AFC Bournemouth
Shaun Cooper expressed his delight after the under-21s ran out 5-1 winners in a friendly against Eastleigh this afternoon.
Taking place at the Silverlake Stadium, Christian Saydee hit two, while Jordan Zemura, Jaidon Anthony and Marc Pugh also got on the scoresheet.
There was also an appearance for Charlie Daniels, as he continued his recovery from injury.
Following the game, manager Cooper gave his assessment to afcb.co.uk.
Read the match report in full here.
“I’m really pleased overall,” he began.
“In the first half, as the scoreline suggested, it was close. Then in the second half, I thought we came out and I thought naturally we slightly changed our shape.
“Christian [Saydee] came on and gave us a more direct threat, it created space on the pitch and I thought we were a little bit more patient out from the back.
“We got our players in good areas higher up the pitch and I think that’s why we ended up scoring a few more goals.”
The former Cherries defender also discussed the benefit in playing against a men’s team, allowing his lads valuable gametime in a more physical environment.
“Our pre-season fixtures have seen a lot of competition against men’s teams and it’s good for the boys,” Cooper continued.
“Today it was even more pleasing to get some of the under-18s on towards the end of the game. It was nice for them to dip their toes in against a men’s team.
“I think we had a good blend of experience out there with Charlie Daniels and Marc Pugh, and then some of the older under-21s players, so we had a really strong team.
“They got the job done and then, with the younger lads coming on, just to be around the likes of Pughie and Chaz and the others who are around the first team, it’s a great experience for them and it was good to have them involved.”
One player who made a big impact after coming on at half-time was striker Christian Saydee.
The forward got himself two goals in addition to the one he bagged at Moneyfields in the Hampshire Senior Cup last weekend.
Cooper admitted that he was delighted for the youngster, who missed the majority of last season through injury.
“I think the biggest thing for Christian when we came back after a long lockdown was his fitness and, credit to him, he’s worked really hard at it.
“He’s out on loan at Poole Town as well, so he’s getting minutes there. That’s the biggest thing in recent weeks is his improvement in fitness because when he’s fit and mobile, he can bring so much to any team and we saw that today.”
