AFC Bournemouth
Under-18s captain Lewis Brown has spoken on the “privilege” of wearing the armband as the EFL Youth Alliance campaign draws to a close.
The Cherries youngsters face two title-deciding clashes over the coming days with two home fixtures at Canford Park Arena.
First, table-topping Plymouth visit on Saturday (11am kick-off) ahead of Swindon being in town on Tuesday (11.30am kick-off).
A win for the Pilgrims in the first will see them finish in top spot and a win for Brown and his team will mean Bournemouth leapfrog their opponents into pole position, going two points clear with one game each to play.
Regardless of the outcome, the EFL Youth Alliance campaign has been one to remember for the team’s captain, having been given the armband by Alan Connell in the summer.
“It’s been the best six months of my short career so far,” the midfielder told afcb.co.uk.
“I’ve been at Bournemouth since the age of seven, so it’s been a real privilege to come up through the age groups and then captain the under-18s.
“Also, to help these lads, and myself, to develop and, hopefully, to win the league back to back.”
With Connell having recently stepped up to managing the development squad, the campaign is one that has seen Brown benefit from working under several experienced coaches.
The recent appointment of Dan Carroll and former midfielder Andrew Surman as the under-18s’ coaching team provides a further opportunity which the 18-year-old is excited by.
“Previously we had Alan Connell who was an ex-pro, Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick, too, they’ve all worked within the club,” Brown said.
“It’s great to see them in and around the club and for them to help the young lads that want to develop, especially myself.”
He added: “Obviously, we’ve got new coaches in Dan Carroll and Andrew Surman now, too, so congratulations to both of them.
“Surs is an ex-pro and to work under him as a midfield player and to learn from his ability is already helping me develop my game and everyone else’s game.
“Hopefully, I can get to the level that he was at and play in the Premier League.”
Despite the long-term goal, Brown’s immediate focus doesn’t go further than 11am at Canford Park Arena on Saturday.
“There’s going to be pressure,” he said on the Pilgrims’ visit. “We all want to win the league; it was one of the targets we set at the beginning of the season.
“We went out of the FA Youth Cup by losing to Liverpool, who are a great team, but I back our lads to beat anyone on our day.
“Against Plymouth, we took a 0-0 away from home and now they’ve got to come to our stomping ground where no one’s beat us this season.”
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