TO the untrained eye, not much had changed since Jazz Richards's last Championship appearance as he returned to the Swansea City side at Leicester on Monday.

When he was handed his previous chance at Queens Park Rangers, Swansea were flying high at the top end of the Championship and eyeing a place in the Premier League.

But that was ten months ago, Paulo Sousa was at the helm and the likes of Guillem Bauza and Leon Britton featured in the starting XI.

Since then Swansea have suffered the heartbreak of missing out on the play-offs, while Sousa left for Leicester before being sacked by the Foxes.

Of course, Brendan Rodgers is now in charge at the Liberty Stadium, but as far as Richards's career is concerned, the spell has been a little less eventful.

After making 15 appearances in last season's breakthrough campaign, the 19-year-old has only featured in one other first- team fixture this term.

That was a Carling Cup win in Peterborough last September, while he had not played a match at all since mid-November when he turned out for Wales Under-21s in a 1-0 victory over Austria.

But Alan Tate's suspension and an ankle injury to Neil Taylor handed the youngster his chance in the East Midlands.

"It's been a good few months since I played last. I played in an under-21 international a month or a month and a half ago, but that's long gone now," said the midfielder-turned-defender.

"I felt alright going through the first half, but in the second half I could feel myself tiring a bit. Overall, I thought I did okay.

"Obviously I could do better, it wasn't my best game, but it's good to be back playing.

"The last game I played, I hadn't played before then for about a month.

"But the intensity in training has been high so I can't use the fact I haven't been playing as an excuse."

If Richards was rusty at the Walkers Stadium, it wasn't altogether obvious.

Up against the lively Lloyd Dyer, the right-back was thrown in at the deep end, but settled into the game quickly to show some impressive touches after being preferred to Albert Serran.

With Taylor four weeks from fitness and Tate again banned, Richards could be given another opportunity when Colchester visit the Liberty in the FA Cup this weekend.

And he is excited by the prospect of an extended run in the side.

"I've had this chance against Leicester and hopefully the cup game will give me another chance to play," said Richards.

"When the boys are injured, it's good that the manager trusts me and will put me back in.

"He said I've been training well and he's been happy with me lately so he was going to give me the chance.

"Serran has done well when he's played, but I think because I'm young and he (Rodgers) can see that I'm progressing, I've got the opportunity."

Unfortunately, Richards's joy at returning to the starting line up was tarnished by a 2-1 loss to Sven-Goran Eriksson's side.

But with Swansea still well placed in the promotion-chasing pack, he is sure that's only a temporary setback.

"To be fair, I thought we were on top all through the game, it's unfortunate they scored from two set pieces and that killed us," Richards added.

"They didn't really have many chances, we were quite strong in defence, but it was just one of those days.

"They've got a few big boys, like their two centre-halves and one of their wingers.

"It was hard to defend from the set-pieces, but we should have done better.

"We've slipped out of the top two, but the way we'd been playing prior to the last game and the wins we've had, we'll be back up there before long.

"Hopefully against Colchester we can get back to winning ways, then get back to the league."