Lowy on “brilliant trip” for under-18s

The young Cherries team ventured north of the boarder last week to defend their Rangers Charity Foundation U18 Summer Cup title, having claimed victory in the same competition last summer.

Standing in the team’s way this time were hosts Rangers and Birmingham City, both of which were dispatched.

Speaking with afcb.co.uk, Lowy explained: “It was a brilliant trip. It was great to have the opportunity to go away as a group because you get so many returns from it.

“Overall, the experience was fantastic for the lads, especially some of the new boys that are coming through.

“For some of the players it was their first time experiencing time away from home and it’s great to get them out of their comfort zone for their development, as well as spending time together as a team."

Hosted at the Rangers Training Centre, the Gers were beaten 4-2 by the Cherries, with Karlos Gregory, Jonny Day and an Ash Clarke brace on the scoresheet.

The following fixture against Blues saw Clarke and Gregory again register goals, the second time in a 2-0 win.

Back-to-back victories ensured a successful trip to Scotland, although for the lead coach, the success was in more than the silverware.

“Over the pre-season so far, the boys have show that they’re a really humble and hardworking group and have shown they can adapt well to a number of challenges and different level of opposition," he commented. 

“Also, we've challenged them to maintain their standards as a group and be able to transfer that from training to games, which has been pleasing to see so far."

Lowy recently stepped into the role of under-18s lead coach having assisted Alan Connell with the development squad last season.

With Connell himself having previously held the role Lowy is now in, he is grateful to have had the experience of learning from his predecessor.

He said: “I feel privileged to have been asked to step into the role, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity.

“Working with Al previously was a fantastic experience; he’s been a brilliant person to learn from.

“For someone who’s had so much experience and done it for a number of years, you couldn’t learn from anyone better."

With the Cherries academy having also recently been reassigned to category two, the club’s youth setup has an exciting future to look forward to.

“We’re finally seeing all the years of hard work from so many people being rewarded,” Lowy explained.

“There are so many fantastic people in the building who are absolutely brilliant at their roles, and it’s really exciting to see the academy progressing.

“With the new facility that’s being built and then going cat two, it’s a fantastic reminder of all the hard work that has gone into it."

Pictures courtesy of Rangers