Which AFCB Development players can catch the eye?

I have to admit I have not had the opportunity to see many Development squad games for AFCB and the coverage on these players is something that I hope we can feature more now that they have a competitive mini-league to try and show their skills in. I find it a little strange that you have established players like Stephane Zubar (Zubar is now apparently unavailable for the game) and Miles Addison leading out the younger lads, but they should be able to pass on some very good experience to other squad members who are facing Hamworthy Recreation tonight at 6.30pm in their first pre-season match.

I hear from Neil Perret at the Echo that Mohammed Coulibaly's younger brother Aly will also get a run out and he is supposed to be lightening quick - no surprise there then. But there are others that I hope play like Sam Matthews, Josh Carmichael, Josh O'Hanlon, Josh Wakefield and Jonathan Muleba. Four players were offered pro-deals last April and it is important that they can step up. Another signing that came to the club last January was Ben Whitfield from Guiseley who may also get some game time. The Echo has a good write up on who might be selected for the game and prices are free for kids and £5 for adults.

You never really know what kind of side will appear in these games but Stephen Purches will pick a team that has the desire to go and do its best for the Cherries. He has to think ahead to the southern mini-league that will feature Luton Town, AFC Wimbledon, Cambridge United, Gillingham, Leyton Orient, Peterborough United and Portsmouth as well as the Cherries.


AFCB first-half team v Ham Rec: Holmes, Muleba, Buckley, Addison, Zubar, Wakefield, Gilkes, Whitfield, Murphy, Stockley, Bassele.

Just Yann or two more deals on deadline day at AFCB

So Deadline day is drawing to a close with just a few hours left to go. AFCB have eventually secured their main man, Yann Kermorgant from Charlton Athletic for a fee believed to be between 400k-500k, but undisclosed. We hope the striker can bang in plenty of goals for AFCB. Yann signed in time to play on Saturday so as long as the weather holds off we could see Yann take to the pitch in Red and Black this weekend. The deal is a two-and-a-half year one for the 32 year-old striker.

             

Of course AFCB still have to go to the Valley having had their Fourth round FA Cup tie on the day that the original fixture would have been played. I think it might be worth getting a ticket to that game as the banter on Yann might be a bit tasty, assuming there is no gentlemen's agreement for him not to play in the one (no date has yet been re-arranged yet for that fixture in case you are wondering). He's is AFCB's player after all and not on loan. By the way it's going to cost you a bit to get all those KERMORGANT letters on the back of your next shirt!

Not sure about the last goal on this video. Yann you start from -1 in an AFCB shirt!

At just gone 2pm AFCB also completed the signing of Ben Whitfield from Guiseley AFC on an 18 month deal. Another Development squad player.

Ben Whitfield also signs for the Cherries.

I do wonder what players do if they are settled at a club and don't want to be contacted during deadline day. Do they switch their mobiles off and go for a long walk? Or is the thought of going to a better paid job too much for most players? I expect there were a few Odemwingie's out there with the phone on emergency redial to their agents and the car revved up and ready to go. Hopefully the the one twitter rumour read of Ritchie being unsettled was total rubbish.

There were some other rumours about (some of which I might have started – naughty me), but they did not come off. In light of Sam Allardyce's misery having been castigated by Jose Mourinho at his side's 19th Century style of football with 11 players in the box, West Ham looked destined to release some key players. I hoped that Jack Collison might be among them and that AFCB could snatch him up. Maybe we are not quite that rich yet, but there is a bit of time left.

The good news is that Eunan O'Kane is likely to be staying at AFCB for the foreseeable future so we don't need Collison at this point in time. There were no bids for any of AFCB's players to my knowledge which can only be seen as a good thing from a fans point of view. I think most of us are pretty happy with the squad staying together.

I do wonder who made that grey deadline day scarf. I imagine it was sent to all 92 league clubs. That was a missed opportunity for me to have Cherry Chimes on it! To be honest I am quite partial to Jim White's signed yellow tie that was being given away on SkySport's News.