A young AFC Bournemouth Women’s side were defeated 3-2 to Yeovil U23s in a friendly at Verwood Town last night.

Helen Corbin, who bagged a brace against Eastleigh in the FA Cup ten days ago, opened the scoring in the first minute, before Yeovil struck twice to lead at the break.

The visitors added a third in the second half, but the Cherries weren’t giving up without a fight, as Lucy Coalter doubled her side’s goal tally in time added on.

Following the game, manager Steve Cuss was full of praise for his young side.

Speaking to afcb.co.uk, he said: “I thought it was a night full of positives.

“We played the players that have been in and around the first team and who needed minutes. Those players got those minutes and gave me food for thought.

“We played with half the first team and half the development team, all young players but the development team that came up did well.  

“Overall, I’m really pleased. The game was played with an intense pace and two good sides on show. It was a really good workout.

“I think at this stage, it’s all about making sure that players are ready for the start of the fixtures. When they’re called on to start for the first team, they then have the fitness and football that we’re looking for.”

Getting minutes under the belt was something Cuss continued to emphasise, with some of the squad having not played competitively since March, when the season was brought to an end due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What were trying to do is get ready for the games,” he continued.

“We haven’t had matched for so long, so it’s really important to get the girls familiar. We played tonight at a good pace and it’s been good for us in our preparations.”

“Both senior squads have adapted to the situation really well. I think importantly they’re looking after themselves and we’ve stressed that they do that when they aren’t in our environment.

“When they are with us, they’re then prepped for that intensity we expect.

“Overall, I’m pleased with whole group and am looking forward to seeing how our younger players progress over the season.”

AFC Bournemouth Women are proudly supported by two local companies.

Thank you to Bournemouth University for being the front of shirt sponsor and thank you to Vitality for supporting our Women's and Girls setup.