Connell - A patchy performance

The 1-1 draw at Canford Arena saw Michael Dacosta Gonzalez win and then step up to take a first-half penalty that was saved, Jireh Oyebamiji giving Rovers the lead after the restart.

The Cherries pushed hard for a leveller but it didn't appear to be coming until substitute Marcus Daws flashed home a deflected shot moments before the final whistle.

After the match, manager Alan Connell gave afcb.co.uk his view on the highs and lows of the performance.

"I was pleased that the players kept going to the very end," he said. "All teams that that are successful need to have that mentality to go to the end, even when it hadn't been our day necessarily.

"We showed a bit of character to keep going, but it doesn't hide the fact that it was a patchy performance.

"We're just struggling at the moment to put back-to-back performances and results together. We need that consistency in our performances and if we get that we've got the quality to put a run of results together.

CHERRIES LEVEL AT THE LAST! 🎇

Everyone up for a corner, it drops for Daws, he powers in a volley and via a big deflection it bobbles in off the post!

90’ | 🍒 1-1 🌳 // #afcbu18s

— AFC Bournemouth Academy (@AFCB_Academy) September 4, 2021

"It's still early stages in the season and there's so much work going on and needs to keep going on to get us to where we need to be individually and as a group.

"There were challenges, we missed a penalty which is a psychological setback. We conceded just after half time, that's another one.

"Credit to the players for dominating the last half hour and having a lot of ball inside their box but we lacked quality and that's a consistent theme at the moment.

"Who can unlock a defence? Who can find that bit of quality in a tight area? That's where we're lacking at the moment, it's not the application it's the quality in those critical moments and whether we can produce in them.

"With the players we've got and the attitudes they show every day I'm convinced that we can build day-by-day."

The late leveller was an important step for the returning Daws who has had a disrupted start to the campaign, as his manager added to: "It's great to have him back.

"I'm talking about quality in the vital moments and he's our go-to player in them.

"He's had a little spell out but has come on today, shown his quality and got the equaliser at the end. He's a massive player for us and hopefully we can get him up to full speed very soon.

"Goalkeeper Josh Clarke has also had a hectic week, he's been away with the Northern Ireland under-19s, played twice and kept two clean sheets before coming back for today's game.

"He's done well by all accounts and for him when he looks back on this week it will be quite a big part of his development."