A hard luck story for the Cherries: Derby 1 v 0 AFCB

Derby Co v AFCB

22 February 2014

Attendance: 27,306  (939 away AFCB supporters)

 Outside Derby County. Picture courtesy of Damien Hill.

There are no easy games in the Championship but this one was likely to be particularly tricky for the Cherries considering Derby's recent form.

AFCB had to make one change to the starting line up as Eunan O'Kane did not make it into the squad after his injury last weekend. Andrew Surman replaced him in the starting 11, while it was exciting to see Mohamed Coulibaly back on the subs bench after his mid-week run out.

It is interesting that Eddie Howe is now keeping Rantie in the starting line up and trying to grow his partnership with Lewis Grabban.

Meanwhile, Derby County brought in Russell and Hendrick as Bryson and Ward dropped out of their starting 11. Mark Heywood from Cheshire was the referee.

My friend Damien Hill was at the iPro stadium so he kindly sent some pictures over for Cherry Chimes.

Match Description: Listening to BBC Radio Solent with Kris Temple and John Williams (Willo).

The Cherries were in black and Derby in black and white. Ian Harte heads the ball out of play. Martin tries to get in Hughes and the ball goes behind off Andrew Surman for a corner. A left footed in swinger from Lee Hughes at the near post but Bamfort shoots wide. Harte heads in field to Rantie but Hendrick has it and passes to Wisdom but the Cherries win a throw. Ritchie now and Harte finds Pugh, but Buxton clears for a throw. Arter is doing the holding role today.

Rantie tries to spin past Wisdom and Keogh clears. Derby have a throw on half way. Camp clears. Forsyth loses out but Eustace wins the ball and Bamford tackled by Arter. Free kick to Derby. Pugh puts the ball out, 5 minutes gone.

Harte up the wing but Hughes has it. Russell tries to beat Francis but the ball is back now with Grant. Arter back to Elphick and Camp. Pugh down the left drags it out of play. Grant has the ball. Forsyth takes the ball out of play. 

Ritchie and Arter with Hendrick, Keogh to Fortsyth but Elphick is back and helps Francis out. Goal kick to AFCB. Pugh's cross is blocked by Wisdom. Arter's pass for Rantie is too strong. Derby goal kick.

Wisdom, behind Forsyth. Bamford drags it out for a goal kick. Cook plays it up to Rantie and its a Derby throw. Cook clears. Throw in to Derby at the corner. Wisdom finds Eustace. Pugh defends and side steps Bamford but puts the ball out. 12 minutes gone.

Ephick clears to Forsyth. Fancis and Russel come together. Ricthie loses out to Forsyth and Derby win a free kick as "Red Army" belts out. Hendrick and Bamford but Harte is on it. Hughes shooting chance but it's out for a corner. Arter gets a block in for another corner. Pugh heads it out. Bamford tries a shot but it's wide.

Camp tried to get Rantie away quick but the forward handled the ball. that was an early release that almost caught derby out. Francis makes a great tackle on Russell. Rantie now and Ritchie hits the post! "A low-left footed snatch shot," says Temple. The keeper was beaten but it came back out! The closes chance so far to breaking the deadlock, 17 minutes gone.

Camp plays it up to Rantie and Grabban. Pugh's cross and Grabban and Surman. The ball is cleared again for a throw. Arter now and Surman. Derby have it with Forsyth but Francis beats Russell to the ball. Surman tried to play Rantie in but did not get there quick enough.

Buxton is a little slow and Rantie might well get in against him. Surman releases Ritchie, Grabban now. It hits Rantie and comes to Grabban but the shot is wide. Another chance for the Cherries, 20 minutes gone.

Ritchie asks for a free kick but it's Hughes with the ball. Derby have a throw. Keogh and Buxton up to Russell and Arter tackles and Francis and Rantie is almost there. Keogh almost put it past his own keeper and it almost goes in but a foot past the left post! Corner. So close to an own goal. The corner is too high for Elphick and it's a goal kick.

"Derby have won seven of their last eight home games," says Temple. Derby have a free kick after an Arter challenge. The kick is 40 yards out and AFCB have a two man wall. Pugh clears and almost found Grabban but Eustace blocks. 

Derby yet to threaten the AFCB goal. Surman is fouled by Hughes. Francis over hits it as Eddie Howe throws a bottle down in frustration. Cook beats Russel and finds Ritchie and Keogh cuts the ball out. Hendrick to Martin towards Russell but Pugh has it. Grabban into the area and a low shot is well saved by Grant. 

"Come on Derby," shout the home fans. AFCB now with Francis, a pull back to Rantie and Buxton concedes a corner. Ian Harte to take on 28 minutes. Low to Rantie and Pugh back to Harte but Martin clears for another corner. Near post with Cook, and Grabban and Grant wins the ball.

Rantie chases down Grant. Forsyth and Hughes. Bamford is plying as a second striker now. Keogh is chased by Grabban and a free kick to Derby is awarded. Hendrick has a chance but it's blocked. Arter blocks and Keogh loses it to Rantie and Grabban. Wisdom comes across to clear.

Derby now are held up. Russell's pass is too strong and it's a goal kick. End to end stuff here. Francis is caught in possession. Derby throw. Forsyth in the penalty area is sandwiched but nothing is given. Ritchie goes down now. The home crowd are getting on to the ref.

Francis' ball up to Ritchie is too strong. Harte is arguing with the referee. Francis to Surman and Pugh now into Rantie. Surman and back to Cook and Arter. Ian Harte into Grabban and Buxton reads the pass. Forsyth with Ritchie and Buxton shanks it into the crowd.

Elphick up to half way and Arter. Wisdom tackles and it's back with Grant. Keogh up to Wisdom and the ball comes off Harte. Harte over the top but Grabban's offside. Bamford is chased by Elphick. Surman gives it away to Hendrick and Forsyth up to Russell. Now Arter looks for Rantie.

Derby now with Wisdom and Hughes. Keogh almost lost the ball. Forsyth and Martin now Russell and Martin as Arter clears. Keogh on the centre circle. Cook forward to Rantie and Keogh comes in. Buxton back to Grant.

Eustace and Rantie chasing. Russel back to Forsyth and Hendrick and it's offside. "Derby keeping the ball in front of us," says Willo. Tindall and the forth official have words, not for the first time.

Grabban has a wild shot that goes out for a throw! Four minutes to the break. Camp up to Pugh. Hughes plays it to Martin but Elphick clears. Hughes under pressure from Surman who finds Wisdom. Now Hendrick and Hughes and Harte and Arter win a throw. 

Bamford tries a shot which is well wide. "As the game has gone on Derby have had some pressure but not a lot to worry us," says Willo. 

AFCB win a corner. Elphick and Cook and Francis go up for the corner. At the near post Martin clears. Cook throws to Rantie and Pugh cross and Elphick heads wide!

Russell takes on Elphick and it's a Derby corner. Elphick heads away. Eustace to Hughes. Russell comes past Ritchie. Forsyth to cross headed away. Wisdom crosses and Russell shoots into a crowd and Elphich clears. Pugh on the break to Rantie. Pugh recovers the ball but it's half time 0-0.

Temple says: "AFCB have had five goof chances in the first half."  "Lots of energy, lots of good passing," says Willo. "it's really good to watch." Tokelo Rantie has looked particularly sharp in the first half.

There was plenty of good play from the
Cherries in the first half. Picture from Damien Hill.

Second half 
Derby make a double sub with Dawkins and Sammon coming on for Eustace and Bamford.

Forsyth has the ball to Buxton and Russell in the box tries to pull it back and only ran into Marc Pugh. Russell looks for Sammon. Surman clears up to Rantie. 

Hendrick wins a throw off Ian Harte. Russell is on the right with Sammon going up front. Wisdom crosses and wins a corner to Derby. Derby have had five corners and the Cherries four. Camp collects the ball well.

Ritchie is out jumped by Forsyth. Francis now and Hughes clears. Pugh to Ritchie and an early cross but Wisdom clears in front of Pugh.

Arter now comes across to stop a Derby attack. Wisdom gets to his feet. Sammon almost gets in but Arter clears. Arter was down but the Derby players played on much to the annoyance of the Bournemouth players, especially Lee Camp who get s a yellow card. "Derby fans love that of course," says Willo.

Arter is okay. Derby have started the second half better than they played in the first. Martin heads the ball over from the corner under pressure from Francis. Buxton and Cook beats Sammon in the air. Dawkins against Francis and the ref points to the corner. Hendrick takes the corner and Pugh clears. Sammon loses it for a moment. Russell and Sammon is up but it's too high for the substitute. Derby fans are getting excited, but it's still 0-0.

Sammon against Ritchie. Hendrick now to Dawkins and Elphick across and Sammon is stopped by Elphick and Cook before Camp saves.

Rantie at the other end passes into empty space. Cook's pass back to camp is heavy and with Sammon closing Camp just clears in time. Thirty-five minutes to go as Sammon is caught offside. "I'm Bournemouth 'till I die," is sung out. "Wooow, wooow" sing Derby.
Rantie over half way is caught by Buxton. Grant has it now. AFCB bring on Kermorgant after 58 minutes and Rantie goes off. Harte takes a free kick and it's out for a goal kick. Rantie went off to a standing ovation from Bournemouth fans.

Buxton makes a high tackle on Kermorgant. Harte runs over to the referee to complain. Jake Buxton goes into the book. Harte with the free kick and it's cleared by Derby. The Cherries have a throw. Kermorgant is playing up top for AFCB.

Russell is on the left with Dawkins and Hendrick hits the ball into the stand high and wide off balance and under pressure from Arter.

Grabban chasing Wisdom and Hendrick to Dawkins. Hendrick 30 yards out and Hughes to Dawkins. wisdom bounces into Pugh and Keogh. Pugh gets the tackle in. Derby have a player down. "Neither side has had a 0-0 draw this season." says Temple. Martin and Cook go over. Cook receives attention for a bang to the head.

Apparently Ritchie got his three stitches in his head last week simply from a glancing header says Kris Temple. I wondered how he had hurt himself against Burnley. Sadly the internet connection has gone down - will be back as soon as I can!

John Russel has a shot blocked. Ryan Fraser is coming on for Matt Ritchie on 69 minutes. Fraser wins a free kick from Hughes challenge. Pugh with a cross and Kermorgrant heads wide. Wisdom is fouled by Pugh.

Cook gives a corner away. Dawkins crosses to martin but his shot is blocked. Pugh is subbed for MacDonald on 74 minutes. Hendrick plays in Sammon but it's a difficult angle and it's blocked. Forsyth fouls Fraser and gets a yellow card. Martin then fouls MacDonald. 

Arter now fouls Russell and he's in the book! 10 mionutes to go. Elphick takes down Hughes and another yellow card comes out. Derby County score with Martin on 85 minutes from a free kick, top corner. Sammon wins a free kick.

Arter goes in with Hendrick. Looks like AFCB will go three at the back. Cook has a throw in. Kermorgrant is beaten by Keogh. Buxton claims a foul. Surman and Cook goes sliding in.

Summary
AFCB did not take their chances in a dominant first half and Derby came out much stronger in the second half. Bournemouth played astonishingly well and were again unlucky not to get something against a top six side. That clean sheet is still elusive but it can't be long in coming now. One bit of magic is all it takes to get three points and once again Derby simply came up with the goods and another late goal. Even the most ardent of Derby fans would think that perhaps AFCB could have got a point today. Sammon and Dawkins made a big difference in the second half and you have to give Steve McClaren credit for that.

AFCB fans arrive at the iPro stadium. Picture courtesy 
of AFCB supporter Damien Hill.

AFCB
Camp, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Harte, Ritchie (Fraser 69), Arter, Surman, Pugh (MacDonald 74), Grabban, Ranti

AFCB Subs
Allsop, Smith, Fraser, Pitman, Kermorgant, Coulibaly, MacDonald

Derby County
Grant, Wisdom, Forsyth, Eustace (Sammon 45), Keogh, Buxton, Hughes, Hendrick, Russell, Martin, Bamford (Dawkins 45)

Derby Subs
O'Brien, Hendrick, Sammon, Dawkins, Legzdins, Whitebread, Bailey, Thorne.