AFC Bournemouth development squad boss Alan Connell praised his players for their ruthlessness following a convincing 5-1 win over Fulham in their latest pre-season friendly.
Striker Daniel Adu-Adjei maintained his impressive form in front of goal as the Cherries raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening five minutes.
Remy Rees-Dottin’s cross was turned past his own goalkeeper by a Fulham defender before Adu-Adjei netted against his former club, finishing with aplomb having been teed up by Kian Tydeman.
Cam Plain made a smart save to preserve their lead at the break before Michael Dacosta Gonzalez made it 3-0, his 25-yard free-kick giving the Fulham goalkeeper no chance.
Balraj Landa extended the Cherries’ advantage following good work by Finn Tonks with the hosts bagging what proved to be a consolation 20 minutes from time.
Landa then turned provider, his neat exchange of passes with Ash Clarke allowing the striker to slot the ball into the corner of the net late on.
It was the development squad’s first game since they returned from France where they competed against some top European teams in the Tournoi Européen U21.
Connell told afcb.co.uk: “It was straight back into action for the players after the France tournament which was what we wanted. We want them to be physically and mentally robust and resilient.
“We started the game very well. In recent pre-season games, scoring the first goal has been difficult to come by so to score two early was a real confidence boost for the players.
“It was an assured display against a very good academy in Fulham. There were chances at both ends but I thought we had control for large spells and created the lion’s share of them. We were a lot more clinical in the final third.
“It was good to see the players take on board and learn from the recent games and I thought the physical efforts were again outstanding.”
AFC Bournemouth: Plain, Tonks, Morgan, Williams, Trialist, Bevan, Johnson, Okoh, Adu-Adjei, Tydeman, Rees-Dottin.
Rolling subs: Harris, Sadi, Kinsey-Wellings, Landa, Clarke, Dacosta Gonzalez.
