Alan Connell on AFC Bournemouth's win over Peterborough United

Cherries, competing in this competition for the first time having been awarded category two academy status over the summer, now have two wins from two to start the campaign.

That is after Daniel Adu-Adjei’s penalty secured a 1-0 win over Posh on Tuesday afternoon, at Wimborne Town’s New Cuthbury stadium.

Peterborough fielded a handful of players with EFL experience, namely Ricky-Jade Jones, Joe Tomlinson and 26-year-old striker Kabongo Tshimanga.

There were chances for both sides throughout the contest, Posh keeper Fynn Talley doing well to thwart Adu-Adjei on a couple of occasions, while at the other end Cameron Plain excellently stopped Tshimanga and Ryan De Havilland.

Cherries also struck the crossbar twice through Ben Greenwood and Kian Tydeman in an entertaining encounter.

• Adu-Adjei on the spot as Cherries see off Posh in Wimborne

Daniel Adu-Adjei netted the winner against Peterborough (Image: Lewis Corbin)

Reflecting on the game, boss Connell told the Daily Echo: “You never know quite what you’re going to come up against in under-21 football.

“But they had first-team players that needed a game, so we came up against a team with a lot of first-team Football League experience, which we knew before the game was going to give us a massive test. That’s exactly what Peterborough provided.

“The pitch was a little bit slow, which maybe didn’t quite contribute to how we wanted to play. It was a really physical game, where we had to stand up to Peterborough’s threats.

“I thought we did that, I thought we defended well. I thought we had issues trying to win the ball back high, at times. But when we got it right, we created chances off the back of it, so that pleased us.”

He added: “I think the players understood what was required and what I liked is we stayed in the game when it got tough, because Peterborough put us under pressure.

“There was chances at both ends. Cam Plain has made some great saves again for us. Ultimately our mindset and our mentality and our physicality has given us a chance to win the game.

“Then all of a sudden with 15 minutes to go, Ben Greenwood breaks into the box and is fouled for a penalty and Daniel does what he does best, which is put the ball in the back of the net.

“It obviously was a big moment in the game and I thought we saw the game out really well. That’s a credit to the whole group.”

Connell added: “Peterborough had some spells where they played through us in particular. We had to try and tweak a few things.

“I thought as the game went on we got to grips with that better. We regained the ball higher up the pitch more consistently and that led to a couple of chances which their goalkeeper did well to save.

“Ultimately, it was a good run from Ben Greenwood that created the penalty.

“If you’re looking from a results point of view, it’s a great experience for the players to go through what they went through in the game but then come out on the right end of a result.

“That’s credit to them.”