A strong Town U21 side started their Professional Development League 2 South Division campaign with a 1-0 win against Swansea City at Playford Road on Monday afternoon, with Wales U21 international Elliott Hewitt netting the only goal during the second half.

Neither Jack Collison nor Darren Ambrose was included in the 16, despite manager Mick McCarthy having said he intended to take a look at the two free agents who have been training with the Blues in match action against the Swans.

Mark Kennedy’s side started well and Cory Galvin's close-range effort was blocked by visitors’ keeper David Cornell, then later in the half skipper Matt Clarke was inches away from connecting with Teddy Bishop's freekick.

The Swans started to come more in to the game though, and Michael Crowe produced two impressive stops to deny Connor Roberts and then Liam Shephard as half-time approached.

Swansea defender Henry Jones was extremely lucky to not be dismissed on 53 when he crudely brought Bishop down as the midfielder was bearing down on goal. Kevin Bru curled the resultant freekick just wide of the post.

Town won the game with 15 minutes remaining. Balint Bajner's floated cross from the left allowed Hewitt to out-jump his marker and nod the ball back across Cornell and into the net.

It was a good performance from the Blues with Bishop likely to have impressed the watching McCarthy and assistant Terry Connor.

Bajner was more involved during the second period, as was Bru, while youngster Clarke again looked comfortable throughout at centre-half.

U21s: Crowe, Hewitt, Parr, Bru, Sowunmi, Clarke (c), Galvin (McLoughlin 78), Bishop, McQueen, Bajner, Henshall. Unused: Marsden, Robinson, Willbye, Ramadan.

Swansea: Cornell, Roberts, Hanley, Jones (Scott), Kingsley, Tancock (c), Shephard (Hedges), King, Samuel, March, Gorre (Hedges). Unused: Zabret, Gogic.

Photo: Action Images

parhamblue added 15:42 - Aug 25 Bring on the rain and Elliott will shine. He's Welsh, see.
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MickMillsTash added 15:44 - Aug 25 Role Reversal ? Balint Bajner's floated cross from the left allowed Hewitt to out-jump... surely it should be the other way round only Bajner probably need not jump Bishop could be the man we need in centre mid- really liked what I saw at Crawley
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NoelTheDub added 15:45 - Aug 25 Was that a goal from a right back...Good night MM and dont have nightmares.
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coyb99 added 16:01 - Aug 25 Teddy bishop sounds a decent player, put him in the team!
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parhamblue added 16:11 - Aug 25 So then, Teddy Bish recovered from illness and played, along with Henshall and Bru, and Collison and Ambrose didn't. All very very positive stuff. COYB
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Seasider added 16:56 - Aug 25 Dont get too carried away parhamblue ,its only the U21's development side.Have they equalled their number of wins last season yet?lol The difficulty now is ousting MM's perennial favourites steady Skusy and tiny Tabby from the starting eleven against Derby!!!
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brian_a_mul added 17:03 - Aug 25 Yeah good result and performance by the report, looks as if the youngsters are making a good effort to stand up and be noticed!
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parhamblue added 17:04 - Aug 25 Seasider, I agree it's our future, and that we might have the solution to rebalancing the midfield right here. That's if you do too...? Positive, see? Positive.
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mk117940 added 18:18 - Aug 25 See
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mk117940 added 18:23 - Aug 25 Would've liked to have seen Willbye playing in midfield alongside Bishop considering he won Goal of the Season. MM clearly hasn't taken note of why we didn't get academy 1 status when he's preferring to let first team players play for the U21 side rather than giving the talented younger players opportunities to improve themselves.
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GerkensBeard added 19:44 - Aug 25 Only seen Teddy Bishop a couple of times but he has impressed me greatly and has got to be the next academy player to step up to the first team. At West Ham in pre season he held his own up against Mark Noble! He has a lot of quality on the ball and has that eye for a pass. I thought his size may let him down but he was getting stuck in and making plenty of sliding tackles which makes up for his physical stature. He's got to start coming on in games if we're leading for example and see what he can do and where he's at. Bags of potential!

3

harlingblue added 19:56 - Aug 25 Good result today and reply to mk117940, 8 of the 11 starters were U21. Clarke a standout performer and certainly would not let the 1st team down.
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parhamblue added 21:28 - Aug 25 Yes, good to see another academy product - the captain - holding up in this company. MM is on the record as praising his improvement while still young. Mick has also acknowledged that he needs to play more of the players coming through the EPPP (one of its stated aims) and promote from within. He needs to have the confidence to do that and find a way that works in a very tough league.

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BillBlue added 21:28 - Aug 25 Do you know, among all the dross there is a good deal of humour in some of these posts, and as parhamblue just made me laugh out loud I realised that is the fourth time today that has happened to me. Well done lads, after all 'it is only football'!
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Pilgrimblue added 08:07 - Aug 26 Bishop looked good at Southend so I'm hopeful he gets his chance soon. He's more attacking than Scuse and linked up well with Stewart and is certainly quicker than Tabb (not difficult) and has eye for goal. I'd put Hewitt at RB and move Chambers inside to play 352 and maybe stop the rot
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