Four hundred and ten days since suffering a second anterior cruciate ligament injury, Kieren Flavell was back in action as our U21s secured a fine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Oakwell on Tuesday afternoon.
It has been a long road for our young goalkeeper, who has been sidelined since last July, but he was delighted to be out on the pitch once more and couldn’t hide his smile whilst being interviewed post-match.
“It feels brilliant,” he beamed. “I couldn’t have asked for a better start – first game, on Oakwell against Premier League opposition; 3-0 win and a clean sheet. That’s what I was hoping for.”
Naturally, there was a bit of apprehension for Flavell as he prepared for his first outing in over a year – particularly following the anguish of a recurrence just months after his previous comeback.
The original injury occurred during an U18s fixture against Birmingham City in February 2021 but, once the 19-year-old got his first touch of the ball, all of those nerves evaporated, and he put in a fine performance – displaying excellent composure and superb distribution against a strong Cherries side.
“I’d say the first time I did it and came back, I wasn’t as nervous,” admitted Flavell. “I think, as you grow older, the opposition gets better – your body is changing and you’re up against faster and stronger players.
“There were definitely a few nerves, but I think that’s only natural.
“I had quite a lot of the ball; the lads trusted me in possession. I know what it can be like playing with someone who you’ve not played with for a very long time – the trust might not be there.
“Thankfully, the lads trusted me with the ball, and I was pinging it around everywhere, and it felt really good.”
Bournemouth arrived at Oakwell having won their opening two fixtures of the campaign without conceding a goal, but they were under the cosh for much of the encounter as our energetic young Reds pressed high up the pitch throughout.
Aiden Marsh’s brace and Fabio Jalo’s sublime free-kick rounded off what was a tremendous display from our U21s, and Flavell believes can only provide further encouragement moving forward.
“I think we were tactically spot on,” he assessed. “Everything we’ve looked at from Bournemouth’s perspective – the way they play, what kind of runs the strikers make, in and out of possession – I think we got it nailed down to a tee.
“The boys were fantastic and had a really good shape, scored three goals and it could have been even more had we been more ruthless. It could have been four, five or six, but the main this is the win and the clean sheet.
“The past few games, we’ve scored goals but conceded them as well, so to keep a clean sheet is really encouraging. To break down a really good side as many times as we did is a massive confidence boost ahead of Friday against Cardiff.”
