AFC Bournemouth
Boss Alan Connell was left to rue the absence of a “killer second goal” as AFC Bournemouth were held to a 1-1 draw by Professional Development League counterparts Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.
Dominic Sadi drew first blood for the Cherries in the behind-closed-doors clash at Vitality Stadium, the frontman opening his account for the season with a finely-taken individual goal after 16 minutes.
But although a Cherries team including first-team trio Darren Randolph, Gavin Kilkenny and Marcus Tavernier created further chances, they were pegged back when Adam Adetoro levelled for the Owls ten minutes from time.
Connell said: “I thought we controlled the game for large spells and we dominated the ball.
“I was pleased to score early because when you play a team that sits deep, it always gives you that lift and confidence to go on.
“We wanted to score that killer second goal but we struggled to create in and around their box. We lacked the final piece and that’s the most important part.
“Our build-up play was good and we pinned them back for pretty much the whole game.
“But we just lacked a bit of quality in the final third when we wanted to kill off the game with that elusive second goal.
“It was a lovely goal from Dom and there was a nice change of tempo in the build-up.
“Dom is capable of that and his challenge is to be more consistent and produce more of those moments more often in the final third, as it is for all our players.”
A share of the spoils saw the Cherries take their points tally to seven from four games following wins over Coventry and Peterborough and defeat at Barnsley seven days ago.
Asked about their start to the season in the Professional Development League, Connell said: “It’s been a step up for sure and it’s been everything we’ve wanted for a number of years.
“I think we can be confident going into every game because we believe in the players and they’ve got quality.
“We need to be more consistent within games but there’s nothing to fear.
“All the games are different challenges. Like we did today, some teams have first-team players so you never know what you are going to face.
“Darren Randolph has had a very good career, Marcus is such a key player for our first team and Gav came through our academy and has done well with the opportunities he’s had.
“It’s always nice for our boys to experience playing alongside first-team players and to see the levels they need to get to.
“This league is exciting, it’s challenging and it’s something that we’re all really enjoying.”
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