AFCB keep getting punished

It's the same old story. AFCB play well, get the early goal and then concede late on and don't get the three points we had hoped for at home. It is annoying when it happens and it doesn't get any better when it keeps happening, but having done so well this season it is becoming harder to accept when AFCB are in such a great position, and may only find that a couple of points either way mean the difference between an automatic promotion place and maybe even missing out altogether from the play-offs.

At the moment the goals are continuing to go in against the back four and the clean sheets seem a distant thing, although it was only when the team played Watford that the team did manage to prevent an opponent from scoring against them, albeit that Watford played with 10 men. The crazy thing is that as Steve Cook has said, the goals that are being scored against them are not even good goals. Most have been scrappy affairs, such as James Vaughan's toe poked, redirected shot, off a wayward effort from Jack Robinson. 

There was more finesse about Darren Bent's equaliser for Derby a few days earlier, but in that game the Ram's first goal from Tom Ince saw a goal develop from a routine, hopeful punt up the wing that should have been dealt with.

Artur Boruc has struggled to keep clean sheets of late.

Artur Boruc must be wondering what has been happening to his proud record of keeping clean sheets as it was all to easy when he first came to AFCB. The Polish shot stopper has not been that busy in games, but when he has been called upon the ball has usually passed him of late which is something that he'll be working on in training as he'll not want to lose his place in the side. We did see some much better distribution in the Huddersfield match from him and that did give the team a better platform than of late to build confidently from the back.

With the games coming thick and fast, Eddie Howe has to look very carefully now at what is happening at the back and if Elliot Ward needs to get some minutes and I think it is clearly essential that Simon Francis plays in every remaining game now. The team does not have the same power going forward without him.

I advise you all to visit the official AFCB site if you have not already read through the article on the General Supporter Focus Group as there is some great information on there from news on tickets for away matches, ground expansion plans and Matchday programmes and plenty more besides!