AFC Bournemouth
Under-18s lead coach Dan Carroll has aired he wants to see his side’s communication levels given a boost over their Merit League One campaign.
Goals from Remy Rees-Dottin, a trialist, Kian Tydeman and Jack Holman derived three points in the young Cherries’ opener against Swindon Town on Saturday.
The clash saw two under-16s step up to starting positions and a host of first-year scholars come into the starting XI after the second years moved up to development squad training.
Heading into the meeting with the Robins, Carroll was keen for his first years to fill in roles of the seconds.
“I’m really pleased,” he told afcb.co.uk “We’ve talked a lot about their need to step up in terms of their communication.
“You’ve got people like Lewis Brown, who are really vocal and have now moved up. The boys have got to fill that void. It’s good for them because they have to take responsibility.
“I thought the two under-16s played really well, gave very good accounts of themselves and worked really hard.
“There were plenty for them to learn from and it was a really good learning day for all of the lads.”
The Cherries were met with difficult conditions at the windy and cold Stanley Park Sports Ground, which the under-18s lead coach felt contributed to the day’s learning points.
He said: “We had tough conditions against a high press, so that’s an easy main point of learning for the lads from the first half.
“In the second, we were dealing with being 2-0 up, the other team getting a goal back and the momentum shift that comes with that.
“Also, their sending off, you’re playing against ten men and seeing out the game against dangerous opposition.”
Victory against the Robins sees Carroll’s team continue a winning run which now stretches to five matches.
While the run is impressive and culminated in the EFL Youth Alliance South West title, development is the main aim as the under-18s progress over the Merit League campaign.
“It’s not the overriding aim but it’s a nice habit to be in,” Carroll said.
“We talked after the match about how the boys want to win every game they play, obviously, and they saw out a difficult match in the end.”
He added: “That’s good for their learning.”
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