CHERRIES boss Andoni Iraola shared how it was “nice” to hand youngster Dominic Sadi a moment he will never forget by giving the midfielder his Premier League debut.

Sadi was introduced off the bench in stoppage time as Cherries cruised past Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at Vitality Stadium.

The 20-year-old has previously played for AFC Bournemouth in the EFL Cup and FA Cup, but his appearance against the Seagulls represented his first in the Premier League.

Basque boss Iraola had previously stated how he would not be handing out appearances to young players for the sake of it, urging the up-and-coming talents to earn their chance in the first team.

Iraola told the Daily Echo: “I'm happy for him because he has been all this season playing with the development squad, but training a lot with us.

“He had some minutes in the cup, but to have the chance to give him his first minutes in the Premier League, it's very nice for me but especially I'm sure that he will never forget this.”

And it is not just the head coach who was impressed with Sadi, with first-team midfielder Alex Scott also heaping praise on the former Wingate & Finchley man.

Scott commented: “We’ve got brilliant young players coming through.

“You see Dom Sadi make his Premier League debut.

“I’m buzzing for him because he’s been working really hard and showing his quality in training for a number of months now.

“So for him to finally get his chance, I’m very happy for him.”

Spotted whilst playing in the seventh tier with Wingate & Finchley, Sadi has come through the ranks at Cherries to become a key figure in Alan Connell’s development squad.

Sadi himself told afcb.co.uk: “I can’t believe this day has come and I’m still feeling a bit shell-shocked.

“I’d like to thank the manager and the staff from the first team to the development squad.

“It was great to come off the bench to make my Premier League debut, it’s something every young footballer dreams of. Hopefully, there are many more games to come.

“I remember when I was playing for Wingate & Finchley people were thinking this was a pipe dream.

“But if you believe in yourself and know you can reach these heights, nothing is impossible which showed today.

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity and happy to get my first Premier League appearance.

“I’ve put a lot of hard work in and been very disciplined.

"I’ve got a lot of good people around me and the staff keep pushing me to work every day for opportunities like this. I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey.”