Swansea City's youth team start their Puma Youth Alliance campaign on Saturday with a game against Bristol Rovers at Fairwood (11am).

Tony Pennock's side will be looking to keep up their form from the last campaign which saw them finish second in the South Wast Conference and lift the FAW Welsh Youth Cup against rivals Cardiff.

The young Swans have played six pre-season friendlies, five against senior opposition, and Pennock feels that it's all gone well.

"It's been a good pre-season," admitted the former goalkeeper. "We've had some good games against adult opposition which is good for the lads as a lot of them will play reserve team football as the season goes on.

"I know at the start the boys found it a bit difficult physically but as our matches progressed they believed in themselves a lot more and performed really well, and I've been really pleased with the performances.

"We haven't had the results that we've deserved but the individual and team performances have been really pleasing, especially by the new first years who have come in. They've all settled in really well and performed exceptionally well."

Despite results not going the way of the young Swans this summer, Pennock is a firm believer that the development of the club's youngsters is more important than results.

"We want to have a successful team but the most important thing for all our age groups are the development of individuals.

"Our job is about finding more and more players through all of the age groups who in the end could progress to first-team level. For me results are immaterial, its performances and developing players which is our main job."

The youth team will go into the new season with just one fit goalkeeper, first-year scholar Rhys Wilson, following the injury picked up by Wales Under-17 international stopper David Cornell.

He picked up the injury whilst on tour with the first-team in Spain which, according to Pennock, is the biggest draw back for him as the season gets underway.

"The biggest disappointment for me is the injury to David Cornell," he said. "He's going to be out for four to six months with the wrist injury which was operated on last week.

"It's a major blow for everybody at the club to lose somebody of David's calibre. I've seen him progress so much over the past 12 to 18 months and it's been pleasing to see him grow in stature and grow technically.

"The big thing for him now is to remain patient and focused. He's only 17 and we have to make sure he gets his re-hab right and make sure when that when he gets back he's 100% fit and looks forward to a successful career."

Why not pop down to the University Playing Fields at Fairwood to support the future of Swansea City Football Club. The game will finish at around 12.45pm, plenty of time to make your way back to the Liberty for the clash against Nottingham Forest, and it will cost you nothing to watch the Swans' future stars against the Pirates.

Swans XI: Rhys Wilson (GK), Daniel Sheehan, Jamie Grimes, Joe Walsh, Daniel Alfei, Steven Berry, Lee Lucas, Adam Orme, Anthony Finselbach, Ben Adelsbury, Jazz Richards, Kieran Howard, Casey Thomas, Joe Harris, Matthew Wright.

* For a list of Under-18 fixtures for the season, click HERE.

* Click HERE to view the new-look Centre of Excellent page for the 2008/09 campaign.