MIDFIELD starlet Alex Scott took it upon himself to apologise to Cherries supporters on behalf of his teammates after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Leicester City.

Championship leaders Leicester edged out Cherries 1-0 after extra time on Tuesday night at Vitality Stadium, substitute Abdul Fatawa’s curling striker the one moment of real quality out of 120 minutes.

That now means that it is the third season in a row lower league opposition have knocked Cherries out of the FA Cup, following defeats to Borehamwood in 2022 and Burnley in 2023.

In his debut season with Cherries, Scott played the entirety of the encounter, one of five outfielders to play the full 120 minutes.

After Cherries’ cup exit, they are now only competing in the Premier League, with 20-year-old Scott targeting a win at the weekend over Burnley (Sunday 1pm) to spark a revival in his side’s fortunes.

Discussing the game with the Daily Echo, Scott began: “It was very poor, I think, from us as a team.

“It wasn't good enough. We know that.

“Credit to Leicester, they played well.

“They're a top, top side and they've shown that in the Championship.

“They were the better team on the day.

“So we're disappointed. Obviously it's been a tough couple of months now without a win.

“But we're trying and it'll come.

“Hopefully it comes on Sunday and we can put a run together before the end of the season.”
Cherries managed 27 shots against Leicester but were only able to steer four on target.

Scott himself admitted that he had spurned a few opportunities himself, most notably steering wide a rebound from close quarters in the first half.

“We kept pushing, we kept going for it,” continued the Guernsey-born star.

“I think the quality in the box wasn't good enough, myself included.

“I missed a couple of big chances.

“They'll stick in my mind leading up to the game Sunday.

“But, it's a new opportunity when we go to Burnley and we'll be looking to put things right, myself included.

“I think it was definitely not a good enough performance from me.

“I think I speak on behalf of the team that we apologise to the fans that come out.

“Like I said, we're gonna put it right on Sunday.”

Cherries’ next opponents, Burnley, are currently marooned in the bottom three of the Premier League.

Vincent Kompany’s Clarets are in 19th place, with 13 points from 26 games – 15 points behind 14th placed Cherries.