RICHARD O'Kelly described Cherries' Hampshire Senior Cup run-out as a "success" and paid special praise to Joe Roach's kids for their "enthusiasm" and "attitude".

Cherries used the second round tie to give Marcus Browning, Alan Connell and Derek Holmes some valuable match practice and also fielded no fewer than nine youth team players.

And despite going down to a narrow defeat, assistant boss O'Kelly said it had been a worthwhile exercise.

He told the Daily Echo: "I thought it was a hard-fought game. They've got some good players, and, with our youngsters in there, I thought we came out with a lot of credit.

"I thought our work-rate was tremendous, especially the younger players because they improved tremendously in the second half and I thought the second half was a better performance from us.

"We created chances in the second half and I thought we defended better without the ball so overall you would look at it as a learning curve for them and they were excellent.

"Also, all the players from the first-team squad who played got a game under their belt so, all in all, it was a success."

O'Kelly added: "I suppose the result could have been better, but, at this level, you are taking performances more than results.

"You always want to win a game of football but it's how you go about it and the lads went about it the right way tonight.

"Sometimes with the younger players, some of their decision-making is not the best and they run all over the place for no reason, but I thought they learned something from the second half and the big thing was their enthusiasm and attitude because throughout the game they just kept going."

Cherries went behind in the 15th minute when Boro dangerman Ali Chaaban squeezed a right-foot effort inside Gareth Stewart's near post.

Stewart then pushed a rising drive from Jermaine Hamilton over the crossbar from Stephen Hughes's cut-back before Browning's 29th-minute effort was comfortably held by Boro goalkeeper Mark Osborn.

Boro went close to registering a second goal when Michael Kightly's cross was squared into the path of Hamilton, the young striker just failing to poke home from close range.

Mickey Hubbard then blocked a Stephen Hughes piledriver before Connell lifted a chance over the crossbar from James Coutts's free kick.

Browning robbed defender Sasha Opinel inside his own 18-yard box, only to fire straight at Osborn, before Connell sent a left-foot drive flashing past the base of the post.

Boro doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Kightly skipped past four challenges before finishing well with his left foot.

But Cherries quickly reduced the arrears when Holmes glanced home Hubbard's cross from the right just 60 seconds later.

Kightly squandered a great chance to extend Boro's lead at the start of the second half when he side-footed wide with the goal at his mercy.

But Chaaban made no mistake when he grabbed his second and Boro's third in the 57th minute, rifling home a right-foot volley after being picked out by Jay Smith's lofted pass.

Stewart threw himself to his right to keep out Opinel's low drive before Connell just failed to connect with Coutts's free kick that flashed across the face of the goalmouth.

Substitute Ryan Moss saw his follow-up effort from Coutts's shot blocked by Osborn before James Rowe netted Cherries' second after Moss's initial shot had been smothered by the Boro goalkeeper.

Cherries: Stewart, Hubbard (Krauss, 88), Cannon, Sutton, King (Whisken, 69), Browning, Andrade (R Moss, 74), Rowe, Connell, Holmes, Coutts.

Unused subs: Pitman, Scriven (g/k).

Farnborough: Osborn, Allen-Page, Opinel, Burton, Theo (Miles, 82), Kightly, Smith, R Hughes, Hamilton, S Hughes, Chaaban (Petrou, 68).

Unused subs: Rooney, Taggart, Holloway (g/k)

Referee: Gerald O'Sullivan (Frimley).

Attendance: 180.