Youngster Blake eyes progress

Matthew Blake is aiming to make the Swansea City Under-23s left-back spot his own next season.

The 18-year-old made eight appearances for the development side in all competitions this season, including three in Premier League 2, as they secured a fourth-place finish.

He also played 13 times for the Swans' under-18s as they finished sixth in Premier League South.

Blake’s impressive campaign ended with him featuring in back-to-back finals at the Liberty Stadium within the space of three days.

He played the full 120 minutes in the under-19s’ FAW Youth Cup win over Cardiff City on penalties, and was also an ever-present as the under-23s lost out to Aston Villa in a shootout.

And the left-back is hoping that the 2018-19 campaign will be another successful one on a personal level, as he aims to cement his place in the under-23s’ starting XI.

“Playing in two cup finals at the Liberty was a great way to end the season,” he said. “It’s been a good one for both the under-18s and under-23s.

“Once the end of the season comes around, you just want to give your all and put everything into it.

“I want to try to nail down my place in the team as early as possible next season.

“Then, hopefully, we can have another year towards the top of the table and have good runs in the cup competitions.”