A good response from the Cherries

Eddie Howe was sure that his team responded in the right manner to going an early goal down at Portman Road. The first half saw some great football being played even if the keepers weren't worked that hard. It was a very open game and not a game where defences were looking totally confident. That always made me believe that AFCB were more than capable of getting back into the game and the only worry Eddie Howe had was that some of the momentum did subside in the second half before he made a few substitutions.

Steve Cook found himself in the unusual position of
being subbed at Ipswich but it enabled Kenwyne Jones
to com on to get the equaliser.

The goal that Ipswich did score was not that great from a Bournemouth defensive point of view. I saw Cook, Daniels and Fraser I believe go over to close down Darryl Murphy, but they never really got anywhere near him. None of them got close enough to make a challenge and with Steve Cook lying deep, it played Freddie Sears onside and you can't expect him to miss from seven or eight yards very often when totally unmarked. Uncharacteristic it might have been and it could have been more costly had the Cherries not managed to find a way back in to the game, but they did.

That showed me that the Cherries are good even in adversity. They could have folded away from home and with a noisy and large crowd bellowing at them they fought for the ball and made it theirs for most of the fist half with possession stats that were 62 per cent in AFCB's favour at half time and it went up by another one per cent by full time. So it was a hard, but well earned point. 

Now Eddie Howe will be looking for an even bigger response at home. It is the sharpness that is now required in front of goal and so Birmingham City come to Dean Court knowing that the Cherries are looking to win and win big again.

Check out the Good Friday balance swings in the promotion race by visiting The Championship Run-in - Good Friday was great for Boro, Brentford and Norwich.

The Cherries have it all to play for

The top teams in the Championship are by no means safe from securing a play-off place yet with Brentford and Wolves tight on the heels of the top six. It is hard to see any other clubs apart from the top eight now battling it out, but there are 21 points to play for and it looks like a total points hall in the mid-to low 80s is what could be required to ensure the play-offs, if Brentford or Wolves go on a great run to make it really close for that sixth place at the end.

AFCB probably need to push towards the high 80s or
even 90 points to secure an automatic promotion place.

While AFCB's position is the best that any team has, in that it is a lead, it is narrow one that could quickly be lost if the Cherries do find Ipswich a problem in their next game. But as Tommy Elphick has said it is important that destiny is kept in their own hands. A strong victory at Ipswich will surely be a significant step towards promotion and with no top of the table team for AFCB then to face in the remaining games, I am sure that Eddie Howe would have been delighted to be in this position if you had told about it at the start of the season.

Yes, Watford, Middlesbrough and Norwich are still all too close for AFCB fans' liking, but you can't help think that this is a great opportunity. It is very thoughtful that the team has now been taken away on a Dubai break or a training camp to focus on the last part of this season. It removed them from all the hype and media attention that might have been a problem if they had stayed in Bournemouth, and with everyone's attention on the internationals it is hoped that we see a fresh and well rested team when they come back to take on Ipswich.