Rusk reflects on Swansea PL Cup win
Southampton Under-21s Head Coach Simon Rusk praised the commitment levels of his side after seeing his players end a positive week with a 2-1 win at Swansea City in the Premier League Cup.
Friday evening’s victory was secured by goals from Baylee Dipepa and Romeo Akachukwu and saw Saints maintain their unbeaten record in the Premier League Cup this season.
After watching his team earn their win by seeing out the game with 10 men, Rusk was positive on what he had seen.
“Obviously, we had to show a bit of determination at the end," he said, "Swansea are a decent side and we've had some bad luck with the injury to Jayden [Moore] and then Will Merry gets sent off for a second yellow. So, I think when that happened, we knew we were going to be hanging on towards the end.
“I thought we had some really, really good moments of play within the game. We had some moments where we were a little bit naive, just the basics of the game, which we need to focus in on a little bit.
“We’re pleased to get the win in a cup competition. Once again, we'll take the positives and work on what needs to be better.”
The win at Swansea saw Saints end an intense week after a breathless 4-4 draw with Woking in the National League Cup on Tuesday.
With this taken into account, Rusk was also full of praise for how his team had dealt with the challenges thrown their way.
He added, “we've flipped into different games at the minute. We've got the physical test of Tuesday night against Woking and the directness that comes with that and good players within that too.
“Tonight is obviously more of an academy game, in terms of speed of rhythm and technical capability. I felt we were a little bit unreliable in possession moments in the first half, but still mixed in with some really good moments.
"Second half, we changed the shape a little bit and I thought, it probably gave us a little bit more consistency with possession.
“So, I’m pleased with the commitment levels. It's been a tough period, that's what the game is and that's what these lads need to learn.”
This season has seen several players stepping up to the Under-21s squad from the Under-18s to further aid their development.
After seeing Max Fry and Moses Sesay start for his side at Swansea, Rusk praised the work of players and coaches that is seeing young talent pushed on early.
“It’s a logical sequence. The 18s have got to push their way into the 21s and then the 21s have got to either push their way into a first team or work for a very good loan move.
“I’m really pleased with how the young guys from the 18s, Max and Moses have stepped up and handled the level. We've got Baylee [Dipepa], who's a second-year scholar. We've got Jay Robinson, who's still a scholar.
“So, it's pleasing to see and it's great work from Calum [McFarlane] and the guys in the 18s – they’re doing a great job down there with the 18s players. It’s nice to see those guys come up in competition with us.”
