SWINDON Town’s under 18s made comfortable progress to the second round of the FA Youth Cup this afternoon after beating Moneyfields 7-0 at the Energy Check County Ground.

Goals from Ralph Graham, Toby Holland and Massimo Giamattei plus brace for both Teoman Atik and Sonny Haynes earned Town’s youngsters a second-round tie at Sixfields against Northampton.

David Farrell’s troops always looked in control of the contest, restricting Moneyfields’ opportunities while advancing play through midfield well – utilising the experience of captain Luke Haines and the hard-working Ralph Graham.

Atik put Town ahead with 12 minutes played after getting his head onto a rebound before Graham struck from the edge of the penalty box four minutes later to double the home side’s lead.

Toby Holland then struck his 35-yard free kick into George Gardiner’s top left corner while Atik and Giamattei found the net before half-time – earning Town a five-goal lead.

Substitute Sonny Haynes scored twice in the second half to complete a positive afternoon for Town’s youngsters.

Manager David Farrell said: “These are the kind of games where you’ve just got to win them, you never know what to expect from the opposition.

“I thought Moneyfields put a lot of effort in, and it was tough for us in the early moments of the game – we were quite sloppy.

“We showed moments of quality which produced goals. Generally, I’m pleased, and we’re in the next round – though that game will be tougher.

“Northampton are playing very well in their respective league, but we’ve shown a lot of improvement in the last four or five weeks.

“It will be a tough game at Sixfields, but I’m looking forward to it.

“I try and treat these cup games like any other, but obviously it’s different for the players.”

Farrell also spoke highly of the opportunities available to his rising stars – making particular reference to first-team boss Phil Brown.

Training in the same facility as Swindon’s senior team grants the club’s hopefuls a natural gateway into a fountain of knowledge.

And making use of that facility is something Farrell always aims to exploit.

He added: “There’s always that opportunity to slip into the first team, we train at the same venue as the first team every day.

“They will often call players over and there’s always that chance to progress, Phil (Brown) will always ask how the players performed and what individuals were good.

“There’s always a chance at Swindon, that’s what this club has got.”