AFC BOURNEMOUTH’S development squad coach Stephen Purches gave Sholing credit for sticking to their game plan in last night’s Hampshire FA Senior Cup semi-final at the Silverlake Arena.

A 35th-minute Barry Mason penalty sent the young Cherries crashing out of the competition 1-0 as the Boatmen booked a May 5 final date against Gosport Borough at Fratton Park.

Acknowledging a good night's work by Dave Diaper’s Southern One South & West side, Purches said: “Fair play to Sholing, they stuck to their game plan.

“They sat off us and, although we had the ball for most of the game, we didn’t really play with enough tempo to move them.

“I don’t know whether some of them tried to play a little safer because it was a semi-final but, for all the possession we had, we found it hard to break them down. Sholing worked that well and made it hard for us.

“We played them in pre-season and I thought they were organised then. But friendlies and cup games are different and if the lads are going to take anything from the game, it is that you need to try to make something happen.

“The players were disappointed. They wanted to play at Fratton Park and who doesn’t want to win a trophy?

“But we didn’t test the goalkeeper enough and didn’t hit the target when we had big opportunities. We gave away a soft penalty and they had something to cling to.

“We have made life hard for ourselves a lot of the time in this competition and tonight we didn’t have the answers to get back into it.

“Everyone played a little too safe and nobody was really prepared to have that little go and just test the goalkeeper.

“We waited for things to happen rather than making them happen.”