AFC Bournemouth
Jaidon Anthony has had quite the season.
In a breakthrough campaign, he’s been a regular in Scott Parker’s side, with 42 appearances, eight goals and seven assists in all competitions.
The winger has also created 53 chances, more than any of his teammates, and has attempted the highest number of passes than any other attacking player in the Cherries squad.
It’s quite the feat for the 22-year-old, who this time last year was celebrating lifting the Hampshire Senior Cup with Shaun Cooper’s development squad.
Speaking with afcb.co.uk ahead of the Easter Monday trip to Coventry, he began by reflecting on the last 12 months.
“It’s been a special year for me,” said Anthony.
“I’m happy I’ve got to do it when all the fans are back in, I’ve experienced the atmosphere first hand and it’s been unbelievable. It was no different on Good Friday against Middlesbrough.
“It’s been special for me, but we’d like to think we can make it a special season for the fans. They’ve been unbelievable travelling far and wide, especially for some of the early kick-offs.
“They come and follow us and give us all their support. They’re always right behind us and we’ve seen how much of a difference they makes.
“Hopefully they can help us again on Monday against Coventry.”
One of Anthony’s standout moments in 2021/22 came in November’s home fixture against the Sky Blues, the youngster finding the net for his side’s opener in a 2-2 draw.
However, he will treat the Easter Monday clash no differently to any other match as the Cherries look to strengthen their position in the Championship’s automatic promotion spots.
“It’s just another game for me despite scoring against them earlier this season.
“I think we’ve all seen that Coventry have had a strong campaign, so it’ll be a really tough place to go. We saw how good they were when they came here and they scored to get a point late on.
“It’s a game I’ll be excited to go into, try and make an impact whenever I play and help the team to try and get the three points. We’ll go there ready and be raring to go.”
With six big games to go and two in hand over some of their rivals, Parker’s side will finish the season in just three weeks, meaning his squad have plenty of tight turnarounds still to come.
Nevertheless, Anthony only sees the positives and believes the hectic schedule provides a good opportunity to build momentum.
“It’s physically demanding but I feel as though, as a group, we enjoy it,” he said.
“I think it’s when we’re at our best, when we can look to get a bit of momentum and keep pushing on. This is the business end of the season, we have a lot of tough games in a row and lots in quick succession.
“We have to try and pick up as many points as we can to keep building and gaining as many points as we can.
“If you look at all the other teams, they’d take our position in a heartbeat. We’re in a good position and these are the exciting games, we always look forward to the next one.
“The boys have played a lot of minutes, but we’ll recover, train and get ready for the game on Monday.”
