CHERRIES under-18s' boss Alan Connell was left "very proud" of his side after they dispatched of Queens Park Rangers in the FA Youth Cup, adding: "The future hopefully is very bright here."

Despite operating a category three academy compared to QPR's category two, Cherries saw off their west London opponents 2-0 at Vitality Stadium.

Daniel Adu-Adjei got the ball rolling in the opening minutes, before Noa Boutin's fine solo effort sealed the victory, which sets up a fifth-round home clash with either Leicester City or Crewe Alexandra.

Reflecting on the victory, Connell told afcbTV: "I'm very, very proud of the players' efforts and delighted to get through to the next round.

"There was a few nerves out there from us, which is to be expected.

"It's so nice to have that young squad. Obviously they're all young, but in particular we finished with eight first-years, so we were particularly first-year heavy. So the future hopefully is very bright here."

He continued: "From top to bottom, and I know the under-18s and under-23s get the media coverage, but from the under-9s all the way up there is some good coaching, there is some good people, sports science, medical, every department, it's one big team in the academy.

"We're category three. Ideally we'd want to push on.

"That will take time I think. But QPR are a category two in London, so they've got a great catchment area.

"So we are up against it in certain things, which is why we have to go the extra mile and make sure our players go the extra mile as well.

"I always refer back to our first-team success in recent years and before that, how people go the extra mile for this club and the solid foundations we've been built on with hard work and resilience.

"I think it's important our players from top to bottom understand that and I'll make sure they continue to do that."