AFCB's heads kept their nerve against Brighton to get their win

It would have been simple for the heads to go down when Brighton went ahead in the last match. The mood deteriorated pretty quickly, and the Albion fans were suddenly in full voice, so with four defeats in a row it would not have been unreasonable to expect the Bournemouth players to fold. They didn't though and instead they basically looked at themselves and believed they were well in the game and could get a goal back.

Asmir Begovic at the end of the game against Brighton.

In a way it is probably better for the Cherries' needs that they did get a win by coming from behind rather than strolling to a two or three-nil win with ease. If they had done the latter, they might have believed that they were completely fixed and on song to put a similar amount of goals past their next opponents. By struggling to find an equaliser and then digging out a winner and managing to hold on, AFCB will feel that the game took a lot out of them. They will benefit from the mental belief that they can get back in games.

Turning around the score line quickly after AFCB had gone behind was very important in stopping any thoughts of feeling sorry for themselves. They just had to get on with it and whether the goal to equalise would have come without a sub being made is hard to say. But Eddie Howe wanted Ibe to know that he deserved the plaudits by Eddie not taking any praise for making the substitution when he did, but rather expressing that Ibe is a talented player that can make things happen. Ibe needs to believe that and little comments like that to get a player enjoying what he is doing will make all the difference in the long-run.

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The experience of coming from behind always helps bond the team. They have that shared memory of being in a bit of a hole and knowing that they managed to get out of it. Now they must start to play more like they did when they felt they had to get back into the game - it was swift passing and plenty of runners to pick out. The execution is what has been lacking in the last third, but by trying different ways to get players into shooting positions the pressure ultimately told on Brighton. AFCB regained their intensity of play in the opposition's half and while it was a bit of a scrambled win it will make a huge difference this week to the mood in the camp.

Ask the Fans - Match Report AFCB v Brighton