Some bright sparks among new Swans... but still some work to do before big kick-off

RESULTS seldom have much bearing on the success of a preseason campaign, but Wednesday's defeat at Cheltenham Town nevertheless served as a gentle reminder of the work that still lies ahead for Swansea City between now and the start of the new season.

- TOM COLEMAN

Despite the loss, Alan Sheehan's side did offer some promising glimpses into the potential capabilities of this team, although he will probably feel there's a fair amount of fine-tuning needed and, of course, another new signing or two required before the season kicks off.

Swansea have already had a pretty busy summer, with six new faces in the building following the end of last season, and Wednesday's clash was a decent chance for the 900 travelling supporters to get their first look at the new arrivals.

Here's a look at how each of them got on:

RICARDO SANTOS

PERHAPS the first thing many will have noticed was the sheer size of the two centre-backs on the night.

Ricardo Santos and Cameron Burgess towered over their peers at the heart of the back four, hulking around the pitch like two totemic nightclub bouncers readying themselves to turn away any potential troublemakers in red and white.

It’s just a shame we didn’t really see much of the pair together.

Santos, in particular, will be frustrated with his outing, which was cut short on 19 minutes after he landed awkwardly going for a header.

With Ben Cabango already recovering from a knock of his own, Sheehan chose not to take any chances, throwing on Jay Fulton to steady the ship.

“I think in preseason, there's a real element of protection,” he said after the game.

“He landed funny and wasn’t moving great. We'll have to assess it.”

CAMERON BURGESS