U18 Match Centre | AFC Bournemouth vs. Cardiff City

Our U18 side travels to face the Cherries on Saturday afternoon - 12pm KO.

PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON

Ahead of the match, head coach Tom Hutton said: “The game on Saturday against Portsmouth was difficult, but a lot of that was down to the weather. The wind really challenged both teams, the rain was coming down sideways, but I thought the boys did really well against all that. We were still able to dominate large parts of the first half, but I think we let ourselves down in moments. We knew we were going to give away chances because we knew it would be easier for the opposition to press us because we weren’t able to play long because of the wind. We couldn’t quite find a winner with the chances we created, but it was a good game of football, but the boys did extremely well when you take everything into account.

“Bournemouth are a good team and an opponent we’ve played a lot against in various cup competitions and the league since they moved into category two. We know they’re a good side, but we’ve been looking at ourselves this week and looking to improve from our performances last week. We always look at our own performance first and foremost over any result, and if we do that, I believe we can come out with positives on Saturday.”

PRE-MATCH | SAM JONES

Goalkeeper Sam Jones also discussed the fixture, adding: “It was a good opportunity for the boys to get minutes in the cup after not having a game for a few weeks, and I thought everyone reacted well and showed a positive reaction to get back into the game. Training has been good this week as we are preparing well for the weekend.

“I think it has been a very positive start to the season for me personally especially being a first-year goalkeeper and getting plenty of minutes to showcase my ability to help the team as much as I can and perform to the best of my abilities. I think the coaches have played a massive part in my progression this season as they make me feel more and more confident with every game I play.

“Bournemouth are a strong side with some good individuals which will pose some good threats for us to deal with. We played them a few weeks back, however, now we have some boys back fit I believe we can fully compete in this game and to try and get the three points. We haven’t played in the league for a few weeks now so it will feel good for all the boys to get back into the swing of things and get back going in the league again.”

TICKET INFORMATION

Entry for this Saturday's match at Canford Park Arena will be free for all supporters.

REACHING THE GROUND

Supporters planning on attending on Saturday should use the following address:

Canford Park Arena, Magna Road, Wimborne, BH21 3AP.

The ground is located a 43-minute bus journey away from Bournemouth Station.