AFCB still can't do the ugly business on the pitch

'Costly' is the word that comes to mind when I look back on the two points that the Cherries let slip against Rotherham in the final minutes of the match. There are simply some moments in a match when you have to defend and defend well, but the Cherries are vulnerable to set plays. High balls into the area have too often caused problems and when the team has apparently worked on such things during the international break you would imagine that Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall would be mad with rage after Saturday's gift to Rotherham.

Eddie Howe before the Rotherham match.

There are a couple of things that might have compounded the situation that led to the goal. Firstly, Yann Kermorgant was no longer on the pitch and he had been getting his head to several of the earlier crosses that Rotherham had made, although they had only won three corners before the one that ultimately cost the Cherries. There was also a late sub in Ritchie being replaced by Andrew Surman on the 90th minute and you wonder if the change just made the players feel that the job was done even though they still had a dangerous situation still to defend.

Whatever the excuses for the mistake, it is clear that a large number of AFCB defenders rushed to the near post to try and stop the threat only for the ball to skim off the head of Jordan Bowery - who was in space and all alone. Not good enough would be my first thoughts and while Eddie Howe is the most considered in his outlook on matters that sometimes don't go AFCB's way he has every right to be angry at his players for the equaliser as it will have been drilled into them thousands of times what they need to do in such situations.

Eddie Howe said: "I wouldn't say there was an inquest, there's big disappointed in there. We feel this season that at home already we've chucked away some points. We chucked away two today. We were one-nil up, it's been a difficult game to grind them down and we've got our goal, but we haven't defended a set-play at the end.

"Everyone had their man and someone didn't do their job and it's these small details that cost you points," he added. 

All Departments' podcast also reviews the AFCB 1 v 1 Rotherham match with Shirt expert Gareth Davies. Visit All Departments or scroll down our side panel to the sound bar to listen.