AFC Bournemouth women climbed to second in the National League after a 3-1 win over Swindon Town at Potterne Park on Sunday.

The Cherries stormed into an early two-goal lead thanks to Katie James and an own goal from the visitors, before conceding moments before the break.

16-year-old Lucy Cooper then restored the hosts’ two-goal cushion 25 minutes from time, and Steve Cuss’ side saw the game out to move within two points of leaders Cheltenham Town, with a game in hand.

After the weekend win, Cuss spoke with afcb.co.uk to discuss his delight at the performance. 

"I'm really pleased overall, especially with the way that we started the game," he began. 

"The only frustrating thing was that we could never really get away from Swindon. They pegged us back at 2-1 just before half-time and the third goal eventually gave us breathing space. 

"We were never fully comfortable all the way through. It was a very competitive game though and a good performance from us - it was nice to score a few goals as well. 

"Katie hit the bar a couple of times, but her and Lucy up front were a real threat. They got one assist and one goal each, combining really well and causing problems to Swindon throughout the game. 

"It was nice to have that real attacking threat. We got in behind them and I was really pleased with that." 

Cuss went on to discuss the opening day fixture with the Robins back in August, the two sides having played out a 1-1 draw in Wiltshire to kick off the campaign. 

He believes the team were able to take lessons from that day in order to help get a result this time round. 

"We talked about that match a lot. We knew the pattern of the game would potentially be pretty similar. 

"We thought we might dominate the ball but come up against a team that were really hard to break down. We knew if we got ourselves in front then we'd need to keep going for the second goal because they've got some real threats that can score goals. 

"We needed that gap for a bit of a two-goal buffer. We got that in the first half and created it again in the second half. 

"I was really pleased that the players understood that we needed that second goal. That learning journey that we're on in this league just continues." 

With the Cherries sitting pretty on 18 points from a possible 24, Cuss and his side are enjoying the challenge that the National League poses and are keen to finish 2021 on a high later this week. 

He added: "Every game is a challenge and every week there's a different challenge. I'm so pleased with the players that they've adjusted to that really well. 

"We're approaching the halfway point of the season now and we're still undefeated. It's testament to how hard they work, but we're really pleased with the position that we're in. 

"We've still got a lot of challenges and different matches to play that are going to be tough and there's one more before the mid-season break at Christmas. 

"Portishead are a side we haven't played yet, so we'll work hard on the training pitch and prepare hard for another difficult challenge." 

Watch the women's team take on Portishead United at Verwood Town this Sunday. Kick-off is 2pm and entry is FREE!