AFC Bournemouth
Bruce Suraci saw the AFC Bournemouth development squad ease into the third round of the Hampshire Senior Cup and described their display as “a growthful night for the boys”.
Suraci, academy head of coaching and development at Vitality Stadium, took the reins for Tuesday’s second-round encounter against Wessex One leaders Folland Sports.
And a youthful Cherries squad, which included no fewer than nine members of the under-18s, registered a convincing 5-0 win at the MB Tiling Sports Centre in Hamble.
Skipper Ben Greenwood led the way with a 13-minute hat-trick, which included two penalties, while Matt Burgess and recent signing Josh Popoola were also on the scoresheet.
Suraci, who had Shaun Cooper and Brett Pitman alongside him in the dugout, gave his assessment of the contest to afcb.co.uk: “Every game we play with our development age groups is about the players growing.
“We came to a difficult venue and faced a team that were aggressive, quite direct and really pressed us in the second half so it presented a range of challenges for the boys.
“As a staff collectively, we were really pleased with how they rose to those challenges as this stretch is what allows for the opportunity to grow.
“The players adjusted well to certain positional situations, a number of subs and going down to ten men and their decision-making and adaptability throughout the game was strong.
“Overall, it was a really growthful night for the boys and an excellent experience in pretty tricky circumstances and one which they approached very professionally so that was pleasing.
“As we reflect as a team of staff and as the players reflect, it’s important now to make sure the lessons we learned from tonight allow all of us to continue to improve individually and collectively.”
Suraci singled out skipper Greenwood for special praise and gave an update on the condition of Archie Harris who was helped off the pitch after sustaining a knee injury in the closing stages.
“Ben’s professionalism has been top drawer,” said Suraci. “His quality is obvious in terms of his ability technically.
“He’s been given a lot of leadership tasks in the past nine days and has really risen to the challenge. Ben was a real plus and we’re really pleased for him.
“It’s not a very nice situation and we all feel for Archie. Unfortunately, it looks like he’s sustained an injury to his knee.
“He was in good spirits in the changing room and the medical and sports science teams were outstanding in terms of their professionalism and the pace they dealt with it.
"Archie will be assessed in more detail in the coming days. But what we do know is Archie is an excellent character and is resilient as an individual which will serve him well in his recovery.”
The development squad host Derby County in their second Premier League Cup group game at Vitality Stadium on Friday 23rd September (7pm kick-off).
Click here for details on how to buy tickets for the game.
