'You've blown it'. Lennie tells LDV flops

Last updated : 12 December 2002 By Michael Morris
Quotes from South Wales Echo

Lennie Lawrence

On the players, some of whom may never play first team football for City again

"I don't know if the players realised how important this game was for them,"

"There will be no more player rotation. From now on, in Nationwide League and FA Cup matches, the best team available will play. This was an extremely important game for a lot of players. There aren't going to be any more opportunities for them to put this right apart from possibly the FAW Premier Cup and that is still some way off.

"There are no reserve matches until well into January, while there are no more LDV games for squad players to look forward to. My message to those players who were given an opportunity to show what they are capable of last night is they've blown it."

On the game

"BOURNEMOUTH deserved to win. I still felt the team we picked, which I would pick again, was and should have been good enough to do the job. It patently wasn't good enough on the night. The only surprising thing was that the tie went into extra -time - Bournemouth could have won it earlier.

"We worked hard, there was commitment and effort, but the quality in the final third was sadly, sadly lacking. It was a disappointing night, extremely disappointing. How many times did their 'keeper, Neil Moss, make a save? We had three forwards for most of the game and he hardly had to make a save.

"We gave the ball away far too easily. When we scored we barely deserved it, but at one stage I felt we might even nick it. Bournemouth hit the bar and a post twice. It seemed it might be our night even though we did not play well, but Bournemouth certainly deserved to win."

Bournemouth victorious manager Sean O'Driscoll

"Cardiff City would field a completely different team to the one they had out tonight - just as strong or maybe even stronger. That's something we just could not do. Extra-time was more of a blow to us than it was for Cardiff because they were able to rest players before their league game on Saturday.

"The attitude of my players was first class - they really wanted to play good football. Cardiff City can't have any complaints about our win. I had the impression that their minds weren't focused on it. That was strange because some of their players were getting a real chance to show what they can do."