AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries under-18s get their involvement in this season’s FA Youth Cup underway this evening.
James Lowy’s team travels to The Hawthorns to take on West Bromwich Albion and kick off at 7pm.
Speaking on the mood in camp, midfielder Josh Salmon told afcb.co.uk: “Personally, I’m really excited.
“To play under the lights in the FA Youth Cup, it’s what we all want, so I’m really excited and can’t wait for it.
“As a team, we’re all buzzing and can’t wait to get out there against West Brom away at The Hawthorns; we want to show what we’re about.”
Housed in a different league to the Cherries, the category one Baggies pose somewhat of an unknown quantity for Salmon and his teammates.
Undeterred by that though, the first-year scholar believes it can be a motivating factor for the under-18s.
“The draw against West Brom is really good,” he said.
“We don’t have them in the league, so we don’t know what they’re like from experience; that will give us a good incentive to go there and know we’re able to get a win.
“They’re going to be a decent side, but we’ve got every chance of going there and getting the win.”
The third-round cup clash comes as a big step in what is a learning curve of a season for Salmon having stepped up from the under-16s over the summer.
He explained: “The demands are a lot different from the under-16s, the game is a lot quicker and winning means a lot more.
“In the league, to get three points is massive, even to get draws and a point, it’s a lot bigger.
“It all means a lot more and the tempo of the game is a lot quicker, we’ve dealt with that pressure as a group well.”
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