EDDIE Howe heaped praise on Kyle Taylor’s voyage from League Two ball boy to first-team talent and admitted: “It makes you feel old."

The Cherries boss has admired the midfielder's progress since noticing his abilities at under-10 level in the club’s centre of excellence.

Lytchett Minster-raised Taylor, who has been with Cherries since the age of eight, rose through the youth ranks while Howe masterminded Cherries’ rise from the depths of the Football League to the top flight.

And with the pair working together more than a decade on, Howe admitted he had loved witnessing the midfielder’s journey.

Howe, who graduated from the youth set-up in 1996, three years before Taylor was born, told the Daily Echo: “I remember working in the centre of excellence at the time when I was in charge, with the under-10s.

“People had pointed out Kyle as one of the best players in that age group and they had great hopes for him. He had long, blonde hair and was an easily recognisable figure.

“The hair has been trimmed now but he was always a player who stood out technically and it’s great to see him go through the age groups to the point where he is now.

“I love to see players go on that journey through the youth teams, development squad and first team. It makes you feel old, because then you realise ‘under-10s, it seems like yesterday’ and now he is with the first team.

“You get a nice feeling when you know a lot of people have put a lot of hard work into Kyle. When you go behind the scenes, you see the hours the coaches put in and the travelling involved.

“It’s great to see that teamwork behind the player get rewarded with progress and Kyle will want to go on to make many appearances for the club. Hopefully, he can do that.”

Spotted playing for Lytchett Red Triangle before being snapped up by Cherries, Taylor has appeared twice at senior level in FA Cup clashes with Wigan and Brighton.

Last month, he signed a fresh three-and-a-half year contract with the Dorset club and signalled his intention to “nail down a spot” in the first team.

He was an unused substitute in the 3-0 Premier League defeat at Liverpool at the start of February.

Howe added: “It’s such a hard journey for anyone at this standard of football to make that breakthrough.

“Kyle’s next challenge is to try to be consistently in and around the first team in terms of being available for selection.

“He is a very intelligent player. Technically, he is very good in tight areas. You saw in the FA Cup game (against Brighton) that he wasn’t fazed by having the ball deep and under pressure.

“He has stuff to work on to make sure he can adapt to the pace of the Premier League, which is going to be his biggest challenge.

“He is going the right way but still has some big work to do.”