CHERRIES under-21s boss Carl Fletcher insisted his squad would learn from their 1-0 defeat against AFC Wimbledon.

In what proved a physical test at Canford Park Arena, Fletcher’s side fell to a first-half goal from Harry Forrester, who is on loan from Rangers.

Forrester's strike meant Cherries got their Central League campaign off to a losing start.

Fletcher told the Daily Echo: “Some teams you will come up against and it won’t be as intense and as physical, other games it will be, it’s a just a case of learning from it.

“Whatever we come up against we have to deal with. We probably didn’t deal with it as well as we could have done.

“But going forward we will learn from it and you want those games to put us under real pressure so we have to play under difficult circumstances.”

Both Emerson Hyndman and Connor Mahoney started for Cherries.

The hosts’ first chance of the contest came on 14 minutes. After a foul on the right flank, a free-kick swung in by Mahoney found Mikael Ndjoli but he headed wide.

A huge shout for a Wimbledon penalty was then waved away before the Dons took the lead on 22 minutes.

A cool finish from Forrester, who struck low into the bottom corner, gave the visitors the advantage.

Cherries then tried vainly to respond through former Blackburn man Mahoney.

His low drive from a free-kick forced a sharp save from Nik Tzanev in the away goal.

Wimbledon again had the ball in the net shortly before half-time via Egli Kaja but the effort was flagged offside by one of the referee's assistants.

Cherries keeper Jordan Holmes pulled off a fine save to deny Forrester a second after he drove in from the left just past the hour mark.

With the hosts changing their shape in a bid to salvage a point late on, Ndjoli tried his luck from range with a stinging effort which was beaten away.

And Mahoney spurned a glorious chance when he volleyed wide in the latter stages.