It was worth enduring 69 tense minutes for two special goals

It was a heart stopping kind of game at the Amex. It was such a pulsating match and yet there were very few opportunities all game. For the Cherries to only have five shots in a game one would think that they had been well contained and not done enough to get the points, but Brighton stifled and frustrated and won some key battles in that first 69 minutes. It was a real scrap and as such I will be honest, I didn't much like the first half and knew that it needed something extra to win this game. 

Yann Kermorgat got the vital break through at the Amex.

Derby's are often like that and both teams had good reason to keep things tight knowing that neither side could ill afford to lose this game. The width of the Amex you would have thought would suit the Cherries game and make it difficult for the Seagulls to halt AFCB's natural wide game on the wings, but it was Brighton who used the flanks the best in that first half and they really kept winning the individual battles to provide opportunities to break on the Cherries. 

Chris Hughton's game plan of playing one up front might not have sat well with some but the extra player in midfield was a problem for the Cherries. Only by the end of the game the possession stats finally favour the Cherries and that was only 51 per cent. What Bournemouth needed was an open game and the freedom to create chances which Brighton fought so well to deny by giving the Cherries no time at all on the ball. But to do that for 90 minutes is extremely hard and the second half did see more space. For once the direct runs of players were making the chances rather than just playing a measured passing game.

When Brighton attacked like that through Carayol they nearly broke through, but did not have the quality in and around the box to score. For AFCB though the site of goal for Yann Kermorgant and Callum Wilson is a friendly site and they are enjoying a purple patch of scoring which did for Brighton in the end once Adam Smith (Smudge) had pushed them back on their heels with his forward runs. AFCB score two very special goals on the night and I do believe the result will lift the players for the remaining games, which is exactly what is needed.

Callum Wilson is back on fire when it comes to goal scoring.

Some of the remaining fixtures could also be tight and tense affairs and we have another derby against Reading next, but if the points keep coming there is no need to worry. I still hope that the Cherries will finish with a bit of a flourish and a floodgate of goals. All I know is that we will be yelling for the team and urging them on, because we know that by doing so it helps them play even better. 

I was kindly asked to talk on All Departments' website last night and you can listen back to our review of the Brighton match and thoughts about how AFCB are doing as the pressure ramps up during the run-in by visiting the All Departments' website or scrolling down the right hand panel on Cherry Chimes, until you come to the All Departments' sound bar that you can click on to listen.