AFC Bournemouth
Forward Baylin Johnson has reiterated there is a “confident and calm” feeling amongst the under-18s as the campaign reaches its climax.
The young Cherries have just four matches of their EFL Youth Alliance Southwest division term remaining.
Currently sitting top of the table on goal difference is Plymouth Argyle with a game in hand on second-placed Bournemouth.
Ahead of the run-in, Johnson told afcb.co.uk: “We’ve lost our last few games, but we’ve always got that confidence within the team.
“We know what we’re capable of and what we’ve done before. We feel confident and calm about the situation ahead of us.”
While remaining confident and calm, the young winger is under no illusions about what it will take to finish top of the pile come the season’s end.
“We need to be relentless and not take our foot off the pedal if we feel like we’re comfortable,” he explained.
“We’ve already had reminders in other games where we might be two goals up or whatever.
“We need to stay focussed on being relentless and not stopping because that’s when we can become unstuck.
“There are four games left and we need to make sure we win all four games to give ourselves the best possible chance to win the league.”
The first of the four final fixtures sees the Cherries travel to Melksham Town’s Oakfield Stadium to take on Bristol Rovers.
Having put five past the Gas in a 5-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in August, in which Johnson netted late on, he feels the team knows what to expect.
He said: “We played earlier on in the season and they’re a team that will always compete.
“They’ve had a few good results this season against some of the teams at the top of the table like Oxford and Plymouth.
“It’ll be another one where we again can’t take our foot off the pedal if we feel comfortable.”
While coach Alan Connell remains in the dugout for tomorrow’s fixture, this week saw the former striker announced as the new development squad coach.
With over two years of working with the coach under Johnson’s belt, the winger felt he had a lot to thank Connell for.
“It’s been really good working under Al, especially as a forward player,” he said. “He helps me a lot with the fine details with stuff in and around the box.
“He’ll always help me with extra stuff after training and give me advice, so being with him for over two years now has been really beneficial for me.”
Kick-off against Rovers on Saturday is scheduled for 11am at Oakfield Stadium.
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