AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries took the lead in the Final Third Development League curtain raiser, as Mikael Ndjoli fired in from the penalty spot in the first half.
However, the visitors fought back after the interval and eventually equalised to ensure a share of the points.
“A draw was probably a fair result today,” explained Purches.
“There wasn’t really that much in the game. We hit the post at one up and maybe going two up would have made a difference, but in the end we stood up to what AFC Wimbledon put together.
“It was a physical game and challenge for the lads but as I said, they stood up to that well and continued to stick to our playing philosophies throughout.”
AFC Wimbledon came second to Purches’ title-winning side in the league last season, so he was well aware of the challenge The Dons would pose.
The manager, therefore, viewed the point as a good base from which to begin building yet another successful under-21s league campaign.
“We knew it was going to be a competitive game,” he continued.
“AFC Wimbledon came second last season so it was always going to be that way, so as a marker and a start to the season, it was okay from us today.
“That said, we want to be better than okay. We want to go down and show teams what we can do this season to the best of our capabilities. That’s what we have to work towards.”
