Eddie's options limited with injuries to Stanislas and Afobe

The defeat against Chelsea was not so demoralising in the scoreline, but it has left Eddie Howe with another headache in terms of personnel that he as available to him. Just when the squad looked to be getting back together in good numbers, Eddie finds that he has lost both Junior Stanislas and Benik Afobe in one game, exactly when AFCB have an important run of fixtures coming up.

Stanislas could well be out for more than a month judging
by the reaction after his injury on Saturday.

The injury to Junior looked fairly serious as he pulled up straight away and had difficulty in walking off the pitch. I can't believe his rotten luck as he is player that, as soon as he gets in the team and has a good match or two, tends to pick up an injury that keeps him out again. He is such an influential player as well and provides the real quality between the midfield and strikers, so it is a big loss in my eyes to not have him available for the next few games.

Benik Afobe also looked like he was not going to find it easy to get back into contention in the way that he got injured against Chelsea. He had also gained some confidence having scored against Brighton and to have started against Chelsea he was finally getting back-to-back games on his card, having also played in the Stoke match from the start. Now he has to concentrate on getting a muscle problem in his left leg fixed. It looked like he was holding an area around his knee and he could be out for a couple of games, just as Callum Wilson and Josh King come back.

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While AFCB have lots of wild players and strikers it still will have an impact in Eddie Howe's choices and with a few defenders already out it does not help the physio staff who have more bodies to try and repair.

The morale of the team needs to be kept high though and hopefully the injured players will still see a lot of their team-mates and keep encouraging others to do well. The reality of the situation though is that AFCB could do with a week or two where they can just concentrate on their football without adding to the knocks they are currently picking up.


AFCB's U21s are currently 2-0 up against Crystal Palace Quigley and Ndjoli have scored - follow on twitter @afcbournemouth

Cherry Chimes' November Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out tomorrow with special story - A testing time for Howe and fans.

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Ibe has to get off the mark soon

It has been Eddie Howe's want that Jordan Ibe gets as much playing time as he can in recent games and in trying to break his goal duck there have been some encouraging signs. But to score in a Bournemouth shirt would be a massive help to Ibe who really needs something to get his career at the club off the ground.

Jordan Ibe is getting closer to scoring, but why has he struggled so much?

I've been reasonably pleased with Ibe this season. I think he is one of the players that has shown the best attitude when he has come on or started games. His desire is simply to beat his man and try and help the team and of late he has been trying to get into better shooting positions and could have scored against Stoke City and Chelsea had he been just that bit calmer in front of goal.

The absence of a goal on his CV at Bournemouth surely is an annoyance to him but scoring Premier League goals has never been easy for Ibe having scored one goal at Liverpool. It is part of his game that you would think Eddie Howe's trainers would be able to coach him at getting better. Bournemouth have many excellent strikers and yet they don't seem to have had the effect of helping Jordan to break his duck.

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Still, I believe Ibe will get his first goal for the club this season and possibly a few more because he is now making himself available in shooting positions and has not been frightened to have a pop. Against Chelsea he probably should have made Courtois have to do some work to keep out his shot and perhaps Ibe had a little more time than he though to get his shot away. That will come with experience and if he can get in his head a clear vision of where he expects his shot to go and visualise it hitting the back of the net we may yet see him start to find the goal touch that has been eluding him.

Cherry Chimes' November Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out tomorrow with special story - A testing time for Howe and fans.

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Defoe just isn't getting a touch

I was a bit puzzled why Eddie Howe decided to start the game with Jermain Defoe up front against Chelsea, having just come back from injury and knowing that he had not seen enough of the ball in the game against Leicester and being dropped for the Spurs match. But the cautious nature of Eddie Howe was surely trying to be patient with Callum Wilson's comeback more than thinking about the recent form of Defoe. For once I think he made the wrong call.

Jermain Defoe was removed from the team after 45 minutes against Chelsea.

We had seen how well Benik Afobe and Callum Wilson linked up in midweek when they made the third goal against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup. Callum was on fire that night and even when he came on against Chelsea late on you could see that Bournemouth looked a totally different team with a real goal threat up front. I over heard a boy who was walking away from Dean Court, after the game, who asked his dad to explain why Eddie had not picked Callum to start having played so well against Middlesbrough? It's true that Howe had said there had been no sign of tiredness in Callum's body which he was pleased with, but undoubtedly surprised about. So surprised that he didn't want to rush him back against Chelsea four days later.

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While I can see there is every reason to rest Wilson and manage his return to the team I could not see why Afobe was not used as the loan striker if he wanted to keep Wilson off the pitch until the second half. Defoe was like a wasted player on the pitch and it took until half time to correct the use of resources with Jordan Ibe being preferred to Wilson or Lys Mousset. If Bournemouth are going to pick up points, they need goals and while Ibe is creative and does add pace to the team we are of course still waiting for his first goal in an AFCB shirt in the Premier League.

Admittedly, Defoe on the other hand is a proven goalscorer at this level - just not with AFCB. His goal against Brighton might have been seen as the goal to inspire the team around him, but I still see the Jermain Defoe show as a bit of a side plot to the AFCB main story until he can fit in better with the team. Currently, so much of AFCB's game goes down the wings and not through the middle where Jermain is patiently waiting for the ball. I believe the BBC stats on Defoe had him down for eight touches in the first half against Chelsea and not one of them was in the opposition's box. It's perhaps not necessarily Defoe's fault, but unless Bournemouth utilise him in the opposition's box and get him the ball in those areas he might as well be sat in the stands.

AFCB must leave their passive displays behind them

Eddie Howe was keen to stress that Bournemouth had created problems by being too passive against Chelsea in the first half. They lost the initiative very early on and did not manage to really get hold of it again even when they made substitutions.

Bournemouth found it hard to impose their game against Chelsea.

Admittedly, Chelsea are a strong team and one of the better ones that will play at Dean Court this season, but the Cherries can't afford to make it easier for teams by not getting at them from the start. Whether the formation contributed to the negative mindset early on is a valid point to ask, but even with three centre-backs Bournemouth know they must push up their wing backs to move the whole team up, and while Daniels and Smith were prone to see Chelsea putting two players on them as frequently as they could when attacking themselves, AFCB always looked out played in the wide areas where they are usually so strong.

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The side fell back into setting up more or less a defensive wall against the heavy number of crosses that came in, especially from Bournemouth's left wing. While the centre-backs coped well with the headers they had to make there was not out ball for the Cherries and it was like the wind was against them for much of the first half - they just resorted to trying to keep Chelsea out. With the likes of Eden Hazard keeping the ball so well it was all that the Cherries could do, but once stuck in that sense of duty to defend it became more and more difficult for them to change the pattern of the game.

The substitution of Jermain Defoe helped, but not enough to be totally convincing. Bournemouth did create more in the second half and did try to push more into Chelsea's half once they had gone a goal down. But turning a game like this into a positive match was always going to be difficult once Chelsea had scored. I'm hoping Bournemouth set up with a more aggressive approach in the next few games.


Cherry Chimes' Fan Verdict on the Daily Mail

Bournemouth slip up against Chelsea

Match Report

AFC Bournemouth 0 v 1 Chelsea

28 October 2017

Dean Court welcomes both teams.

Even before a ball was kicked, Eddie Howe and the Bournemouth fans knew their team would need something special to get a result against Chelsea. This was a Chelsea side that was determined to stay on course in its title challenge and was going to keep knocking at Bournemouth's door with Eden Hazard the general, who was equipped with the movement and guile to exploit any errors that might suddenly appear in Bournemouth's defence. Chelsea had to wait until the second half to take the game from Bournemouth, but Hazard pounced when the Bournemouth defenders around him could not keep their feet and he found the net with relish. While Bournemouth had late chances from Callum Wilson and Steve Cook, they had lost to a side that will perform well in European competition. A 0-1 defeat may have felt disappointing, but it is a measure of how far Eddie Howe's club has come to be disappointed with that.

Bournemouth players before the game.

Bournemouth made two changes with Mousset and Ibe dropped to the bench and Steve Cook and Jermain Defoe making starts. It was a 3-5-1-1 formation with Adam Smith and Charlie Daniels playing as wing backs.

Chelsea prepare for a minute of remembrance.

Natalie and Peter talk about Chelsea's chances before kick off.

More pictures are on Match Day Gallery.

Jake Humphrey doesn't look impressed with something,
while Frank Lampard looks for some one in the crowd.  

Chelsea were quite happy to hold the ball at the back and look for Pedro and Zappacosta on the right side. The first real alarm came on nine minutes when Pedro decided to come in off the wing and hit a shot over the bar. 

Steve Cook and Simon Francis were having to get headers in and make tackles as the centre of Bournemouth's defence was tested. Bournemouth were content to keep their shape and defend in numbers. Aké was soon involved in keeping the stout resistance going with Zappacosta seeing a lot of the ball on Chelsea's right wing.

Bournemouth did get going with some attacking play of their own when Daniels played in Afobe, but Benik did not shoot with his left foot, and while he waited for Daniels and finally got a shot off the angle, it was a much narrower shooting gap and Courtois could make the block.

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Chelsea were soon back in charge and a shot corner that Eden Hazard was involved in ended with him shooting and Begovic making a low save. Bournemouth's offside trap started to catch out Zappacosta, but Chelsea missed a superb chance, on 24 minutes, to open the scoring when Asmir Begovic presented the ball straight to Hazard and the Chelsea playmaker picked out Morata who miss hit his shot from six yards and put the chance wide!

Another corner saw Bakayoko head straight at Begovic, before a further corner was met with a shot from David Luiz and Begovic spilt the ball in front of Morata and Azpilicueta but they were flagged offside.

Andrew Surman was covering a lot of ground just to make it harder for Hazard who was moving from one wing to the other.  A poor attempt at a bicycle kick by Morata got some laughs from the home crowd, but it wasn't long before another good chance fell to him and he looked sure to score, having made a tight turn in the box, but Begovic made himself big and made a point blank save on 34 minutes - Begovic's best work of the day.

Bournemouth managed to get in behind the Chelsea defence briefly when Adam Smith worked a good move with Simon Francis and the centre back whipped in a cross that was hastily cleared from the six yard line.

Chelsea were eager to keep the pressure on and came back with good work from Pedro and Hazard before Fabregas was blocked from just a few yards out to leave the scores 0-0 at half time.

No goals - a good half for AFC Bournemouth .

Bournemouth's subs start warming up and Jordan Ibe gets the call to go on.

Second half

Bournemouth subbed Jermain Defoe who had hardly had a touch in the first half and brought on Jordan Ibe to add numbers in midfield. Bournemouth fell behind though when strong work by Morata on the half way line to keep the ball led to a pass out to Eden Hazard, and as he raced towards goal and Simon Francis lost his footing. It was enough for Hazard to get the space he needed to fire past Begovic at the near post and give Chelsea a 0-1 lead on 51 minutes. Begovic might have done better with that!

Bournemouth were struggling to wrestle the ball from Chelsea and Bakayoko ended up on another Chelsea move which he headed over. A spark of hope came when Zappacosta  and Luiz ran into each other. Stanislas almost capitalised putting Ibe in with a shooting chance, but he hit a rising shot just over on 58 minutes. When will Ibe score?

Adam Smith then found himself in the book having caught Hazard. Worse still Junior Stnislas pulled up with a groin strain and had to go off. Marc Pugh replaced Stanislas on 63 minutes. Ibe was in the mood to have a go and he shot high again from a Luis Cook pass.

Pedro did a bit better at the other end but shot straight at Begovic. Adam Smith then made a good run down the right and his cross was headed well over by Pugh.

Things on the injury front took another bad turn for Bournemouth when Afobe hurt his left knee, so Callum Wilson replaced him on 73 minutes.

Wilson was involved quickly when Ibe played a ball to him in the box and Wilson's found his shot blocked by Azpilicueta, it was so close to a goal - great block. Chelsea subbed Pedro and brought on Drinkwater, while Morata was replaced by Batshuayi on 79 minutes.

Bournemouth started to ask more questions in the last 10 minutes or at least they might have if Pugh had not left a header from a corner with no one running in behind him. Conte put on Willian and removed hazard with six minutes to go. Batshuayi then tried his luck from distance with a wild volley that went wide.

Meanwhile, Simon Francis was given a yellow card for taking out Alonso on another Chelsea attack. With four minutes of added time AFCB still wanted to have a go and they came close with Wilson and Ibe creating space in the box for Surman and then Steve Cook, who shot but straight at Courtois!

Time's up!

Defeat, but not a heavy one.

Summary

Bournemouth found it harder to create clear chances against Chelsea than they did against Spurs and Man City. It would have been a good defensive display had they not made one error and that is how it has been this season. Of great concern are the new injuries and while Bournemouth may have learnt to lose narrowly to the best teams they still have to try and find a little something extra if they are going to start taking points off of these teams.

AFC Bournemouth line up.

 AFCB Subs: Boruc, Arter, Gosling, Mousset, Ibe, Pugh, C Wilson

AFCB Ratings

Begovic 6, A Smith 7, Francis 7, S Cook 7, Aké 7, Daniels 7, L Cook 7, Surman 8, Stanislas 6, Afobe 6, Defoe 5

Referee Watch: Craig Pawson 5/10: A  reasonable performance, he did not miss much and did not give yellow  cards left right and centre for a change.

Chelsea

Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rüdiger, Zappacosta, Fàbregas, Bakayoko, Alonso, Pedro (Drinkwater), Hazard (Willian 84), Morata (Batshuayi)

Chlesea Subs
Caballero, Drinkwater, Willian, Batshuayi, Cahill, Christensen, Ampadu

Beating Chelsea would not be a shock

Looking at the league positions of Chelsea and Bournemouth there would be some that think this game is a foregone conclusion - AFCB should be battered out of sight! Or should they? We have seen that AFCB have not had any big beatings and have played best against the strongest sides in the Premier League this season. So would it be a real shock if Bournemouth turned over Chelsea? Not in my book.

Keep getting behind the team.

Bournemouth will be buoyed by their win against Stoke City and the midweek cup win against Middlesbrough. More and more of the squad have tasted a victory and they'll be hungry for more and what better incentive than to be playing last season's champions? For Asmir Begovic and Nathan Aké it is also a very special encounter as they both signed for Bournemouth from Chelsea in the summer. Their excitement for this game will be extra heightened for these two and that should raise adrenalin in the Bournemouth changing room.

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Eddie Howe has much more idea about who is in shape now and who is working well within the team having had some success. But he'll know he needs near enough perfection in the game plan to get a result against Chelsea and while we can point out some weaknesses in Chelsea's backline, they have to be well organised in midfield and ensure they can wrestle possession from Fàbregas and Hazard if they are to prevent Michy Batshuayi and Pedro getting too many forward balls.

Bournemouth have, like Chelsea, lost a few goals from passes played straight down the middle of the centre-backs and protecting the back four may be the most important position in this game. Eddie Howe has made it almost a pledge that he will stop the strongest teams from coming through the middle and he managed that largely at Spurs and against Man City but can the team do it against Chelsea?

AFCB has a feel good factor at the moment despite being in the bottom three, but I think we should have a mini party if the team gets a result against Chelsea. Stranger things have happened. It could be a Halloween fight night for Chelsea! UTCIAD!

Possible AFCB line up

AFCB Subs: Boruc, Simpson, Gosling, Ibe, Pugh, Afobe, King

Chelsea are not quite as imperious as last season

It's hard to work out just what Chelsea are at the moment. One minute they are thumping Stoke City and beating Atlético Madrid away from home and the next they are being beaten by Burnley and Crystal Palace. Their up and down form has got pundits already writing them off from defending their Premier League title, but away from home it is only the Palace game that has really put a stick in their spokes.

Without Diego Costa, Chelsea don't seem quiet the team
they were but they still have an impressive line up.

Antonio Conte was said before the Watford win to be not worried but realistic that Chelsea could sack him if results did not improve. What Chelsea would consider an improvement is harder to put your finger on as even against Watford there were moments when the Hornets could have given Conte more of a scare. David Luiz and Gary Cahill have looked vulnerable this season and while Morata and Batshuayi have been among the goals there is a distinct  unpredictability about Chelsea. Fabregas was on the bench most of last season but has been playing a lot more this season, especially with Kante being injured, while the loss of Costa is still probably having a lingering affect around the team and the dressing room.

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Unfortunately, Chelsea did not have a European Champions League game this week so they could rest their best players for this game. There has been rumours of over training at Chelsea to which the players have been upset about, but Conte is unlikely to change what proved successful for him last season. Chelsea will see Bournemouth as an easier game than many they will have but there are definite signs that Chelsea are not having all things there own way.

Meanwhile, with Asmir Begovic and Nathan Aké now at Bournemouth, the game takes on a new meaning of importance for AFCB. Players playing against their old club always like to do well and Bournemouth have a scalp, if they could get a home win against Chelsea. It would give Bournemouth 10 points from 10 games and they would be more or less back on course with where they need to be to finish out of the bottom three.

Cherry Chimes has been answering some questions from Chelsea HQ ahead of this game. So if you head over to ChelseaHQ, after 7pm, you can find out how I did under the spotlight.

You can also see Cherry Chimes' AFCB v Chelsea match preview at ASkFans.

AFCB Home Form
LLWD

Chelsea Away Form
WWWL

Ryan Fraser is battle hardened

I am wondering whether Ryan Fraser will be available for selection in the match against Chelsea at the weekend. It's not that his form isn't good enough, but more whether he withstood the battering he got on Tuesday night against Middlesbrough. Every time I looked up it was the Wee-man that was getting taken out or bashed to the floor and yet he never seemed to complain or grumble, but took his punishment and carried on for 77 minutes before Benik Afobe was able to replace him.

Ryan Fraser did well to get through the match against Middlesbrough.

We know Ryan is not the biggest of players, but he holds his own and is stocky enough to put his own weight about, but it seemed that Middlesbrough were on a mission to slow him down and they did a pretty good job on trying to make Ryan have a quiet game. The Scot is brave though and he doesn't get put off lightly. I thought he'd be the first to be substituted when he started getting knock after knock, so I was impressed how he kept going.

Bournemouth need him to be in and around the team though as he is becoming a versatile player that has the good habit of getting in the end of moves. Options are always what Eddie Howe wants on the wings and Ryan is always a good sight to see in full flow, but AFCB need him to be in top form and his recent hamstring injury has not been given much time to ease off.

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I have been wondering whether the poor start to the season's early games was simply down to a bit of burn out or physical energy loss rather than a mental thing. In recent weeks the players have been much more able to take the game to teams and forcing the issue. Ryan is one of that sort of player who raises the tempo when he gets on the ball and the form of Fraser, Stanislas, Smith and Ibe I think is particularly important to Eddie Howe's system as they need that speed to their game and when AFCB play at a more reserved pace the more static nature of their game makes them easy for other teams to pick off.

So, I will be keen to see if the Wee-man is among those in the squad to take on Chelsea.

In other news, it's Chelsea away in the Carabao Cup in the week beginning 18 December but we had to wait almost two hours to find out in the delayed draw! In case you got fed up waiting and really wanted to see the draw - here it is.

The #CarabaoCup Round Five Draw has finally taken place. Take a look at the pre-recorded video and see who your team got. pic.twitter.com/g6Tl9IxseK

— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) October 26, 2017

Keep sticking them in Surman

It is hard to believe but Andrew Surman, along with Josh King, is Bournemouth's leading goalscorer at present. How did that happen? In some ways I think the stick that has come Surman's way has actually done him some good. He doesn't just hide or look to do the simple things all the time now, but is willing to shoot and long may it continue.

Sharp shooter Andrew Surman.

I know that Surman does not always anticipate things as well as others and his slowness to react can sometimes cause Bournemouth problems when they lose possession. But as an offensive midfielder this season it is hard not to feel impressed with what Surman has achieved. His two goals were both quality strikes and his way of passing the ball into the net is very effective when it is well directed.

I'm not sure what is enabling Surman to get forward more than he has done previously, but it is likely that Eddie Howe is encouraging him to do that now since his goal against Man City. If a player is striking the ball well, you might as well let them do it in a game if they are hitting the target. It is as well that Surman is hitting the target, because AFCB have been struggling in this  discipline and if the strikers are not doing the business the goals have to come from somewhere else.

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Hopefully, Surman is starting to enjoy his moments of goal scoring and is getting more of a taste for it. If he can keep it up he is going to have to ask himself why he hasn't been able to do it in the past as a Surman goal was about as rare as a goal from a goalkeeper. The positive thing about it though is, if Surman can do it that must put pressure on others in the team to want to show that they should be getting on the score sheet as well.

Jack Simpson puts in a stunning AFCB debut

I was busy looking around Dean Court while the players were warming up on Tuesday and was keen to see 20 year-old Jack Simpson getting involved and relishing his chance to play in the first team. While Arsenal rave on about their new sensation Eddie Nkeitah, it's good to know that Bournemouth are perhaps starting see the work being done at the Academy level starting to pay off with promising players such as Jack Simpson emerging.

Jack had been in and around the squad but was pleased to
make his first start for the first team and you could say he grabbed his chance rather well.

Eddie Howe says Jack has been converted from a midfield player and you could see how elegant and cultured the centre-half was when on the ball. He made a couple of excellent early passes that settled him down and when Adama Traore looked poised to test Boruc he was very quick to close the shot down and take the full blast of the shot.

There was also some moments of sheer quality about his play when in the first half he saw Adam Smith available for a long pass and found him with a great cross-field ball that had the crowd gasping. It was Glenn Hoddle-like in its execution and I was having to look twice to make sure it really was Jack who had made the pass.

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To score on your debut is always going to be a dream come true and to get the first goal was special indeed. I had thought that Jack had headed it in, but saw only on replay that he had stuck out his left foot to claw the ball into the back of the net. It was all about the timing of his run to get ahead of his marker at the corner, and I think he would have scored again had he not been pulled back by Fry at a subsequent Bournemouth corner when he won a penalty.

All-in-all, it was a match Jack will certainly never forget and it kind of makes me proud to see one of the young players proving that they can do it on the big stage. I wish Jack well and hope we see more of him, as it is difficult to see players like Baily Cargill do well and then have to play games elsewhere. But it looks like Bournemouth have a great young centre-back pair if they can keep Cargill and Simpson in their ranks.

Wilson is back all right!

There were never any doubts in my mind that Callum Wilson would be back in the team as soon as he was ready, and I did not believe those who said well he might not be as good as we have known him in the past. Callum looked great, and it is no surprise that Eddie Howe was also very pleased with his number 13 who did more than enough in the cup game against Middlesbrough to show he is a striker that wants to be very much involved in Bournemouth's season.

Callum enjoyed every moment of getting his goal in front of the North stand. 

While some will argue that Wilson only scored from the penalty spot there is far more to his game than that. We saw him make several darting runs in short bursts in and around the Boro penalty box, and there was nothing wrong with his though patterns of knowing when to make his runs and getting the upper hand on his marker. He topped his performance off not only with the penalty but with an inch perfect cross for Benike Afobe to net the third goal on the night.

Now with 90 minutes under his belt Callum is going to challenge for those starting places. I would say that King would normally be a cast iron cert to start the next league match, but he is still a doubt while his illness remains and Howe will be taking every precaution with him to try and get him right in time. Callum might need to be held back as a sub to recover fully after this game, but the thought of King and Wilson sounds tantalising, while we have seen that Benik is already profiting from the mere presence of Wilson on the pitch.

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There is a kind of completeness that went around Dean Court to welcome Callum back and while the team has had a difficult start there is a real buzz about the place now, and I just wonder if this will turn out to be a special season for the Cherries. The team is starting to play some excellent football again and even though they start from a low place in the league they are really building some momentum, and a favourable home Carabao Cup draw will only heighten the excitement around Dean Court.

Welcome back Callum!

Simpson and Wilson star in AFCB Carabao win over Middlesbrough

Match Report

Carabao Cup Fourth Round

AFCB 3 v 1 Middlesbrough

A great result for the Cherries who go into the hat for the quarter-finals.

Bournemouth eased their way through to the fifth round of the Carabao Cup after a match-winning performance by young Jack Simpson and a successful return to first team cup action by Callum Wilson. Bournemouth found their flowing football right from the off and Lys Mousset was unlucky not to have headed the Cherries ahead, after being flagged offside from a Ryan Fraser free kick.  AFCB fans had to wait until the second half for a goal when Simpson timed his run well at a corner to score with his left foot 48 minutes. Only seven minutes later Boro were level after a breakaway goal by Marcus Tavenier. But Boro had been second best all night and the Cherries recovered their lead after Simpson was pulled down in the box going for a header from another corner. Callum Wilson made sure from the spot and restored the lead, before Bournemouth made it a more emphatic win with a Benik Afobe goal seven minutes from time.

The two teams on the pitch.

As expected Eddie Howe made some changes. Neither Jermain Defoe or Josh King were available and the big surprise was to see Jack Simpson in the team at centre-back. Callum Wilson also made the starting line up along with Ryan Fraser, Dan Gosling and Ryan Fraser.

See more images on Match Day Gallery.

Jsck Simpson came in to the team to get
experience and walked off with man of the match.

Bournemouth had a bit of a nervy start with Adama Traore testing Artur Boruc from the edge of the box and the keeper was pleased to see the flag go up after he fumbled the save. Bournemouth then looked to have taken the lead when Fraser's free kick was headed in by Lys Mousset only to see the flag go up.

Harry Arter was lucky not to see a card when he launched himself at Traore, but it was Simpson who was looking the most assured Bournemouth player, making tackles and switching play with consummate ease. Callum Wilson was also fabulous to watch turning after receiving a ball from Pugh and just firing wide on 18 minutes.

The surface of the pitch was very lively and several players were finding it hard to keep their feet with the misty rain in the air. Pugh was enjoying it though and saw a shot blocked before it ran out to Fraser who put another chance wide from six yards, as Pugh's shot off the keeper just came back to him too fast.

Dael Fry picked up a yellow card for a foul on Callum Wilson, but it was Boro who might have ended the first half ahead had Traore's blast from just outside the box kept a bit lower.

Callum makes a scoring comeback.

Second half
The break did the trick for Bournemouth who won an early corner and Jack Simpson came forward and headed straight in from six yards. AFCB were looking set to extend the lead when Charlie Daniels was taken down in the box by George Friend, but strangely no penalty was given. Boro countered and Traore found Tavenier to his left who stroked the ball past Boroc's right arm to level at 1-1.

Callum Wilson then appeared to have won a penalty when he was sent flying in the box by Dael Fry but  the referee was somehow uninterested. Tavenier kept Boruc alert with a shot after another Traore break and Boro were getting more confident with Adam Forshaw winning a corner after a deflected shot. Bournemouth decided to sub Lys Mousset and Jordan Ibe added more pace to the team.

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Bournemouth soon had the ball up the other end though and when Simpson went for a second headed goal from a Bournemouth corner he cynically had his shirt pulled by Fry and the penalty was awarded. Callum  asked for the ball and he confidently stroked in the goal to make it 2-1 on 75 minutes. AFCB immediately then subbed Ryan Fraser for Benik Afobe. Dowing also came on for Tavenier.

Bournemouth had the momentum now with Ibe having a shot blocked. It didn't matter though as  on 80 minutes Adam Smith made an incisive run in from the right wing, before turning a pass 90 degrees for Wilson to slip down the side of the defender, and cross square for an in rushing Benik Afobe who made it 3-1.

Bournemouth were in total control no and a move by Arter and Pugh was almost walked in by Afobe as he shot just wide from close in. Akee replaced Adam Smith to see out the last few minutes of the game.

Boro subbed Lewis Barker with Ashley Fletcher on 85 minutes. Forshaw then played a good ball to Downing who brought a save out of Boruc in the 88th minute. Three extra time minutes only saw a long shot from Patrick Bamford go wide.

Yes! Another win under the Cherries' belt.

Summary

A great night for Bournemouth. It was astonishing how well Jack Simpson played - an absolute natural. Not even Callum Wilson could take the man of the match away from him and yet it was also very pleasing to see Callum give his signature salute when he slotted home the penalty. Benike Afobe will also have been delighted to get on the score sheet and AFCB are looking like a side that can go further in this competition.

AFCB's starting XI

AFCB Subs
Ramsdale, Aké, Afobe, Hyndman, Mahoney, Ibe, Butcher

AFCB Ratings
Boruc 6, A Smith 8, S Cook 7, Simpson 9, Daniels 7, Fraser 6, Arter 7, Gosling 5, Pugh 6, Mousset 5, Wilson 7

Referee watch: Simon Hooper 4/10. He did give one nailed on penalty but could have made it one or two more and yet was lenient with some of the attempted tackles on the a wet and slippery night.

Middlesbrough
Konstantopoulos, Roberts, Fry, Ayala, Friend, Clayton, Forshaw, Traoré,
Baker (Fletcher 85), Tavernier (Downing 76), Bamford

Boro Subs
Fabio, Gibson, Mejias, Howson, Fletcher, Downing, Wing

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