Yann needed the West Brom game

The comeback of Yann Kermorgant was not as magnificent as some of us might have expected. A striker can't score every game, although Callum Wilson is trying to disprove that at the moment. The match against WBA was crucial though for Yann who looked to me like he needed to get some running in his legs. He last 88 minutes and will have benefited from stretching out at Dean Court again, but I still expect Pitman and Wilson to continue their partnership at the start of the Brighton match. 

Yann is in contention for selection again.

What we perhaps did not see was quite as many shots from Yann as he can deliver when his game is really on song. I thought he held the ball up well and took the battle to the West Brom defenders which certainly helped Rantie. It is hard though to come back in such a match where you know that it is going to be a heavy physical contest from Yann's point of view against Dawson and McAuley.

I do hope that Yann is able to get some minutes against Brighton as he is perhaps the striker who is playing catch up a little with Pitman and Wilson. The sharpness only comes with playing and Yann is a great asset for the team when he is holding the ball up and I don't think we have another striker who does it as well. It's the all round game of Yann that marks him out as a special player for me and the goals are something that seem to come in bursts for him. I do wonder what the Birmingham score might have been if Yann had been on the pitch to feed off those lofted crosses that Francis was delivering so well for Pugh.

If the Cherries can get Yann firing a few more shots, I would expect Yann to start picking off some of those who have stolen a bit of a march for him of late in the goal stats.

Pleasingly, no extra time was required against WBA and Eddie Howe will have most of the squad to pick from for the Brighton match. The opposition have also had one less day to prepare for Saturday's game having lost narrowly to Spurs last night in the Capital One Cup.