Portsmouth will have an old friend hoping to score against the Cherries

It looks like Bournemouth fans could well see their former striker make his debut for Portsmouth this weekend in the Pompey pre-season friendly. Brett Pitman joined Pompey earlier this month having decided that it was not working out for him well enough at Ipswich Town. 

Brett Pitman could well line up against AFCB on Saturday.

Now Pitman, 29, will be seeking promotion back to the Championship with Portsmouth and Pitman will have fond memories of how he ripped it up with goals in League One with the Cherries.  

Pitman is in no doubt that he can do well at Portsmouth and help them get promoted: "This is too big a club for League Two and arguably it’s too big for League One, so our collective aim has to be to go up to the next level," he said.

But first he is likely to face many of his former teammates at Fratton Park on Saturday and I'm sure the Bournemouth players will be looking forward to rubbing  shoulders with Brett on the pitch. It is going to be hard for Eddie Howe not to let Simon Francis have a centre-back spot and I hope Francis does get the job of keeping Pitman quiet. Francis needs to make a real statement if he is to lead the side out next season as he has real competition for his place in the team.

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Portsmouth may have a team that is less well known to the Cherries now, but they still have a goal threat in Gary Roberts, who scored against Bournemouth the last time they met in the 2015-16 FA Cup. Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, younger brother of Alex is also a Pompey player in central midfield will also be interesting to see.

It will be Pitman that is the big draw though and the timing could not be better. He scored 15 goals in 42 starts and 28 sub appearances for Ipswich, His sharpness in front of goal may appear to have dropped off a little from his Bournemouth days, but Pitman says "Maybe the style of football didn’t suit me down to the ground at Ipswich.”

We'll soon know how much at home he finds things at Portsmouth.


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FC Nantes will be a step up in class for Cherries

Last season FC Nantes finished 14th in Ligue 1 scoring 29 goals in their 38 games. It may not sound like a tremendous record until you look at some of the sides that finished above them. They play at the 38,000 capacity Stade de la Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau which was inaugurated in 1984, while the club was established in 1943. FC Nantes have honours too having picked up the Ligue 1 title eight times and the French Cup three times. 

Their current crop of players  include Papy Djilobodji who is a centre back that was closely linked with a move to the Premier League over the summer with AFCB and Southampton reportedly interested. But last week it was said that the defender is departing the club - so where is he going? Issa Cissokho has certainly just moved to Genoa, but may be a name that sounds familiar as he is the brother of Aly Cissokho who plays for Aston Villa. 

Remaining at the club though is captain and left back Olivier Veigneau and winger Johan Audel who has played for Toulose and VfB Stuttgart in the past. Another of their star players is Jordan Veretout (a striker that AFCB have been linked with) who plays on the right behind the main striker and hits a mean penalty - he's just become a father. This summer FC Nantes signed Icelandic striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson but he has suffered a foot injury and is now unlikely to turnout for the French side in the friendly with the Cherries.

Nantes manager is Michel der Zakarian who is in his second managerial spell at the club. He also played 140 times for the club as a defender. FC Nantes have been playing a series of friendlies in Belgium with their most recent match against KRC Genk who recently played Charlton Athletic winning 1-0. They previously beat Saint-Etienne 2-0 on 16 July with Yacine Bammou, their Moroccan striker getting on the score sheet. Their other friendly was against FC Bourg-Peronnas which ended 1-1.

AFCB may look more like a full strength side for this match as the build up to 8 August gets ever closer. 

Well done to Baily Cargill on his new three-year contract at AFCB and also to the U21s who drew 0-0 away to the Saints. It was also good to hear that Brett Pitman has scored four goals in three Ipswich pre-season games.

Is Rantie coming good?

There was part of me that was ever so pleased to see TK score a goal against Philadelphia Union. Okay, it was from the penalty spot and the keeper made a good effort to nearly save it! Still, the ball flew in the top corner and Rantie had scored again - it has been a little while since I remember him scoring in the 0-8 demolition of Birmingham City last season.

While some fans may not consider Tokelo to be a prime candidate to score many goals in the Premier League, I suggest it is only perhaps now that the real talent of TK is perhaps starting to emerge a little more consistently on the English stage. One game doesn't make a season, but TK certainly had plenty of spark about his game when he got his chance against Philadelphia Union. He linked up with Marc Pugh on several occasions with the fast movement and thought that showed an understanding that is perhaps starting to grow. There was also a noticeable comment by Christian Atsu that he likes playing with TK and the African connection will perhaps help Rantie as well as Christian inspire each other to great things in 2015-16. 

Is Rantie's game now ready to explode onto the Premier League scene?

Against Exeter City the manager also repaid some faith in Rantie by giving him a start alongside Josh King. It will take a lot of work on TK's behalf to out some of AFCB's other strikers from the starting positions but he can certainly try and like we saw with Brett Pitman, he could still make an impact from the sub's bench. Now that Brett has also moved to Ipswich, there is a tantalising gap to fill for another striker and Rantie must really take it upon himself now to try and get the consistency and performances that enable him to get more time in games and hopefully he gets some luck to remain injury-free. His shoulder injury last season certainly held him back.

What I like about Rantie is that he is different to all the other forwards at the club. There will be games when AFCB need something different and TK just might help earn AFCB some valuable points in the Premier League. 

Is Lee Camp next to exit the Cherries?

While AFCB have enjoyed unbelievable success in the last nine months there has been one player who I feel has been a bit of a casualty of the teams upward momentum. When the Cherries were promoted to the Championship they needed an experienced keeper and Lee Camp was the perfect fit. He never let the team down and pulled off some tremendous saves as the Cherries finished in a creditable 10th place. However, the signing of Artur Boruc first on loan and then on a season loan move before signing permanently this summer has left Lee Camp rather a drift.

We have not heard from Lee for a while and he
will have some hard decisions to make this summer.

There was talk about a month ago that Bristol City could well be looking to entice the former Forest and Derby keeper to their side as they look to establish themselves in the Championship, but they have also been looking at Southend's young  - Daniel Bentley. Surely, Lee would be a great keeper for a club in the Championship, but you wonder if not Bristol City or another team is he still wise to try and get back into the side at AFCB when Adam Federici has also joined the line of keepers vying for the shirt if Artur Boruc is injured.

With Brett Pitman deciding to ensure he gets game time by moving clubs, I expect Lee will similarly be considering his position having had a season where he saw little action on the south coast. As a shot stopper he is still a great asset to any team and Lee really deserves to be playing games.

The club also announced yesterday that keeper Ryan Allsop had signed a new one year contract at Dean Court. I suspect that Ryan could find himself on loan for part of the season again even if he has stated his intention for battle for the first team shirt.

Fraser - the long term project

It has taken a few fans by surprise, may be even disappointment, to hear that Ryan Fraser won't get a chance to feature in the Premier league this coming season for AFCB. Yet, it is important to see the bigger picture for Ryan. He needs to develop his game and find the consistency of both delivery and finishing to gain him more games. There is no doubt that he has already been a special player that belies his age and with U21 international recognition he has been pushing hard for a place in the starting line up at AFCB and at times succeeding. With him in discussions to extend his contract at AFCB, he'll be a bigger asset to the Cherries in the future having had and a season at Ipswich Town. Eddie Howe will be looking for to see a more accomplished Ryan Fraser in 12 months time.

Ryan has the ability to be a big success at Ipswich.

While the destination of Ipswich is not immediately a place where Ryan's scurrying style would seem a safe match for him, it is not necessarily harmful for him to experience a different way of playing. Ryan has always been very direct in his running and will add pace to Ipswich's attack which was perhaps not the most mobile last season. He's certainly different to what they have at Portman Road and he might have a thing or two to teach players there as well.

The wealth of talent that Eddie Howe now has at the club on the wings is easily the best that it has ever been in terms of international players with proven pedigree. The long term project has to be to develop the younger players so that the club does not need to buy as many players in future at high market prices. It can't be done with every player, but Ryan Fraser has time to blossom and I'm confident he will because if it wasn't for the form of Marc Pugh last season, Ryan would have had many more appearances in the Championship. Now he can get those games he missed and he'll have Brett there alongside him to encourage him.

So I hope Ryan gives it his very best shot at Portman Road and bags them lots of goals as he is one Scotsman that has been an absolute pleasure to see running down the wings at Dean Court.

Farewell Brett - you've been a club hero!

It is with a tinge of sadness that Brett Pitman is to end his second spell with AFCB. While the Jersey-man had his fair share of criticism during his time at the Cherries he also scored some vital goals for the club and not only steered them through the times when the club was about to go out of business but also was instrumental in getting the goals to get the team promoted through the leagues in their last few seasons. Now he is destined for Ipswich Town on a three-year contract in the Championship and I expect he'll do well there.

Brett has been a true warrior for AFCB.

All that was achieved with a middle spell that saw him play at Bristol City in the Championship for two-and-a-half seasons (2010-13) and score 20 league goals in 44 appearances. While he did not get as many minutes as he wanted on the pitch at City, he certainly came back to AFCB in November 2012 wanting to prove that he was good enough to play at that level. He more than proved that last season and in any other season his goals against Fulham and Blackpool would have been hot contenders for goal of the season for AFCB. We'll forgive him the slight misunderstanding for the disallowed goal with Junior Stanislas last season - when at home to Millwall - with a two-on-one break, and will certainly remember his tremendous form in League One when he came close in 2012-13 to beating Jermain Dofoe's record of consecutive goals in an AFCB shirt. That is Brett though, when needed he did his job and even if he got it wrong at times he'd be back for more attempts.

Now he might feel slightly aggrieved at not getting a chance to play in the Premier League, but he needs to play a full season, and rather than two or three games at AFCB he will probably get a good chance to make a major contribution to Ipswich's season. It is not often that you get a player who will infuriate you as much as make you smile, but Brett is more talented than a lot of fans have given him credit for. The main task for any striker is to score goals and Brett regularly hit the back of the net for the Cherries amassing 268 appearances and 105 goals in his two spells. In his second spell his goal prowess was particularly impressive at 46 from 95 appearances - virtually one in every two games.

I wish him and his family all the very best. He's been fantastic for AFCB and is the fourth highest goalscorer for the club. Not bad, not bad at all!

Thank you Brett!

How can AFCB beat 'em all to sign Tyrone Mings?

AFCB keep moving quickly and this signing which is expected to go through this morning has to have been a shock for other clubs in the Premier League who may be smarting at the thought of the Cherries' potentially new record signing. Ipswich Town did not waste much time in agreeing a fee for 22-year-old Tyrone Mings and the left back was on his way down to Dean Court to agree personal terms just 24 hours after a bid had been made, if rumours are correct. This is certainly the biggest coup that AFCB will have carried out this summer, as Tyrone was believed to be a major target for many Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Southampton and WBA.

Tyrone Mings coming to AFCB is a big coup. It should be confirmed today.

It seems that within a few hours of hearing that Luke Garbutt was unlikely to be coming to AFCB on loan, the Cherries struck a deal with Ipswich and smashed the club's record transfer fee in doing so. Let's see, a reputed £8 million for a defender who has been a great success in the Championship and yet has not stepped foot in the Premier League. Value for money? Well, no English player comes cheap and AFCB are arguably buying a player who could well go on to play in Europe. Tyrone will be as eager as any player already at the club to establish himself in the Premier League and I believe he will be a very strong addition to the squad. At an instance AFCB's height in the back four will be improved with the 6ft 5in left back. Tyrone's range of passing and attacking play will fit in well with the Cherries' style and more than anything Tyrone is an athlete and a competitive one at that.

AFCB did not get the better of him last season and that probably impressed Eddie Howe more than any reports that he received from the scouts. I still believe Tyrone has much to add to his game, but having such a young defender with big ambitions to do well should make him a joy to work with. If Sylvain Distin signs, as expected, for the Cherries and Tyrone also is happy to play in AFCB's debut season in the Premier League, there is already a much stronger look about the team. 

Ryan Fraser is to go on a season-long loan, according to media reports.

So how did AFCB manage to pull off this deal? It is also likely that Ryan Fraser's loan spell at Ipswich was a bargaining chip that AFCB used to help sweeten the deal, and Ryan perhaps needs another full season at the Championship level to bring his game on as he was kept out of the side for a lot of last season. While Tyrone Mings signed for AFCB on Thursday evening the deal is still subject to Ryan Fraser passing a medical this morning at Portman Road, according to Skysports Centre.

Brett Pitman's permanent  move to Ipswich Town looks like it is a separate deal and will include a transfer fee as there is a year on Brett's contract to go. Still, just like the signature of Callum Wilson last summer AFCB have been willing to let other players go to clubs to get their prize target.

All Departments interviews captain Tommy Elphick on its latest podcast. Listen by visiting All Departments' website. 

Filippo Costa ready to sign for the Cherries?

While most of the media wondered who AFCB would sign at left back after it looks like the Luke Garbutt move has fallen through, there was a big rush on Tyrone Mings at Ipswich. At lunch time there was no further news on this, but see Breaking News (below) of AFCB's potential record new signing! 

It also looks like sensible money is on AFCB to sign another young 20-year-old  left back called Filippo Costa, who currently is at Italian side Chievo Verona, where he has been since 2012.

Last week the first reports of AFCB's interest in Filippo appeared at www.gianlucadimarzio.com and were also seen on The Continental Zone among other sites, but the English media seem to have been a bit slow on tracking this one. Eddie Howe appears to want some youth at left back and Filippo is seen as a talented prospect who was playing in the third tier of Italian football last season, on loan at AC Pisa where he scored four goals in 26 appearances last season.

The young left back is estimated to have a price-tag of £200,000 according to Football Italia. Filippo is an Italian U20 international player. Italian side Atlanta were also said to be interested in the player but AFCB are favourites now to sign him.

Breaking News:
Tyrone Mings is said to sign for the Cherries for £8 million - a new record for the club! Ryan Fraser is said to be going to Ipswich Town on a season long loan and Brett Pitman is also heading to Ipswich Town as a permanent signing. I'll have more thoughts on this later.

Update: Football League World is reporting that AFCB's bid for Mings has been rejected! But Sky Transfer Centre said at 8:12 that deal would be completed on Friday morning as long as Ryan Fraser passed his medical at Ipswich Town

Championship sides to eye Lee Camp and other AFCB players?

The gossip has all been about who AFCB will be bringing in this season and while seven players have left the club there is more than a fair chance that some bids could come in from teams in the Championship that are looking to attract one or two of AFCB's players who have not been regular starters for the Cherries in 2014-15. So who would that include? 

Is Lee Camp off to pastures new?

Well I believe that teams like Burnley, Reading, Wolves, Brighton, Bolton and Charlton might be among those making big efforts to get up in 2015-16 and they may have targets such as Elliot Ward, Shaun MacDonald, Brett Pitman, Junior Stanislas, Eunan O'Kane, Adam Smith, Ryan Fraser, Bailey Cargill and Lee Camp who is already said to be on Bristol City's radar. I am sure that Eddie Howe will want to keep such players as he has built up a strong group with a winning mentality, but as a few signings come in for the Cherries it will become increasingly clear which players are going to be under pressure to get into the squad for the start of next season.

Some AFCB players will have to try and persuade
Eddie Howe that they deserve their spot in the 25-man squad.

I am sure that all of the above mentioned players can play in the Premier League, but AFCB are usually very aware that if they can balance the books with some player sales it makes sense to do so, if those players have more chance of improving their careers through another route elsewhere. While we have heard that Premier League clubs are said to have been watching Harry Arter, Callum Wilson, Matt Ritchie and Steve Cook and probably Simon Francis too, I can't see any of them leaving at this point unless substantial sums are offered as they are the nucleus of the Cherries winning side and AFCB have been clever to sign most on long contracts. 

There is also the possibility of loan signings out of the club as well when Eddie Howe feels he knows his 25 players that will be his squad for the Premier League.

All Departments has also released a summer podcast which features former Cherry Wade Elliott. To listen visit All Departments' website or scroll down the right side panel on Cherry Chimes until you can click on the All Departmets' soundbar.

Has Yann most to fear from new signings?

I am a big admirer of Yann Kermorgant who has been one of Eddie Howe's best acquisitions since his arrival from Charlton Athletic. The Frenchman always puts in a shift and he often belies what you think he is capable of and has become a marksman that not only gets a lot of goals from the penalty spot and free kicks, but can also score the spectacular like he did against Ipswich to win him AFCB's goal of the season. It was pretty hot competition this year as well so it was quite something for Yann to take that award.

Yann will be looking to keep his place next season against mounting competition.

The worry is will Yann be one of the casualties of the club's increasing success? At the moment no new signings have come in but AFCB have to ensure that they can score in the Premier League and they may need a different kind of striker to upset teams in this league. Can Yann learn to adapt his style slightly to score and provide more goals? Will the same playing style he has now do as well in the top tier?

I actually think Yann will be fairly successful, if he does get the opportunity to keep his place in the team as he is a thinker and often tends to predict where the ball will land in the opposition's box. He is also a player that draws a lot of fouls and has an aerial ability that has been employed in defence as well as in attack by Eddie Howe. At 33, Yann is one of the senior players in the squad and that may mean that Eddie does consider resting him more than he has in his first two seasons at the club.

It is no coincidence that AFCB picked up their form fairly significantly when Yann came to the Cherries in January 2014. He added new variation to the team and linked play better than many other second strikers that have been at the club. While Brett Pitman was used in fairly good measure as well last season, both strikers could come under pressure to be the partner for Callum Wilson. There can only be 25 members in the squad and so it might not be so easy to use Brett and Yann like Eddie Howe did in the Championship. Do you replace these two strikers with one who may be able so do the job by himself?

Yann Kermorgant is very precise from the spot

When you analyse the Birmingham game the role of Yann Kermorgant may have not seemed that significant at first sight as Callum Wilson was the player who equalised and then won a penalty to set the Cherries on their way to victory. However it was Yann Kermorgant with the clever turn and needle through an eye pass to get Callum away and free for AFCB's second goal and Yann again who hooked the ball on to Wilson to win a penalty which Yann himself made no mistake with.

Crowd reaction in the Steve Fletcher stand as
Yann Kermorgant tucks away the penalty against Birmingham City.

The Frenchman has not attracted so many headlines of late, but he is quietly going about his business and he has to fight hard for his place in the team with Brett and now Kenwyne pressing for a start. 

Yann still has a few more goals in him this season I reckon.

His coolness at the penalty spot is something that certainly has been helping the team to get wins and I don't remember a season when the Cherries have had so many penalties awarded to them. I don't recall Yann doing anything much differently when he steps up for a penalty but he always strikes the ball so firmly that keepers don't seem to be able to keep his shots out from 12 yards even if they work out which way he is going. he has by far the best penalty record at the club and it is a bit surprising that anyone else is allowed to get a  look in. It is also two penalties scored in his last three games having also netted against Middlesbrough. By the way Yann scored the late penalty to beat Brighton back in November. 

In all Yann has put 6 away goals from the penalty spot from his 15 goals which puts him just two behind Grant Leadbitter of Middlesbrough who is the lead scorer on eight, and in the following games his penalty was the decisive goal.

3 March 2015 AFCB 2 v 1 Wolves
1 November 2014 AFCB 3 v  2 Brighton 

Yann has only missed one spot kick at Leeds Utd this season when he hit the bar, but his record is pretty amazing. His game though is more than that as we have seen and he also has a very good chance of being the club's second highest scorer this season as he is one goal ahead of Brett Pitman and just five behind Callum Wilson.

Eddie has been looking for balance

After the match against Middlesbrough, Eddie Howe said that he had been looking for the right balance and that he felt that he had found it for that match. It was a surprise for many supporters that Brett Pitman was not starting after the last few games he had been involved in but whatever weaknesses Eddie saw in Middlesbrough, the team were able to exploit it with stunning effect.

Crowd reaction to the third goal going in against Middlesbrough.

It is not always easy to drop a player that has been doing well. But it is the overall team on the day that has to be the most important consideration and Eddie Howe has never been afraid to go against what people expect to get a result on the pitch. I am sure some of his independent thoughts together with collective decisions with Jason Tindall have carried AFCB to the very top of the division and you can't argue with that. Against Middlesbrough he chose Yann Kermorgant and he put away the first penalty well, while Brett still got his opportunity later on from the spot.

Yann has been in and out of the team of late, but if Callum
Yann fit he tends to be the preferred partner.

The balance of the team against Middlesbrough seemed stronger to me on the left though for once and Charlie Daniles and Marc Pugh were pretty sensational that day. Simon Francis was not as prolific up the right wing as he has been and he had to be alert to the breaks by Middlesbrough, especially when Lee Tomlin was drifting and trying to get in between AFCB's defence and midfield.

The balance of the team could well be altered again for the Ipswich match. I have not heard news about Marc Pugh yet but I am sure we will soon find out how he has been doing and if he can take part in the matches over Easter. Callum Wilson looks out though having not trained in the last two weeks. All those on international duty will also need to be assessed and some of the players out in Dubai just might have caused some rethinking with their form. I would not think that Kenwyne Jones will get many training sessions in with the squad before Friday and yet he may well have to lead the line.

Whatever the selection for the Ipswich game, it is going to be bigger than the last game in terms of pressure I feel, but the players have shown that they can deal with that. Being away at Portman Road one would imagine that the pressure on Ipswich will be equally as high and even higher if they find AFCB can get off to a flyer.

You can vote on our poll in the side panel which asks if you think Kenwyne Jones will have a successful loan period at AFCB - the poll closes at 10pm.

Cherry Chimes April Newsletter - is out now!

Cherry Chimes' April Newsletter picks over the top stories from the blog in March.

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Injuries are not what AFCB need now

The match against Middlesbrough came at the end of another hard period of games for AFCB. It was not great to see both Callum Wilson and Marc Pugh limp off the field towards the end of the game but a lot can happen in 13 days and it will be interesting to see whether either of them make it back to be fully fit for the Ipswich match. 

Marc Pugh will have to recuperate over the
international break to get his ankle better. Eddie Howe said
 it was an impact injury and should not be a long term problem..

If not then we could see a change to the strike force for the Portman Road game, while Ryan Fraser is possibly the most likely stand in for Pugh. It is going to be a period of time now when AFCB just have to wait and see how their players come through the international matches and who is going to be available. 

I saw that Southampton lost Fraser Forster in their game against Burnley but thankfully the Saints cannot recall Artur Boruc at this stage of the season. Artur himself will be involved in Poland's international against the Republic of Ireland and could go face to face with Harry Arter. Meanwhile, Matt Ritchie will also hopefully come through unscathed from his time with the Scottish squad while Shaun MacDonald also has a call up for Wales.

I can't remember a recent period when so many of AFCB's players have had call ups. Even Bailey Cargill will be playing for England's U20s and Benjamin Buchel is with the Liechtenstein
squad. It has been a great time for Bournemouth players and you can start to understand why fans of other clubs get nervous around this time when their players are involved in internationals. It will probably mean that I will take more interest in the friendlies and Euro 2016 qualifiers just because I'll want to see how well the AFCB players do, but I kind of also feel that the internationals are a bit of a hindrance at such a crucial stage of the season.

Arter crashes Boro's promotion run - Cherries win 3-0 (videos)

Match Report

21 March 2015

AFCB v Middlesbrough

Attendance: 10,998

Aitor Karanka leaves the bus heading for his team's biggest defeat of the season.

There was a mood of optimism in the air with AFCB supporters before this game kicked off. You could feel it all around the Goldsands stadium for this crunch match. There was a job to do and the players were ready to put one of their promotion rivals back in their place and it was one of the first time international call up boys who stole the headlines, the Republic of Ireland's Harry Arter.

AFCB got off to a good early start with Callum Wilson being brought down by Tomas Kalas and Yann Kermorgant tucked the spot kick away to lead after just 12 minutes. That is the way it stayed until half time. But the Cherries were driven forward in the second half by Harry Arter's spectacular finish on 48 minutes that underlined the Cherries' dominance. It took a dubious penalty to put the game completely out of reach, but everything was going for Arter and AFCB on the day and Brett Pitman was soon celebrating with his arm's outstretched after successfully scoring the penalty.

The teams line up, Boro in all white.

Minutes to go and AFCB players know what they want to do.

Darren Anderton and Simon Thomas are talking to Sky
viewers around the world who are tuning in.

At the time this was enough to take AFCB back to the top on goal difference but later results saw Watford defeated 0-1 at Vicarage Road and that gave AFCB a clear point lead at the top of the table going into the international break.

Eddie Howe made one change to the team that drew at Cardiff by bringing in Yann Kermorgant to the starting 11 while Brett Pitman was unlucky to find himself on the bench. Middlesbrough made tow changes from their Derby game and brought in Emilio Nsue and Adam Reach to the starting 11 and Jelle Vossen was among the subs, while Jonathan Woodgate was not in the squad.

Middlesbrough players are hopeful before kick off.

Tommy Elphick gets ready to lead his team.

There are more pictures on Match Day Gallery.

The Cherries had a terrific start to the game with Ritchie being fouled some 35 yards out and fairly centrally by George Friend. Yann Kermorgant chipped the ball over the wall and Konstantopoulos saved to his left down low and as the ball spilt out Callum Wilson looked favourite to get their first, but he was pulled back by Gibson as he never made it. An early let off for Boro we thought.

Callum Wilson was soon in his stride causing plenty of problems for Tomas Kalas. While he was caught with an offside and a handball in the first six minutes he was going to have a lively game. Boro's best option for attack early on lay with Nsue and Albert Adomah up their right wing and a testing cross by Adomah on 9 minutes could have been costly had Patrick Bamford or Lee Tomlin been running on to it.

AFCB were also productive on the wings and on the left and a sharp move on 11 minutes saw Daniels and Arter involved before Callum Wilson raced into the box and was taken down by Tomas Kalas after a simple nutmeg through his legs. Kalas had his arms all over Wilson and clearly trying to prevent him from getting past and Wilson just went down under the force from Kalas. Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the sport and the home crowd was delighted to see Yann Kermorgant slot the ball into the left corner of the goal, even though Konstantopoulos got a hand on it as it flew in -1-0!

Boro's reply was to see Albert Adomah fire a shot well over a few minutes later. Artur Boruc was clearly in good catching mood and was taking everything in the air when Boro's crosses came in. A good move on 19 minutes from Arter and Francis led to Ritchie passing to Wilson who fired wide, pulling his shot right across the area. A better half chance came to Yann Kermorgant shortly after when the ball found it's way to him from Matt Ritchie, but his volley also went wide.

Middlesbrough tried to break the stranglehold with a move up the left that Bamford looked to run on to but Art Boruc acted as a sweeper and cleaned out any danger by coming well out of his box to bet Bamford to the ball.

AFCB were constantly looking for Wilson down the channels and over the top and it was a constant headache for Boro's centre backs who just didn't or rather couldn't deal with him all game. Yann Kermorgant was also getting in the action though and on 28 minutes he almost benefited when the ball broke to him in the box, but he slammed his volleyed shot down and saw it bounce up at head height straight to Konstantopoulos.

Boro's best player looked to be Lee Tomlins who was always busy and keeping them tick over well, but he was not finding Bamford easy to link up with while Adomah never really found Charlie Daniels an easy defender to get past.

Ritchie was always a threat on the right wing and he had a low shot saved on 30 minutes. Corners were not that frequent but Steve Cook almost got on the end of one just after the half hour. Boro started to get a bit more possession through Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton was putting himself about a bit too heavily as he received a yellow card for a foul on Wilson. AFCB were finding it difficult to get the second with Wilson again shooting wide on 41 minutes, while Arter saw his shot blocked before Pugh created enough problems to see Nsue given a yellow card.

Simon Francis was working hard on the right and put in a strong cross that Wilson got a head too but it was too big for him and the header went wide. With just a minute added of extra time the Cherries had to settle for just a goal lead at half time.

Half time and AFCB have a slender lead.

Fans join Sky sports presenters Jim White and Nathalie Sawyer in trying to hit the cross bar.

Tokelo Rantie and Elliott Ward look on.

AFCB fans hope the scoreline is extended in the second half.

Second Half
The Cherries came out in this half meaning business. It was only seconds old when Ritchie put in a cross following a free kick on Pugh, and Tommy Elphick met the ball with a diving header that Konstantopoulos somehow miraculously saved from point blank range with the ball travelling at lightning speed. AFCB were getting a lot of joy up the left side with Yann Kermorgant and Marc Pugh keeping the ball tight in and around Boro's box. Soon Pugh was doing Cruyff turn on top of Cruyff turn and toying with Boro players - it was mesmorising. Importantly though he was keeping the ball with with Yann Kermorgant, before Pugh made a swift turn back out towards the left. That's when Harry Arter entered the frame and just took aim to hit an absolute screamer from the edge of the box right into the top left corner with the ball glancing off the post and in! That raised the roof.

AFCB players hurtled themselves over towards Harry who was standing with his arm up in salute while players congratulated him and Tommy Elphick came at top speed over the top of the crowd of players to release all his joy and emotion at seeing Harry Arter double the lead right in front of the Family Stand. It was almost as if the pressure had been lifted and the knowledge that this is a team headed for success this season. Harry Arter had almost snuck up unnoticed when he scored, as if to say to Pugh and Yann stop messing about with it and let me just strike it where it needs to go - it was jolly effective and the Cherries were 2-0 up on 48 minutes.

The lead could have been three moments later when Wilson broke down the left and crossed to Ritchie, but Matt slipped at the vital time and the ball sped away behind him. Boro had not given up though and they won a corner after reach had seen his shot blocked. Lee Tomlin also had a shot blocked. Nothing much was going for the opposition though and on 55 minutes both Nsue and Clayton were subbed for Adam Foreshaw and Kike (Garcia Martinez).

A rash challenge from Harry Arter on Lee Tomlin earned him his customary yellow card on 56 minutes. Again it was an unnecessary challenge, but did break up an attack building from Boro's own half. Boro had an opportunity soon after when Leadbitter found Tomlin and Adomah put in a good cross that Francis had to clear for a corner under pressure.

But if that was the best Boro could do, AFCB came much closer to extending the lead when Pugh put low cross from the left that Ritchie was running onto and managed to scoop the ball over from all of eight yards! Yann Kermorgant was then subbed for Brett Pitman on the hour.

Boro were still testing Daniels and Francis but even from corners against them AFCB were looking dangerous on the break. Ben Gibson was doing his best to keep taking the fight to the Cherries, but Tomlin was seen deeper and Bamford was just not getting on the ball enough to create any chances.

AFCB made another sub on 66 minutes when Matt Ritchie was replaced by Adam Smith. Boruc again was called into action to make a catch which he had done well all afternoon. Even when Boro thought they had scored they found out that they hadn't. Following a Boro corner, Tomlin had put in a deep cross and Kike had headed it back across goal but even with the ball going into the net the assistant Referee's flag was up for offside.

As we entered the last 20 minutes there was no hurry from AFCB to take corners. Still Steve Cook had a go to score and headed over. The left side had been the problem for Boro all game though and when Daniels and Pugh linked up again it spelt trouble. This time Arter took up the pace and left Lee Tomlin trailing before bursting into the box when Leadbitter and Nsue tried to stop him. For me, seeing it just once, neither of them made enough contact for a penalty and I thought Harry definitely went down too easily and I expected to see him yellow carded for simulation and then sent off for the second yellow. Surely, that was the only reason why the referee was delaying, but no - it was a penalty to the Cherries!

Brett Pitman was quick to cradle the ball this time and he put the penalty away with great precision to make it 3-0 on 75 minutes. Boro made a sub on 79 minutes with Leadbitter replaced by Dean Whitehead, Karanka new the game was up. AFCB fans were singing: "Are you Blackpool in disguise?" That was more than likely in retaliation to Patrick Bamford's pre-match comments when he thought Boro would get the win as they were not like Blackpool who had been well beaten at Dean Court in the Cherries last home match.

Marc Pugh was still trying to get his name on the score sheet and hit his shot over. Adam Smith was also going on his fast flowing runs and winning free kicks, while Pitman had a good opportunity which he curled wide. Patrick Bamford did win a free kick at the end, but he could only shoot over as the ball glanced off the bar with Boruc seemingly beaten.

The last minutes were still damaging in a way though for the Cherries as Callum Wilson was first clipped and had to be replaced by Tokelo Rantie and then in the four minutes of extra time Marc Pugh was fouled by lee Tomlin and crawled off on all fours to get treatment. He did not come back on until after the final whistle with a big ice pack around his ankle.

That'll do nicely!

Boro have been well beaten.

The officials are not centre of attention for once.

Marc Pugh has some new footwear following his late injury in extra time.

I was surprised to see Pugh walking around on the pitch after picking up his injury.
Maybe that is a good sign that it is not too bad.

TK shakes referee Anthony Taylor's hand.

AFCB players with Konstantopoulos.

Boro players walk off dejected.

Summary
It was a tremendous day for AFCB fans. The crowd really got behind the team from start to finish and it brought the best out in the players. The day will be remembered for Harry Arter's fabulous strike early in the second half, but all the defenders and the keeper made a solid platform for this result restricting a strong strike force to a minimal amount of shots while Callum Wilson was just humongous for the Cherries up front. Boro fans will certainly feel aggrieved about the penalty decisions, perhaps rightly so for the second one, but it is always the referee's call to make and while I don't like to see any penalty unfairly won I felt that AFCB deserved the win being much the stronger side. This is three points that psychologically feel like 10 points. The win was that important.

AFCB
Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie (Smith 65), Arter, Surman, Pugh, Kermorgant (Pitman 61), Wilson (Rantie 90).

AFCB subs
Camp, Smith, Ward, Fraser, MacDonald, Pitman, Rantie,  

AFCB Ratings
Boruc 8, Francis 7, Elphick 8, Cook 8, Daniels 7, Ritchie 7, Arter 9, Surman 8, Pugh 7, Kermorgant 7, Wilson 9.

Middlesbrough
Konstantopoulos, Nsue Lopez (Forshaw 55), Kalas, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter (Whitehead 79), Clayton, (Kike 55), Reach, Tomlin, Adomah, Bamford.

Middlesbrough subs

Kike, Ripley, Whitehead, Vossen, Omeruo, Wildschut, Forshaw

Referee Watch: 

Anthony Taylor 5/1 - He was fooled over the second penalty for sure.

Strikers need goals and Wilson is heading towards 20

Callum Wilson has carried a pretty heavyweight this season in leading the line for the Cherries in his first Championship season. As he looks back on his goal count of 19 for the season so far he can't be too upset with that and while the goals have been hard to come by of late, Eddie Howe has never doubted the contribution of Bournemouth's goal machine.

Callum always wants to score.

Come the end of the season there won't be many fans who would suggest that AFCB could have had such a powerful season without Callum Wilson. He is undoubtedly the best bit of business that the club has made in recent seasons and has fitted in so well to this team when it could have been difficult to have left Coventry City and have made such an impact at his new club. The Cherries do try very hard to make players fit in though and to ensure they are happy in every side of their lives so that they can have every chance to play at their best on the field. While Callum is still young and has more experienced strikers around him at AFCB he is happy to take on the mantle of being the top scorer and that was demonstrated against Blackpool.

The most fearsome name on AFCB's team sheet at the moment - Brett Pitman.

Brett Pitman had every right to want to take the penalty that Marc Pugh won and no one would have said anything if he had taken it as the designated penalty taker, but Brett could see that Callum really needed a goal. That was big of Brett, but if Callum had missed it would have been hard for Callum knowing that Brett could have scored, so I was delighted that the ball went in. There does seem to be a rush for the ball these days when AFCB win a penalty and it is just great to know that the team has plenty of confident players that are willing to score from the spot. Now that Callum is on 19 goals, it will be interesting to see if AFCB win a penalty at Cardiff who will take it, because I bet Callum wants that 20th goal as soon as possible.

All Departments has released its 100th  podcast a review the win against Blackpool at the weekend. Either visit the All Departments' website or scroll down the right side panel on Cherry Chimes to the All Departments' logo and click on the sound bar to listen.