MANAGER Carl Fletcher felt Cherries had put on a positive display despite presiding over the youth team’s first defeat since joining the Merit League.

Watford left Canford School with a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from Michael Fovili and Dion Pereira either side of Sam Surridge’s fierce second-half strike for the hosts.

Chances came and went for both teams during the opening half an hour in which Cherries enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but the visitors struck on 31 minutes when a threaded pass from Kunle Otudeko found Dennon Lewis to tee up Fovili for a tap in.

Cherries wide man Keelan O’Connell rattled the crossbar before the break but the Fletcher’s fledglings levelled 11 minutes after the restart when Surridge thumped home a low angled drive following good work from full-back Jordan Lee.

The Hornets, however, had the last laugh when Fovili’s direct run and shot was saved by Callum Stanton only for Pereira to scramble home the rebound.

Fletcher told the Daily Echo: “On the whole I felt we controlled the game with some good passing.

“We might have done one or two things better in attacking areas but I was very pleased because the tempo was good and we switched the ball well.

“Watford had good quality players who tested us in certain areas. We came up against something new which will benefit us moving forward in the Merit League.

“They had better players and were better on the ball than other teams we had faced recently. They were big and physical and our lads had to step up to the plate.

“We acquitted ourselves well, stuck to the plan and our passing game really well. Our closing down was good for most of the game.

“If I am going to be really picky, I would have liked us to show a bit more quality in the final third but overall, it was a good game.

“We have quite a low number of second-year players in the team so the other boys have gained some good experience this season and this was another learning curve for everybody involved.”

Cherries: Stanton, Lee, Harfield, Randall, Simpson, Worthington (Walker, 80), O'Connell, Butcher, Surridge, Matthews (O'Sullivan, 80), Neale. Unused sub: Lander.