ACADEMY boss Joe Roach has praised Cherries’ trail-blazing youngsters for striking the right balance between style and substance during their recent hot streak.

Carl Fletcher’s under-18s racked up their seventh win in eight unbeaten Football League Youth Alliance matches with a comfortable 3-0 success at Cheltenham Town on Saturday.

Joe Quigley opened the scoring in the 11th minute following a slick one-two with strike partner Sam Surridge.

Quigley doubled Cherries’ lead on the stroke of half-time by flicking home a deft header from Matt Butcher’s centre before turning provider for Surridge to net number three at the end of a tight second half.

The result saw Cherries move nine points clear at the top of the South West division with second-placed Swindon slipping up at home to Oxford United.

But Roach revealed the manner in which Cherries have adjusted to a more competitive level of football without deviating from the club’s style had been the most pleasing aspect of their purple patch.

Roach told the Daily Echo: “Every club at this level has a statement for their youth development. Between the ages of 12 and 16, it is all about learning to compete in a team.

“For players aged between 16 and 18, the objective switches to winning because that is what is expected when they go on to under-21 and first-team football.

“That change comes in different guises at different clubs but we focus on delivering that within the philosophy this club has for playing the game in the right way.

“It’s a delicate balance because we want to implement the club’s ethos. We don’t have coaches screaming at the players or lumping the ball into the corners to chase the game but, at the same time, the lads do have to be coached to win.

“We are delighted the team are in this position because it has come from doing things the right way with the players exploiting situations to win matches.

“When Carl (Fletcher) and I came back to the club that was part of our focus. It took a bit of time to change it but we couldn’t be happier with the response.

“The work we do on the training ground is being replicated on the pitch. We play as we train and that daily work can now be seen in the team’s performances, results and game understanding and Carl deserves a lot of credit for that.

“He got to where he did in his career by being a winner and that has rubbed off on the lads.”

Cherries: Stanton, Lee, Randall, Cordner, Harfield, Butcher, Worthington, Holmes (Millar, 55), Young (Walker, 75), Quigley (Lander, 85), Surridge.