CHERRIES star Josh McQuoid will miss the start of the new campaign after sustaining a knee injury during a pre-season training session.

McQuoid, who made 39 appearances in his first season back at Dean Court, suffered cartilage damage to his right knee and is expected to be sidelined for between four to six weeks.

The 23-year-old was ruled out of Cherries’ training camp to south Germany and Switzerland after an MRI scan had revealed a small tear of the lateral meniscus.

McQuoid discovered he would need an operation following a consultation with a specialist six days ago and went under the knife on Monday.

He received some good news when the surgeon told him the damage was only minor, although his rehabilitation is likely to keep him out until early to mid-August.

McQuoid was one of a number of first-team players to sit out tonight’s 7-1 win against Wessex League outfit Christchurch in a pre-season friendly at Hurn Bridge.

Marc Pugh, Matt Ritchie, Richard Hughes, Ryan Allsop, Matt Tubbs and Eunan O’Kane were not risked as they were nursing niggling injuries.

Boss Eddie Howe selected two strong teams for either half with Brett Pitman turning home a cross from Ryan Fraser to open the scoring after eight minutes.

Christchurch, who had twice gone close to scoring early on, levelled through Sam Purdy in the 27th minute before Harry Arter’s finely-taken double put Cherries 3-1 in front.

And after Arter had been denied his hat-trick when his ferocious effort struck the upright, Jayden Stockley netted on the stroke of half-time to make it 4-1.

Lewis Grabban, one of no fewer than 10 substitutions made at the interval, rammed home a fifth early in the second half before Wes Thomas hit the crossbar from close range.

Thomas, whose future at the club remains in doubt, also scuffed a couple of other presentable chances before seeing his penalty saved by Christchurch goalkeeper Gareth Hicks.

First-year pro Baily Cargill applied a neat finish to a Simon Francis cross as Cherries extended their lead to 6-1 before Donal McDermott bagged the goal of the game, the Irishman finding the top corner with a sumptuous left-foot strike from 20 yards.

Howe said: “I was really pleased with the second-half performance and there were things to work on from the first half. As you would expect at this stage, we weren’t at our fluent best but we did enough to win the game comfortably.

“I was pleased with individual performances and we could have probably scored about 20 or 30 but that is usually the way with pre-season games like this.”

Cherries first-half: Flahavan, Fogden, Addison, Ward, Daniels, Cornick, Arter, Matthews, Fraser, Pitman, Stockley.

Cherries second half: Flahavan, Francis, Cook, Elphick, Harte, Cargill, McDermott, Wakefield, MacDonald, Thomas, Grabban.

Attendance: 722

  • Boss Eddie Howe is unlikely to pursue his interest in trialists Omar Bogle from Solihull Moors and Ovidius Verbickas from Zenit St Petersburg after the pair lined up in Cherries’ 2-0 defeat in Zurich on Friday.