AFC Bournemouth
Dan Carroll’s AFC Bournemouth under-18s bring the curtain down on their Merit League One campaign this Saturday with the visit of Oxford United.
For full-back Ollie Morgan, the 11am kick-off at Canford Park Arena won’t bring an end to the hard work.
Discussing the upcoming summer, he told afcb.co.uk: “I’ll be making sure that I’m working hard, getting stronger and fitter in the gym as well.
“I want to make sure that I’m working technically on the ball and making sure that I’m coming back fit.”
Hard work is something that the both-footed defender is no stranger to, too, having previously only boasted a strong right foot.
Morgan was formerly one of several right-backs in his age category within the Cherries academy ranks while the left-back spot was vacant.
Spotting the opportunity, the full-back developed his left foot in his own time to give him the edge over his counterparts.
“I worked hard when I was younger on playing with both feet, I wanted to make sure that I had that advantage over other people,” Morgan explained.
“In my spare time, I was going out and practicing on my left foot. That grew my ability on the left side and now I can do both, which is a real strength for me.
“I was mainly focussing on passing and crosses, just making sure I wasn’t just working on my strong foot, and that definitely shows now.
“It’s a really good asset because I’m not just going to be able to play on one side, I can play on both.”
That existing experience in Morgan’s armoury has been heavily bolstered over the 2022/23 campaign, having been a regular starter for the under-18s throughout the EFL Youth Alliance and Merit League campaigns.
“It’s been a really good season,” he said. “I wasn’t starting straight away but once I got into the team, it’s only been positive.
“The second years were really helpful in bringing us into the team; it’s been such a positive environment throughout the whole season.
“Now, going into the Merit League, I feel like I’ve had to step up a bit more with playing the most minutes out of the first years.”
That experience has extended beyond the under-18s as well, with plenty of minutes in Alan Connell’s development squad also under his belt.
Morgan said on that experience: “I’ve got quite a few minutes for the development squad as well, which isn’t really something that I was expecting.
“That’s something which has made me really proud, so I’ve just got to keep pushing."
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