AFC Bournemouth
While the AFC Bournemouth women’s team’s main focus is to navigate their way to a league title – they are doing something a little different this weekend ahead of the biggest game of their season.
A rare weekend without a National League Division One South West fixture means Steve Cuss’s players have the chance to socialise away from football. Taking on an escape room as a team bonding exercise is their activity of choice.
And while she is not too keen on being trapped in a room with time ticking away, vice-captain Abby Jones believes the togetherness of her teammates can help direct them to the third tier of the women’s game.
“We’ve got a team social this weekend, so we are going to spend some time together away from football,” the defender explained, speaking to afcb.co.uk after Thursday’s crucial 2-1 win at Moneyfields.
“We’re going to an escape room! We are probably going to go for dinner together afterwards as well.
“We hardly ever get to spend any time together away from football, because every Sunday we have a game week in, week out. I think it’s really important for us to do that before our final game.
“I’ve never done one and I’m scared of the scary rooms, so I’m not looking forward to that bit!”
Back on the pitch, the Cherries know they have to pick the lock of title-challengers Exeter City’s defence a week today (2pm kick-off), to break the shackles and seal promotion – with only one team progressing to the level above.
For Jones, who has come through the age groups to feature for the club’s first team, the magnitude of the trip to Exwick Community Hub is simple.
She said: “I would probably say it’s the biggest game of my life to be honest. Getting promoted would be really important for the club and the team as a whole.
“It’s something we have worked towards all season but really just as big a moment as an individual, showing how far I have come, coming up through the age groups to being with the team we have now.
“It’s something I never dreamed of but now it’s happening and now it’s all real, it’s something that really excites me and hopefully we can push on for that final game.
“We are going to work hard again, exactly the same as we do every single week and push for that final game of the season.
“There’s a lot of pressure around it, we know we probably have to win the game to get promoted but all we have to focus on now is working hard for each other and working as a team, as we did on Thursday.”
