AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth’s development squad were defeated by an excellent Arsenal side at Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park on Tuesday.
Shaun Cooper’s side worked hard and refused to give up throughout the 90 minutes but ultimately couldn’t match the quality on display by the hosts on this occasion.
A double by Mexico international Marcelo Flores, as well as strikes from Jack Henry-Francis and Amario Cozier-Duberry, condemned the Cherries to defeat.
Jake Scrimshaw was named in the starting lineup having returned from his loan at League Two side Scunthorpe United and joined Christian Saydee and Tarik Gidaree in an exciting front three.
Luke Nippard, who today extended his loan at Eastbourne Borough until the end of the season, started in midfield alongside Jack Wadham and Aaron Roberts.
Meanwhile, Zeno Ibsen Rossi continued at centre-back, partnering captain Brennan Camp, with Brooklyn Genesini and Ben Greenwood operating as wing-backs, Will Dennis in goal.
Arsenal made the perfect start and opened the scoring within the opening two minutes. The Cherries failed to clear a free kick into the box and the ball landed kindly at the feet of Flores. The forward made no mistake and found the bottom corner.
Shaun Cooper’s side responded well and were unrelenting with their press, almost creating an equaliser in the 8th minute. Saydee clipped a good ball towards the back stick where Scrimshaw acrobatically attempted to turn it home, Greenwood’s follow-up was well blocked.
Dennis was called into action twice in a matter of minutes, first stopping from Giraud-Hutchinson with an acrobatic tip over the bar before stopping Flores from close-range following stylish build-up play.
The Cherries shot-stopper couldn’t do much about Arsenal’s second goal in the 32nd minute as he could only palm Swanson’s low cross into the path of Henry-Francis, who finished from close range.
The home side continued to push for the third in the second half and went close twice, Giraud-Hutchinson firing just wide from the right before Mika Biereth tried to pick out the near corner, putting his effort inches away.
Biereth played a major role in Arsenal’s third as his drilled cross found Cozier-Duberry, the substitute ghosting into the middle undetected to tuck home.
To the credit of the visitors, Cooper’s side continued to push for a goal back as Scrimshaw went close in the 73rd minute. Pollock found the forward at the edge of the box and his sliced effort was close to the top corner.
Flores grabbed his second goal of the game with ten minutes to go as he found himself unmarked in the box, thanks to Cozier-Duberry’s clever dummy, and the forward slotted home.
he found himself on the end of a good ball forward, assisted by Cozier-Duberry’s clever dummy, and the forward kept his cool to find the bottom corner.
Winterburn had a rare effort at goal for the Cherries as he let fly from distance but it flew just over the bar.
Scrimshaw went close as he received a clever ball from Nippard, as Winterburn started the move, but his effort was just wide of Okonkwo’s left-hand post.
Winterburn limped off in the final minutes of the game as the Cherries ended proceedings with 10-men.
Arsenal: Okonkwo, Swanson, Kirk, Ogungbo, Awe, Lopez (Walters 46’), Henry-Francis, Cottrell, Hutchinson (Cozier-Duberry 64’), Flores, Biereth (Butler-Oyedeji 72).
SUBS: Graczyk, Walters, Cozier-Duberry, Ideho, Butler-Oyedeji.
YELLOW: Ogungbo
AFC Bournemouth: Dennis, Genesini, Camp, Ibsen Rossi, Greenwood, Wadham (Winterburn 65), Nippard, Roberts (Boutin 65), Gidaree, Scrimshaw, Saydee (Pollock 70).
SUBS: Camis, Seddon, Pollock, Winterburn, Boutin.
YELLOW: Wadham, Greenwood, Saydee, Camp.
Referee: Savvas Yianni
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