by Sammy Henia-Kamau.
The hosts then went down to 10 men when Jayden Prunty was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident.
The Blades still had their chances but a brilliant display from Kit Margetson denied them, and the Swans went on to seal the win with further goals from Aimar Govea and Dabrowski.
March 12, 2024 - Swansea City 2 Watford 0 - Semi-final
A fantastic second-half performance saw Swansea City Under-18s defeat 10-man Watford to reach the final of the Professional Development League Cup.
Thomas Woodward and Jacob Cook were on the scoresheet for the hosts at Landore as they progressed to the showpiece for the first time.
The win made it five victories in a row for the development side, and it was thoroughly deserved following a dominant showing after the break.