AFC Bournemouth
Coach Alan Connell has urged his AFC Bournemouth young guns to “build on this experience” after they lifted the King Power Cup.
Connell’s charges emerged triumphant from the six-team tournament, which was hosted by Leicester City at their Belvoir Drive Training Ground yesterday.
The Cherries overcame category one Swansea City and Leicester’s Thai Academy in their two group games before seeing off EFL Youth Alliance rivals Oxford United with an assured display in the final.
Former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender Kolo Toure, who is first-team coach at Leicester, was on hand to present the trophy to the Cherries youngsters.
Connell told afcb.co.uk: “It was a really good day and a great experience for all the players. On behalf of AFC Bournemouth, I would like to extend my thanks to Leicester City for inviting us to take part.
“It was a very well organised tournament and the facilities were second to none. It was another opportunity for our players to enjoy and I thought their attitude to the day was excellent.
“I was pleased for them that they enjoyed a nice moment together in lifting a trophy but we must continue to work hard and build on this experience.
“Part of their development is learning how to win and, because it was a tournament, it was an ideal opportunity to expose them to that.
“We played three games of 50 minutes and showed spells of some good play on the ball. I was especially pleased with the defensive effort.
“It was also a very long day for the boys. We left early and got back late. That’s part and parcel of being a professional footballer and another part of the learning process.
“I spoke to Kolo Toure after the final and he liked the way the boys tried to pass the ball regardless of the scoreline which pleased me”
Goals from Luke Pardoe and Christian Saydee saw the Cherries open the tournament with a 2-1 win over Swansea before Jordan Murray’s effort earned them a 1-0 victory over Leicester’s Thai Academy.
Oxford won their group after finishing ahead of Leicester City and Leeds United, with James Oliver’s excellent goal settling the final in favour of the Cherries.
Connell, who singled out Luke Gray for special praise for his display in the final, added: “We scored an early goal against Swansea but, unfortunately, conceded quite quickly. We did okay in the first half without really stamping our authority on the game.
“We were a lot better in the second half and created a lot more chances. Christian Saydee scored the winner after Jack Wadham had won back the ball well.
“We made a lot of changes for the second game. We told the players that would be part of the day and they needed to be ready when called upon.
“We didn’t produce what I had wanted us to in the first half against the Thai Academy but the second half was a bit better and we scored a late goal.
“I was really pleased with our performance in the final. We dominated the ball, created a lot of chances and could have had more than one goal.
“A really well-taken strike from James Oliver won it and Joe Besant had to make an outstanding save to keep the score at 1-0. We showed a real maturity to our play and managed the game by keeping the ball.”
AFC Bournemouth squad: Joe Besant, Billy Terrell, Brooklyn Genesini, Harvey Bertrand, Tarik Gidaree, Brandon Channell, Jack Seddon, Ben Greenwood, Aaron Roberts, Jordan Murray, Jack Torniainen, Jack Wadham, Khavarn Williams, Luke Gray, Luke Pardoe, Euan Pollock, Christian Saydee, James Oliver, Jake Adams.
Pictures courtesy of LCFC/PlumbImages
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