COMPETING as a Premier League player for the first time is bound to carry extra pressure.

While he was not in the red and black of his new club Cherries, Lloyd Kelly did this week take to the pitch for the first time since his £13million summer move from Bristol City was completed as the Dorset club beat off reported interest from Liverpool to seal the deal.

Kelly made his fourth appearance for the England under-21s, playing the full 90 minutes at left-back in the crazy 3-3 draw with Croatia.

For many Cherries fans, that was the first chance to have a close look at their new recruit.

And the 20-year-old, who was an unused substitute for the defeats to France and Romania, generally impressed but was caught out just past the hour mark.

With England 2-1 up thanks to goals from Reiss Nelson and James Maddison either side of a Josip Brekalo strike, Kelly sloppily conceded possession under minimal pressure deep inside his own defensive third.

The Bristol-born ace immediately tried to rectify his error but was ruthlessly punished as Nikola Vlasic slotted in, with Kelly’s frustration clear to see.

Aidy Boothroyd’s side got back in front through Jonjoe Kenny, but the spoils were shared when Brekalo netted again late on.

That was the only point the Young Lions picked up as they suffered a disappointing exit from the group stage of the European Under-21 Championship in Italy and San Marino.

Kelly was not the first player forced to hold his hands up for a defensive mistake during the tournament.

Crystal Palace star Aaron Wan-Bissaka turned into his own net deep into stoppage time to hand France victory in the opening game while goalkeeper Dean Henderson allowed Florinel Coman’s strike through his grasp late on against Romania.

England conceded nine goals in their three games with boss Boothroyd saying: “When you give away goals like we have, if you are expecting anything but draws and losses then you are daft.

“The bottom line is last time (Euro 2017) we won the group with seven points.

“This time we might have played a nicer brand of football but we haven’t done what we wanted to do.

“Different individuals in different games have made poor decisions. At this level you get punished for them. When you look at the calibre of players who are making the mistakes, it doesn’t make sense.”

While mistakes are often punished at under-21 level, the jeopardy that comes with a slip-up is multiplied in the Premier League. But there was plenty in Kelly’s display to suggest he has the attributes to slot into Howe’s side.

The rangy full-back offered real athleticism down the left as well as pace and speed of thought in his recovery challenges and looked composed on the ball throughout.

Concentration appeared the biggest issue for Kelly against Croatia with his casual clearance pounced upon for for Vlasic’s goal, as well as losing his man when defending set pieces, but these mistakes tend to be ironed out in time for young defenders.

Howe will be keen to get to work quickly on his summer signing when pre-season gets underway in the coming weeks.

But from the first glimpse of Kelly since he officially became a top-flight player, the signs seem encouraging.