AFC Bournemouth Under-18s coach Alan Connell lauded his side’s honesty and work ethic following their 2-0 victory over Portsmouth.
A Lewis Brown first-half strike and an own goal were enough for the Cherries to seal three EFL Youth Alliance points at the Cams Alders Stadium.
Similarly to the opening game of the season against Exeter City, Connell’s team kept a clean sheet while bagging either side of the half-time break.
Reflecting on the win, the coach told afcb.co.uk: “We controlled the game and created some good openings, probably not with as many chances as I would like but we still created more than enough to win the game.
“We had a couple of moments where we allowed them half-chances, which is to be expected to a point.
“I said to the players, as we move forward, we want to become more ruthless to avoid giving our opponents chances in games where we’re in control.
“Portsmouth are always very competitive, as they were today and they gave us different things to think about, but the players worked out how to play the game.
“I thought it was a really professional and controlled performance in what is notoriously a tough game for us.”
Having shut out the opposition for the second game in a row, two clean sheets from two matches was another pleasing aspect for Connell.
“I think they’re a very honest group of boys and they work hard every single day with fantastic attitudes,” he said.
“They enjoy doing the other side of the game and being disciplined and being hard working out of possession.
“Keeping clean sheets are rewards for that and we’ve got to make sure we stay humble, stay grounded and keep putting that work in; hopefully we can build on that in the coming weeks.”
The under-18s’ attention now turns to cup action as Northampton Town visit Canford Park Arena in the team’s next competitive fixture.
Having not faced the Cobblers for a few years, they offer somewhat of an unknown quantity, but the game is one Connell is looking forward to.
He explained: “They’ve had players in the past like Ivan Toney that have come through there, so we’re expecting a difficult game.
“We’ll put the work in this week and make sure we’re prepared for the cup tie and it should be a great experience for the boys.
“Hopefully, we can produce a performance that does enough for us to get through.”
