Swansea City U21 manager Cameron Toshack believes his youngsters must learn to be more ruthless after they were knocked out of the Checkatrade Trophy by Charlton Athletic.
The Swans went out of the competition on Tuesday night in a 3-2 defeat at the Liberty Stadium, meaning there will be no repeat of their run to the quarter-finals of last season where they lost to eventual winners Coventry City.
Toshack’s team produced a spirited performance against their League One opponents, with the scores level at 2-2 at the break.
But Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s early second-half strike proved to be the difference as the Swans bowed out
Having topped their group with a 100 per cent record after wins over Cheltenham Town, Newport County and Forest Green Rovers, the Swans manager says his players can be proud.
“Overall, I think the boys did really well and they’re a credit to this football club,” Toshack said.
“The only disappointing thing was that we created a lot of opportunities, but didn’t quite have that cutting edge to finish them off.
“We came into this game after winning our group and getting three away wins against EFL teams, which is a very tough task for these young men and they’ve proved they can cope at that level.
“Tonight was a slightly different test against strong League One opposition and it was a very good learning experience for our players.
“I was really pleased with the way we approached the game and kept going until the very last kick trying to come back and win it, which we were unfortunate not to do.”
The young Swans are back in action against Colchester United reserves in the Premier League Cup on Thursday, before facing Manchester United in Premier League 2 four days later.
And Toshack has urged the development side to build on their performance and bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat.
“We’ve got a game against Colchester on Thursday and another against Manchester United on Monday,” he added.
“The boys haven’t really got time to get their heads down. It’s now about refocusing and getting ready for those next two games.”