AFCB

Development Squad

Cooper praises squad for Cup progress

AFC Bournemouth under-21 coach Shaun Cooper praised his players for displaying a "winning mentality" after they had booked a place in the quarter-final of the Hampshire Senior Cup.

Charlie Seaman's stunning first-half double and a finely-taken second-half strike from Frank Vincent earned the Cherries a 3-1 win against Wessex Premier high-fliers Horndean last night.

Victory set up a last-eight encounter with unbeaten Wessex Premier leaders Sholing at their Universal Stadium headquarters on Tuesday 5th February (7.45pm).

Cooper told afcbTV: "The lads want to win everything they take part in, whether it's training or a game.

"A couple of the players said before the game that they had slipped up in this competition previously so it means a lot to them.

"They are a proud bunch and want to win as much as possible. It was good to see them take that winning mentality into the game and do what they had to do to get the victory."

Cooper also commended his players for adapting to playing on sloping pitch at Horndean’s Five Heads Park: "You almost have to have two separate game-plans for each direction you play towards. The boys dealt well with defending the slope in the first half and managed to lock in the opposition for large spells through steady possession during the second. It was a learning experience for them."

Revised quarter-final draw: Fareham Town v Basingstoke Town, Havant & Waterlooville v Team Solent, Bournemouth Poppies v Southampton, Sholing v AFC Bournemouth.