AFC Bournemouth Development squad keep Premier League Cup qualification hopes alive following Scrimshaw’s late double gave Shaun Cooper's side a valuble point against Southampton Under 23s in a 2-2 draw at Vitality Stadium.
AFC Bournemouth Development squad keep Premier League Cup qualification hopes alive following Jake Scrimshaw’s late double gave Shaun Cooper's side a valuble point against Southampton Under 23s in a 2-2 draw at Vitality Stadium.
There was a huge sense of anticipation before the 7pm kick off as AFC Bournemouth's Development squad welcomed Southampton Under 21's in their final game of Group A in the Premier League Cup.???
The main stand was full of a buzzing family crowd, the pre-match light show shone bright on a clear night in Bournemouth, building the excitement before kick-off.? Cooper's side needed to avoid defeat to stand a chance of progressing to the round of 16.??
Saints kicked off and it was a cagey start as both teams tried to get a hold of the game. Southampton pressed high but the Cherries kept their shape and looked to play out from the back amid the press.??
Long balls forward to Tarik Gidaree, gave the home side the most joy in the early stages, allowing them to break in behind Saints' defence.??Southampton quickly responded with their first shot coming from Kazeem Olaigbe which drifted wide of the post.??
Theirry Small, wearing the iconic number 7 for the away side caused Bournemouth issues on the left-hand side with his step-overs and trickery. The attacking fullback signed for Saints in August 2021 from Everton.??
As it approached the half hour, Luke Pearce went down in the box and appealed for a penalty. There were suspicions of a push in the back from a Bournemouth defender but play was waved on by the referee.??
A second penalty shout occurred when Jack Turner played a through ball to Pearce who appeared to be on the receiving end of a firm challenge in the box. No foul was given once again, leading to huge shouts from the players and away fans for a penalty who chanted "where's VAR when you need it?"??
Southampton took the lead as the ball slipped through to Kazeem Olaigbe who drilled the ball into the left side netting to make it 1-0 on the 35th minute. He hit it hard and true. The keeper stood no chance.??
Cameron Plain escaped embarrassment when he gifted the ball straight to the goal-scorer, following a poor throw, who instinctively headed the ball to Saints’ striker Pearce but the Cherries' keeper scrambled out to collect the ball from his feet and save his reputation.??
Scrimshaw, who has recently returned from a loan spell at Scunthorpe United, had his first chance of the game when a long ball was played over the top. This was smartly dealt with by Southampton’s newly confirmed signing Nico Lawrence, who shielded the ball out of play. Lawrence’s successful trial at the club landed him a permanent deal, which was announced earlier this afternoon.??
The second half brought more of the same, Southampton continued to create chances with shots from the edge of the area, Jack Turner and Lewis Payne going close shortly after the restart. ??
Nathan Moriah-Welsh, who played in the FA Cup to Boreham Wood, broke dangerously through Southampton’s impressive back line and hit the deck. The winger shouted furiously at the referee for a penalty – still nothing given.??
Lewis Payne’s effort from just inside the box was saved by the Cherries goalkeeper and the follow up shot was cleared off the line by the captain Brennan Camp, to the delight of the home supporters.??
Despite Bournemouth’s best efforts, Southampton extended their lead as Olaigbe played in Small who chopped inside and smashed the ball into the top right corner making it 2-0 for Southampton in the 54th minute.??
Leon Pambou and Camp received yellow cards following two separate challenges in the second half as Bournemouth did everything in their power to stop Southampton from breaking through on goal.??
Tensions rose after Moriah-Welsh fouled Turner in midfield, players rushed to the centre of the pitch and began pushing and shoving before it was eventually broken up by the referee. ??
Shortly after, Moriah-Welsh broke through again and this time slotted the ball past the keeper, but celebrations were quickly halted by the offside flag.??
The Cherries finally got on the scoresheet through Man-of-the-Match, Scrimshaw. It was a classic poacher’s goal as the cross came in from the right-hand side - the forward read the flight of the ball perfectly and opened up his body to slot the ball home with the inside of the boot with just 10 minutes left on the clock. ??
Just two minutes later Moriah-Welsh found space in the box, only to be brought down. The referee awarded a penalty kick. ??
Scrimshaw stepped up and shot down the middle, Ollie Wright dived to his right and got a big left hand to the ball, but it squeezed through into the net, erupting the crowd.??
Bournemouth defenders Ben Greenwood and Camp made huge clearances in their own penalty area at the beginning of the five minutes of extra time. ??
Following this, Moriah Welsh had a snap-shot chance to win the game after controlling the ball from a short corner, but he dragged his shot wide of the near post.??
Bournemouth’s captain, Camp, ran forward with possession in the quest for a winner before losing control and leaving a huge gap in defence, Aaron Roberts was clean through in extra time, but he rushed his shot and skied the ball over. A huge chance missed to win the game.??
The referee controversially blew the final whistle just before the Saints crossed the ball in from the right-hand side, they looked to have a lot of space in the box. ??
Their players were enraged at full-time and surrounded the match official, whilst the home team fell to the ground in exhaustion before proudly applauding the crowd following a gutsy performance. ??
The game finished 2-2, placing Bournemouth’s Development Squad level on points with Arsenal, who face West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
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