Cameron Carter-Vickers rewarding faith shown in him by Jonathan Woodgate

Cameron Carter-Vickers found life tough initially in a Bournemouth shirt but is now finding his feet on his season-long loan from Tottenham.

The central defender had to wait until January to make his debut, coming into the side for the third round win in the FA Cup against League Two Oldham Athletic but hasn’t looked back since.

After struggling with injuries and it being quite a settled line-up in the backline in the first half of the season, the Spurs’ loanee had to wait for a chance to come but is now really suiting well to life on the South Coast.

However, after a tough start to the season, he has now made ten consecutive starts in all competitions which has included four clean sheets as well as the opening goal in the win over Bristol City last week.

Woodgate is starting to find a settled side, particularly with Carter-Vickers lining up with club captain Steve Cook in central defence for the main with Lloyd Kelly and Adam Smith being preferred in the full back positions.

Consistency in selections is a massive part of being successful in any form of football but particularly at the top level – and with just two goals conceded in the last three matches, strives are being made by the side to ensure they become more defensively solid.

They have conceded 34 goals in the 35 games to date at just under one a game, the joint-second best record outside the top three and if they are to secure promotion via the playoffs this season they are going to need to be tight between now and the end of the campaign.

Woodgate’s men will face a severe test tomorrow when they come up against a Barnsley side who have won seven of their last eight in the league and are now two points ahead which makes it a critical clash in the race to make the top six.

Carter-Vickers has told the Bournemouth Echo how desperate he is to reward the faith that Woodgate has put in him in recent weeks.

“I think when the manager believes in you, it helps you believe in yourself.

“It helps you keep trying to perform and you really don’t want to disappoint him.

“You want to keep performing for him and proving him right.”

He has played every minute since Woodgate came in as head coach and will continue to be a vital player for the visit of the Tykes this weekend.

Despite only being 23-years-old, he continues to make a real impact and is gaining valuable experience in the second tier having made only four first team appearances for the his parent club to date, none of which have come in the Premier League.

He has had a number of spells away from Spurs in the past few years but his Swansea loan apart, he has found it tough to earn regular game time. But with the troubles Spurs are having in defence, there could be a way back in for the Southend-born defender if he can continue to put in some strong performances for Bournemouth between now and the end of the season.

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