Hughes can be a great shield for AFCB

Richard Hughes is the player that several AFCB fans are asking to be played in the next few away games. As a solid player with a steady nature and calm distribution it has to be said that he should be in Eddie Howe's thoughts. He was on the pitch when the fifth goal went in against Bournemouth against Huddersfield, but as a whole we have seen that the second half was a more solid performance, even if the game was well and truly lost by then. If Richard is on from the start then it may well help the team to stay in the game and establish a pattern that gives players some confidence. 

Having seen more of the Huddersfield game now it does look like the players had a dominant section of the game after the Terriers went 1:0 up. For the next quarter of an hour it was pretty much all AFCB. When the second goal came it was as if the players simply switched off and that is something that can be improved - concentration levels. Hughes is one that will talk to others and keep their mind on the job.

Setting the tempo and keeping possession is also something that I hope the team work on. While cutting out individual errors are difficult the team can always look to play to its strengths and for AFCB that is getting the ball wide and first touch passing. While the team has been doing it for small periods of games, it has to be carried on for longer periods. We must get out best passers on the ball to stop other teams hurting us. Eddie will not doubt press upon the team how important it also is to get the first goal. When AFCB has done so it has won both its home games.

It may be that some of the defeats we have had away from home are more to do with the impetuousness of youth than anything else. The young players have been used to winning and perhaps feel they can just do as they did last season and the pints will come. I expect now that some of them know different if that was the case. The experienced players will be needing to help explain why we are getting so out of position and why doing the simple things like closing down are so important in the Championship. We can stand off players with the talent of Adam Clayton who simply took aim and fired in from over 30 yards last match for that fifth goal.

While Hughes is not the quickest, he has quickness of thought and he can see danger better than most. I'd like to see him more involved but if Eddie Howe has some other ideas I am sure he will look to bring them in for the Doncaster game.