The development squad made the perfect start to the Premier League Cup with a brilliant victory over Charlton Athletic.

The development squad made the perfect start to the Premier League Cup with a brilliant victory over Charlton Athletic.

For the second game in a row, Balraj Landa netted a brace, with Daniel Adu-Adjei also grabbing a double, to help Alan Connell's side to the win. 

In a slightly chilly evening at Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium, the Cherries made an ideal start to the game when Adu-Adjei opened the scoring in the eighth minute.

He came out on top from a fifty-fifty with Deji Elerewe and kept his composure to lift the ball over the top of onrushing Henry Molyneux, his effort finding the back of the net.

The opener provided real confidence for the Cherries, who were playing with a real flourish on the ball and they should have doubled their advantage in the 15th minute.

Noa Boutin’s beautiful cross from the left could have been turned home by either Landa or Michael Dacosta Gonzazlez but both missed the ball with their shots, Dominic Sadi seeing a shot deflected over the bar moments later.

Charlton continued to look for a way back into the game and should have equalised when Rylah met a cross at the back-post but somehow sent his close-range volley wide.  

It was a miss that proved costly as Bournemouth doubled their advantage with a stunning team move.

Ignited with a lovely turn by Ben Winterburn, the Cherries raced up with the pitch with some one-touch brilliance and Landa was on hand to drill home from the edge of the box.

Chances continued to fall to both teams in breathless fashion and Cameron Plain made an excellent stop from Tolu Ladapo, who arrived at the back post expecting to bury his close-range effort.

Landa could have grabbed his second goal following good work by Dominic Sadi, who chased down a lost cause to rob Molyneux and find the midfielder with the goal gaping but his effort flew over the bar.

Charlton’s Tennai Watson was fortunate to stay on the pitch following a nasty tackle on Adu-Adjei, flying into the attacker from behind as the Cherries attacked. Sadi saw yellow for his reaction.

The Cherries continued the second half in equally strong fashion with Maxwell Kinsey going close as he headed just wide from Ben Winterburn’s free-kick.

They didn’t have to wait long for the third goal as Landa got his second goal of the evening. Adu-Adjei received the ball with a two-on-two situation and picked the perfect pass to allow Landa to take the ball around Molyneux and calmly slot home.

Adu-Adjei was also able to get his brace midway through the second period. Sadi had received the ball on the left and curled his shot towards the far corner, forcing a brilliant one-handed save from Molyneux but Tonks kept it alive, picking out the forward at the edge of the box to drill home.

Nathan Moriah-Welsh made his return from the bench, having been missing with a knee injury sustained on international duty in the summer, and he could have got in on the act when he received Sadi’s clever throw-in.

He was in acres of space at the edge of the box, with Molyneux stranded beyond the near post, but his looping effort faded wide of the target.

There weren’t many more chances in the game as Connell utilised his bench, the Cherries cruising to a comfortable victory to open their Premier League Cup campaign.