Ali Al-Hamadi | U23s relishing chance to work with O’Leary

Ali Al-Hamadi says he and his Swansea City Under-23s team-mates are fully embracing the opportunity to work with new coach Kris O’Leary.

The former Swans midfielder, who made over 250 appearances between 1995 and 2010, returned to his boyhood club at the end of last month as lead coach of the development side.

Working alongside Anthony Wright, he watched on as the young Swans overcame Millwall 2-0, while he subsequently took over the reins for the following two fixtures against Ipswich Town and Watford.

Al-Hamadi scored the first goal of the O’Leary reign in the draw with Ipswich; taking his tally for the season to five.

He may only be a month into the job, but the forward feels the under-23s are already reaping the benefits of the former Carmarthen Town boss’ wise words.

“Kris has been brilliant since he’s come in,” the 19-year-old said.

“He’s really good with his man-management skills.

“He talks to you individually and lets you know what he wants from you.

“He demands a lot from the players in training and in games and the players have responded well.

“We must keep that momentum going and, hopefully, it’ll be a good end to the season.”