CHERRIES youngster Jake Scrimshaw admitted his loan spell at Poole Town challenged him mentally – and said: “It was more about just winning.”

The frontman impressed in a six-month spell with the Southern League South outfit, ending the season as Dolphins’ top goalscorer in all competitions.

Scrimshaw last week was one of nine members of Alan Connell’s Cherries under-18 squad to sign contracts and progress to the club’s under-21 set-up.

Discussing his loan at the Tatnam outfit, the 18-year-old told the Cherries website: “I got six goals on my debut for Poole Town and 17 in total while I was there.

“Going there gave me experience, playing against men in more physical games, that has improved my hold-up play and my mentality as well, with Poole it was more about just winning, getting the result no matter how you play.

“Poole have had a lot of good strikers, Charlie Austin was there and Sam Surridge more recently.

“It tested me mentally, in some games I’d be on the bench and then the next week I might be starting, then in the next game I’d be back on the bench again.”

While starring for Dolphins, Scrimshaw also helped Cherries reach a quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup.

He added: “If you would have said at the start of the season we would have got to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup against Man City I would have said ‘no chance’.”