North under-14s take to the pitch at Bournemouth

The two linked clubs took to the pitch on Saturday as they played a friendly match, with Northerners AC later attending the Bournemouth v Norwich game at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, followed by a penalty shoot-out at half time during the match.

Lead coach Jason Tardif accompanied the team on the trip and said it had been a great experience for them.

‘It was fantastic to be there,’ he said.

‘We took a bit of a beating during the match that we played against the Bournemouth Community team, an 11-1 defeat for us, but it was a learning curve.

‘We play the same teams week in week out, so we want to come back fitter, smarter and a bit stronger.

‘There were positives that came from it for sure – our goalkeeper got praise from Bournemouth, which was really nice to hear.’

A highlight of the trip, for which the team fundraised, was the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Norwich, which despite ending in a goalless draw saw both teams have chances at both ends.

‘The kids really enjoyed themselves at the game,’ added Mr Tardif.

‘The match was exciting and you can even see us on Match of the Day when Norwich have a shot and the Bournemouth goalkeeper saves it from his right hand corner – we’re the group in light blue just behind the goal.

‘We also had a penalty shoot-out during the match at half time – it’s great for the kids to get stuck in and it was a good trip for the team to bond as well.’

Mr Tardif added that from fundraising through to organising, the trip had been a team effort and he thanked everyone who had helped make it possible.

‘It’s a trip they will never forget,’ he said.

‘The boys were a credit to us and when Bournemouth Community hopefully come over in the summer, we’ll give them a really good game.’