Premier Development League
Monday 9th March 2026
Kick Off 13.00 Actual 13.03
A.F.C. Bournemouth U21 2 Brentford U21 3, attendance 70
4’ 1-0
5’ 1-1
28’ 2-1
73’ 2-2
90’ + 3, 2-3
@ A.F.C. Bournemouth Performance Centre
off Knighton Lane
Canford Magna
BH21 3AR
No Admission
Free Team Sheet
I’d seen the youth teams of A.F.C. Bournemouth play home games at two different venues in the past, at Bournemouth Sports Club in 2001 and Canford School in 2009, but today was a chance to see the U21 team play a game at their relatively new Performance Centre. It’s built on the site of a former golf course, with a vast number of pitches here, including both indoor and outdoor 3G pitches. Today’s game was played on a grass pitch adjacent to the indoor pitch, end on to the building. There’s spectator viewing along the whole of one side, with the dugouts opposite. I’d rang the club this morning to check accessibility and there were no restrictions gaining access. They just took my name at security and a note of the car registration number. Plenty of parking once inside, but there’s no access to the pitch until about 15 minutes prior to kick off.
It was nice to get a game at this level where both teams tried to play football and there was very little of the negative style you normally get in these games. It probably helped that Bournemouth scored after just four minutes, charging down an attempt at playing out from the back by the Brentford ‘keeper, before rolling the ball into an empty net. Brentford equalised a minute later, when a cross from the right was finished at the near post. Just before the half hour mark Bournemouth went back in front, when a cross from the right was met with a downward header at the far post that found the bottom corner. Brentford made it 2-2 with seventeen minutes left, scoring from a free kick on the edge of the D. It looked like we’d be heading for a draw, but three minutes into stoppage time Brentford grabbed a winner, when a ball played across the edge of box was finished first time into the top corner by substitute Beau Redknapp, son of Jamie.
Nice to have a trouble free journey in both directions, meaning under two hours drive each way.
