CHERRIES star Alan Connell admitted he was "tired" but "relieved" after hitting the goal trail during an exhausting whirlwind weekend.

Connell netted his first goal for more than 10 months after being invited to turn out for the Cherries youth team in a friendly in Jersey on Sunday.

The enthusiastic 20-year-old was up at the crack of dawn to link up with the Cherries squad for the ferry crossing from Weymouth just hours after arriving back from Wrexham on Saturday.

But it was a fruitful excursion for the young striker who bagged the second goal and also had a hand in further strikes for James Coutts and Danny Taylor as Cherries ran out 4-0 winners over local side St Paul's.

It was also Connell's first goal since he scored the clincher in Cherries' 2-1 win at Lincoln at the start of October before his debut season was cruelly cut short by a serious knee injury.

Connell, who is well on the road to recovery after his pre-season campaign was disrupted by an ankle injury, told the Daily Echo last night: "The manager called me to the front of the coach on the way back from Wrexham to ask me if I fancied playing in the game and I said I did.

"I got up at 5am on Sunday and drove to Weymouth to get the ferry to Jersey. Then, after watching the under-17s, we played in the afternoon before I got back to Bourne-mouth around 2am. I was in for training this morning at 10am and I'm quite tired now.

"To be honest, I was a bit unsure when the manager first asked me on Saturday, but, looking at it now, it was a very worthwhile exercise.

"I managed to get another 90 minutes under my belt and I felt the best I've felt for a while. I also scored one and helped to create another two, so that was very pleasing as well.

"It was a relief to score the goal. It's been a long time since I've scored and it's something I love doing and something I'm eager to experience again and again this season.

"Although they weren't the strongest opposition, you can only score against what's in front of you. It's a start and hopefully I can get my chance in the side and get scoring again.

"I'm feeling better and better with every game, and, if anything, it shows just how desperate I am to play and how desperate I am to do well."

Cherries boss Sean O'Driscoll said: "There's great expectations on Alan's shoulders now he has returned to the squad, but he is still a bit behind some of the other players because he missed a lot of pre-season.

"Strikers need to be sharp and this was a good opportunity for him to get 90 minutes under his belt. Full credit to Alan because he was prepared to get up at 5am on Sunday after coming all the way to Wrexham.

"Some people say they will do these things and then don't, but Alan put his words into action. I think he enjoyed himself and Joe Roach was very pleased with him.

"It was a good chance for him to have a game, especially as there is no reserve match this week. The more games he plays, the better for us.

"We don't want to put him back in when he's not ready because that would be disappointing for him and disappointing for the supporters. We want him firing on all cylinders."

Connell was joined on the scoresheet by Danny Cann, Coutts and Taylor, while goals from Ryan Moss, Aaron Reid and Nathan Geary helped Cherries under-17s to a 3-2 win over their St Paul's counterparts.