First away win is massive for Cherries

The travelling 1500 fans that made it up to Stoke City will have enjoyed the ride home, like myself. While the day was a blustery affair with a cold wind and misty rain, it didn't put the Cherries off their desire to get that elusive first away win. There was a good deal of optimism on the terraces that AFCB could upset a Stoke side recently hammered by Man City and to be fair you never feel overly welcome at the bet365 stadium and the away fans sung with great passion to make it feel more like a home game.

AFCB were redy to work hard for a win up at Stoke.

The wind did make it harder for Stoke to play their long balls up to the front men and it was helpful that while the wind was swirling around, it was mainly with Bournemouth in the first half. I was a bit unsure how well AFCB would do with Afobe and Mousset up front, but they have played several times together now and this was a big opportunity for them. I would not say either of them took great advantage of their selection, but Mousset made some positive runs and Afobe won the penalty, so they did the job they needed to. The important call was to play two up front and to put Stoke on the back foot.

The manner of the win was made better by the style of play in that first half. It was slick passing and fast movement. The Surman goal was particularly impressive in cutting through the Stoke defence. Adam Smith shot passed the Stoke defence and really injected pace into the move. A third goal would have made it a much easier afternoon for the team and the fans, but I guess it was hard for Bournemouth to keep that first half performance going, especially against the wind in the second 45 minutes.

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Still the win was what AFCB came for and they did it with a fairly solid defensive display in the second half. It is a shame that Mame Diouf did get one back for Stoke, but in a way it meant that AFCB had to play even better to hold out for the win. They'll need that determination in other games and at least now they have shown they can do hold out against a team. Catching the teams above them in the table is an added bonus, but the scale of the win can be doubled if they can beat Chelsea next weekend. UTCIAD!

Daily Mail Fans' Verdict - see what Cherry Chimes said

A resurgent Cherries get their first away win at Stoke

Match Report

Stoke City 1 v 2 AFCB

21 October 2017

Attendance: 29,500

It's wet, it's windy, it's Stoke at the bet365 stadium.

It was hard to know whether this particular win will ignite AFC Bournemouth's season, but it will dispel any belief that the Cherries are not simply a team that are lacking in fight or a team happy to be in the bottom three. The match was not going to be pretty with a gale blowing in every corner of the Bet365 stadium, but Bournemouth mastered the conditions quickly and settled into their game. It was Andrew Surman who drove home the first goal and fans hardly had time to blink before Benik Afobe was taken out in the Stoke City box. Once Junior Stanislas had swept the penalty in it was a task of game management from there on and even though Mame Diouf pulled one goal back, this was a game that Bournemouth knew that had to see out. It proved Bournemouth do have what it takes to haul themselves back into contention with higher placed teams in the league and the fight now goes on.

The Cherries made a few changes to the starting 11 with Josh King being ill and Jermain Defoe also not in the squad having picked up a hamstring knock. So Benik Afobe and Lys Mousset started the game up front looking to score their first league gaols of the season. Meanwhile, Dan Gosling was put on the bench and Bournemouth resorted to a 4-4-1-1 formation. Fans also welcomed the sight of Callum Wilson on the bench.

Bournemouth are already warming up.

Stoke players come out.

Callum Wilson is on the bench.

There will be more pictures on Match Day Gallery.

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Bournemouth had the early pressure in the game with Mousset in particular making an adventurous forward run. Aké also made a slide pass through the middle of Stoke City's players that unfortunately Afobe and Mousset didn't fully gamble on getting through.

There was an awkward moment on 10 minutes when Jordan Ibe and Pieters went down in the Cherries box, but the referee saw it as no foul. Lewis Cook was being fouled regularly in midfield, which was stopping Stoke building up any pressure.

The Cherries got on top when Adam Smith made a strong run that was helped on by Mousset and Ibe before the ball came back to Smith on the right wing where he got in behind and pulled the ball back. Stanislas passed the ball on to Surman, outside the box, who steadied himself before picking out the bottom right corner past Butland to make it 0-1 on 16 minutes.

As soon as the restart was made AFCB went on the attack again. Stanislas made a nuisance of himself on the left wing playing in Afobe, with a back heel, who was brought down by Shawcross as he was about to shoot. It was a clear penalty and Stanislas kept his cool to slot home comfortably down the middle and past Butland from the spot on 18 minutes.

AFCB fans were going wild and while Stoke mustered a reply with Johnson played in on the far post from a Pieters' cross from the left, Charlie Daniels raced across to block the shot and concede the corner.

Bournemouth were beginning to enjoy themselves with Ibe suddenly in acres of space on the right wing. His cross though was wide of Afobe and Mousset much to the despair of Benik who had pulled away well to the penalty spot for a shot.

Simon Francis got up from a heavy tackle and Mousset had dig at a shot from range but pulled it wide.

A let off then occured as Surman failed to read a pass from Stanislas in his own half and Jesé played in Mame Diouf only for Begovic to make a superb save at his near post on 34 minutes. Another good move from Stoke led to Johnson missing a header at the far post.

Stoke were also lucky when Ibe saw his shot blocked by Bultand and Shacross when he had run into the box from a Stanislas pass and hit a firm shot that just kept out on 39 minutes.

Stoke were far from on their heels though. Pieters put in a cross that Maxin Chupo-Moting headed wide a minute later when he looked on to score. It was only after that that AFCB won their first corner that was quickly followed by a second before half time.

Eddie thinking hard as he goes off at half time two goals to the good.

Second half

Stoke tried to take the game to AFCB with the wind behind them, but Joe Allen's wide shot early on did not inspire confidence. It wasn't long before Mark Hughes turned to his subs and Peter Crouch came on after 59 minutes. as Glen Johnson was replaced.

Bournemouth took off Mousset three minutes later to bring on Steve Cook to counter the Stoke substitution. AFCB had perhaps got defensive early to try and protect their lead but it looked to have backfired when Mame Diouf used his thigh in a Stoke goal after a long ball had been headed down in front of him by Choupo-Moting on 63 minutes.

Asmir Begovic was doing his best to let time fly by, much to the annoyance of Hughes on the side lines - it was comical to watch. But Lewis Cook did pick up a yellow card after taking down Joe Allen and remonstrating with the referee.

Bournemouth were still trying to extend their lead from a corner that saw Aké head high and past the post. He deserved a go at playing further up the field after all the good work he had done at the back. Adam Smith was a bit nervous when he stuck out a foot to stop Jesé to put the ball out for a corner, but the referee viewed it as no penalty. With the clock slowly coming down Harry Arter replaced Lewis Cook, while Berahino replaced Jesé.

Marc Pugh also came on for Jordan Ibe. Begovic came out to collect the ball in front of Choupo-Moting and eft his leg high, but no foul was made. 

While the Cherries had to see there way through five minutes of extra time there was no big panic with Diouf slicing an effort wide as the only major concern.

Three points!!

Yeah, we loved that!

Summary

A fabulous three points. AFCB will look to kick on from this. Considering Howe had to change his side for absentees such as King and Defoe it was a very good performance. Nathan Aké was superb at the back and Lewis Cook won the fans' praise for his energy and passing. Begovic had little to do but when he was needed he did his job well. All in all it was a brave and solid win. While Stoke got the one goal back there was real determination to make sure they did not get anymore. But what we had all waited for was to see Eddie Howe punch the air at the end - the win meant everything for him, the team and the fans.

Well done Eddie, a great place to pick up a win.

AFCB starting XI.

AFCB Subs

Boruc, S Cook, Arter, Gosling, Pugh, Fraser, C Wilson

AFCB Ratings

Begovic 8, A Smith 7, Francis 6, Aké 9, Daniels 7, Ibe 6, L Cook 8, Surman 7, Stanislas 8, Mousset 6, Afobe 5

MOM: Nathan Aké for his excellent defending especially in the first half but Stanislas pushed him very close for the honour.

Stoke City

Butland, Zouma, Shawcross, Cameron, Johnson (Crouch 59), Fletcher, Allen, Pieters, Choupo-Moting, Diouf, Jesé (Berahino 80)

Stoke Subs
Wimmer, Berahino, Afellay, Adam, Crouch, Sobhi, Grant

Referee Watch: Lee Probert 5/10: Let the game flow perhaps a bit too much at time with only one yellow card issued. No Stoke players booked - emm!

Cherries fight hard to earn 2-2 draw with Stoke City

Match Report

AFCB 2 v 2 Stoke City

6 May 2017

Attendance: 11,046

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End of the season games can be slow affairs and while this one did not sparkle at first the irritability and spats between Adam Smith and Arnautovic soon brought this game to the boiling point. A well organised Mark Hughes side made it tough work for the Cherries who fell behind to an own goal when Lys Mousset, making his first Premier League start, inadvertently headed past Artur Boruc from a Stoke corner on 33 minutes. While the game soon became ill-tempered, only Harry Arter picked up a yellow card. Bournemouth seemed out of sorts until a rousing run by Adam Smith provided the perfect low cross for Josh King to dummy and leave for Junior Stanislas to side-foot in past Jack Butland, just after the hour. Yet, when Max Gradel came on, AFCB switched off and a right wing cross lead to a knock down from Aranutovic that Mame Diouf had the simple task of converting from six yards. The Cherries rallied once more though and another right wing cross from Adam Smith saw Max Gradel's header saved by Butland, only to rebound to King who saw the ball go in, when his shot hit the back of Ryan Shawcross to make it 2-2. The point made AFCB mathematically safe and equalled their points total of last season with two games to play.

Francis leads AFCB's greetings to Stoke City.

Stoke City line up for the minute applause before kick off. 

AFCB's players pay their respects.

More pictures will be on the Match Day Gallery later this morning

Bournemouth gave Lys Mousset his first Premier League start to replace the injured Benik Afobe and Junior Stanislas came into the starting line up on the right wing to replace Ryan Fraser who moved to the bench. Jordan Ibe also made it back int the squad.

Stoke City made one change with Mame Diouf replacing Saido Berahino who had been ill, but made it to the sub's bench.

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First Half

It came as a bit of a surprise that this game would have so much niggle about it. Arter provided the first foul on Shaqiri and it started a busy afternoon for the referee's whistle. The home crowd enjoyed Adam Smith's clever play to evade Diouf near Bournemouth's box. Josh King then put an in an early shot from the right but it came at a comfortable height for Jack Butland. 

Joe Allen was breaking up play in midfield well and AFCB were getting on the wrong side of the referee's whistle in the fist 10 minutes. Stoke came close when Diouf sped down the right wing and crossed for Arnautovic, who had his shot well saved by Boruc.

AFCB resorted to a Francis launching a fabulous cross-field long-ball to Daniels from his own half to get AFCB up the pitch, even if Lewis Cook eventually saw the move come to an end with his shot being blocked.

Baily Cargill one of the subs then rushed around to the Bournemouth goal to tie-up Boruc's boot lace which received a round of applause when the game paused. Arnautovic then went down injured having ran into Adam Smith, only to get up again as play was not stopped. This angered the Bournemouth crowd who gave him a hard time from then on. It didn't slow Adam Smith though who cut in from the right and hit a curling shot that came back off the upright with Butland beaten, while the rebound was hit skyward by Lys Mousset, when he had a great chance to score.

AFCB were finding it hard to get round the back of Stoke who were defending deep. Shaqiri and Arnautovic were who they were looking for on the break. Arter was doing his best to slow them down, but his challenge on Jo Allen on 26 minutes saw him receive a yellow card, much to the home crowd's disapproval of referee Tierney. Shawcross was also in the referees ear doing all he could to make the referee give a red card for the incident. Arnautovic saw it as an opportunity to square up to Adam Smith and the referee was a bit slow to see what was going on.

Steve Cook next made a great block as Arnautovic almost slipped Shaqiri inside and Cook masked the goal just 4m out and saw the shot deflect for a corner.  Stoke City continued to come forward and won another corner that Cook had to concede, but this time Lys Mousset rose highest only to head past Boruc and give Stoke the lead.

AFCB did their best to get back level before half time with a King volley that went wide, while at the other end Shaqiri fired over as well.

The referee leaves the pitch at half time.

AFCB subs warm up.

Half time score.

Second Half

The Cherries managed to start forcing the game more up the Stoke end of the pitch, even if Jack Bultand had not had much to do. An early free kick on the right edge of the Stoke box, won by King had to be re-taken, but Arter a shot deflected for a corner.

Stoke also had a corner in the 54th minute after Shaqiri shot was deflected, but neither team was finding much space. On 58 minutes Howe decided to change things and Mousset was subbed for Ryan Fraser to run at the Stoke defence.

Stoke were getting ambitious with Whelan fancying his chances from distance as his shot cleared the Ted MacDougall stand! Stoke had the perfect chance to extend the lead moments later when a cross from Joe Allen on the right was headed over by Arnautovic from six yards, unopposed!

Such a let off installed some determination in the Cherries. They put some strong passes together with Lewis Cook and Adam Smith playing Ryan Fraser don the right and his cross was dummied by King and fired in by the on rushing Stanislas to equalise on 62 minutes, 1-1.

The game was lively now. Daniels had a half claim for a penalty shout when trying to get past Whelan and Shawcross, but the hand involved was deemed accidental.

Max Gradel came on for Stanislas after Stoke had just had a corner. AFCB didn't mark up quickly enough and Cameron put in a cross from the right that was contested in AFCB's box by Arnautovic and Francis, but fell nicely to Diouf who was right on target from a few yards out, 1-2 to Stoke with Adam Smith and Artur Boruc down on the ground.

While there was still some 20 minutes to go, it was the kind of game where you wondered if the Cherries were really able to comeback a second time. The time management of the game by Stoke City was extremely annoying though and there was a determination not to let Hughes' tactics spoil the day.

Lewis Cook did his best to change the picture by firing a low shot wide of Butland's left post. It was then that Stoke made a change and brought on Jonathan Walters for Diouf. AFCB had reorganised with Gradel playing as a forward behind King and Fraser on the left when Jordan Ibe came on to replace Marc Pugh.

Ibe settled in to the right wing position and while he lost the ball at first it wasn't long before it was won back and Fraser had come across to his side. Lewis Cook spotted Adam Smith in space on the right and he put in another good cross that max Gradel headed at the feet of Josh King, only for the ball to come off the back of Ryan Shawcross go in to the goal on 81 minutes - it was 2-2. 

Joe Allen was still looking to create as AFCB were pinned back, but clear chances were not being created now. Arnautovic was subbed for Pieters on 90 minutes and four minutes of added time saw the game out with Max Gradel having the only half chance, deciding to shoot from distance having not seen Josh King coming up on his right. 

While Stoke had some late pressure, AFCB could be satisfied in keeping them out to claim a point.

A good home performance for the Cherries keeps them above Stoke in the table.

Summary

This was a peculiarly aggressive game at this stage of the season between two mid-table teams, but it showed that the game mattered to both. It was physical and very much a battle, but Stoke came to defend deep and attack on the break while doing all they could to waste time when they were ahead. AFCB have a great weapon though in Adam Smith and this crosses really did much of the damage to unlock Stoke's defence. While Eddie Howe will not be impressed with the way AFCB fell behind, he will have been encouraged by their energy and desire to comeback after Stoke went ahead twice. To be in 10th place at the end of the day is a good place to be after such a hard won point.

Ryan Fraser at the end of the game.

AFCB: Boruc, A Smith, Francis, S Cook, Daniels, Stanislas (Gradel), L Cook, Arter,  Pugh (Ibe), Mousset (Fraser), King

AFCB Subs: Allsop, B Smith, Mings, Cargill, Gradel, Fraser, Ibe

AFCB Ratings: Boruc 5, A Smith 8, Francis 6, S Cook 6, Daniels 6, Stanislas 7 (Gradel 5),
L Cook 8, Arter 7,  Pugh 6 (Ibe 5), Mousset 5 (Fraser 7), King 8

Stoke City: Butland, Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Muniesa, Allen, Cameron, Whelan, Shaqiri,

Arnautovic (Pieters), Diouf (Walters)

Potters' Subs: Grant, Pieters, Adam, Sobhi, Walters, Berahino, Crouch

Referee Watch: Paul Tierney 4/10 - an ill-tempered match and yet only two Bournemouth players were booked and no Stoke players. Arter's foul on Joe Allen was controversial, as he appeared to get the ball cleanly, but with both feet off the ground he was always likely to be booked. There was little punishment for Stoke's constant game management.

Stoke trip did not disappoint

We had to leave the house at 9am on the Saturday to ensure that we could get passed any unexpected traffic delays on our way to the Britannia stadium. It was our first visit to the stadium so there was plenty of excitement and having missed the Norwich away game I was hoping to see a good AFCB away crowd and a good rocking atmosphere.

Destination - the Britannia stadium.

The route would take us along the M25 and up the M40 in fairly quick time and without any delays for once. We did start to hit trouble though on the M42 and the M6 where we suddenly saw a fair few reminders that the Rugby World Cup was on and Villa Park was one of the venues. Not surprisingly the traffic started to swell and our fast pace became more of a snail's crawl as we came up to the Dunlop offices and Birmingham's congested motorways.

An early start for Robert.

We stopped off for a quick bite to eat before going on to the Stadium.

At last we did find our way through and the A500 suddenly appeared in front of us and we soon had our first sight of the Britannia stadium situated high up on a hill. We shot past the stadium as we wanted to get some food inside ourselves before the big match and we had already picked out a well-known fast food chain on the map so it was easy to find. Stoke fans out numbered us hugely but they were happy enough to see us on the table next to them.

We had lost quite a bit of time on the road so we decided to eat quickly and look to park up at the ground by 1.30pm as I knew that it was likely to be a crowd over over 25,000. Navigating the nearby industrial estate with its roundabouts was pretty easy as it was well signed and well patrolled by marshals on every junction. Having handed over a fiver we were directed up towards the Stoke Academy building which was just a short walk away from the stadium.

We parked up a short walk from the stadium in one of the official car parks
 which meant find a space by the side of the road.

It wasn't too busy when we first had a full view
of the stadium. Note the big gap in the corner between the stands.

I started taking my pictures of the ground and we thought we would take a tour around the outside of the stadium to see all four sides. It always amuses me to see the stewards wanting to direct away fans to their section straight away, but we always like to see everything we can when visiting a new ground. Stoke's stadium is impressively tall and while only one corner is closed in it seemed fairly compact and not that different to Dean Court in some ways with the exposed stanchions and rugged looks.

The club shop was doing a good trade.

Shop window. 

The club shop was very ordered and adorned mainly with club shirts more than anything else. The absence of a big trophy cabinet was perhaps a bit telling of where Stoke City are as a mid-table club of recent seasons. Still they had a dedicated shirt numbering area and the ticket office was covered and large - not quite like ours.

The Marstons Pedigree away stand.

Plenty of cantilever metal work is on show around the stands.

I was keen to get an interview in with some Stoke fans and to assess their recent form so we spotted three fans who were the perfect guides to their team as it turned out and they all had something to say on why things had started slow for Stoke City at home. The loss of Steven Nzonzi to Sevilla this summer seemed to be the main reason for their difficulties but they were still scoring goals with Mame Diouf up front.

Plaque on Sir Stanley Matthews statue.

I just took this to show you the sun does shine in Stoke
and well it's a nice arty shot with our shadows.

Sir Stanley captured in motion.

John Ritchie 1941- 2007. I don't believe he was relayed to our  Matt, but you never know.

Stephen spotted a huge statue of the legendary Sir Stanley Matthews CBE so we went over to get a picture next to it and to see the sculpture close up. The three profiles really brought over the style of the man and his balance, but I wondered why it was set quite some way from the stands on the far side of the car park?

We spoke to a couple of more Stoke fans who were very open and pleased to exchange thoughts ahead of the game. Far from being down they were optimistic about their team and we soon found out that they had good reason to be confident. We entered the stadium at the Marstons Pedigree stand and ran up the steps to get a good view of the pitch and facing stands. Sadly there was a lot of netting behind the goals so I knew it would be hard to get many good photos pre-match, but there were a lot of empty seats and I moved around to try and get what shots I could get of the players while listening into the local radio station to try and capture the team list.

Lots of flag waving.

It was quite a good atmosphere before the game with applause ringing out for school children doing a charity fund raising event. We heard that there were no changes to the AFCB line up and having done a Cherries fan interview we were soon in our allotted seats watching the game. While the first half did not go well for the Cherries I was confident that they could still get something from the game. The Stoke fans were fairly quiet and I wondered if they sang more when it was an evening game than in afternoon matches or whether it was the fact that they had not won at home yet that they dare not sing up too much for fear they would lose again.

For AFCB it was all about how the team would respond having seen Callum go off injured and they played extremely well to get back in the game at 1-1. From that point I just thought hang on and don't concede, but Stoke conjured up a bit of magic and all the points were lost with just five minutes to go. The defeat was disappointing only because the team had fought so well to get back on level terms, but I couldn't say that anyone had a really bad game. Sometimes the game just goes away from you and that was the case on this day. Well played Stoke.

Dan Gosling leads the players off the pitch.

The walk back to the car was fairly uneventful and we had a bit of a queue leaving the roads around the stadium with most of the traffic being diverted to the A50 Uttoxeter and Derby. We decided to go with the flow even though it meant a slightly longer journey back via the M1, but by the time we reached Redhill at 8.40pm we knew that whatever route we had gone on it would have been busy.

Job done, another away ground ticked off. Just time for me to get the laptop out again and start writing up the match report. These jouno's at the match with their laptops on tables have it easy compared to us paper and pen bloggers!

There are more pictures on Match Day Gallery. Please also listen again to the Mick Cunningham interview on All Departments' website.

AFCB's defence is facing tough examinations

Like everyone I was very sad to hear that Mike Cunningham passed away yesterday. I am pleased that there are so many photographs though that everyone has been sharing that were taken by Mick over the years and I do hope fans get to think about the great work he did for the Echo and the club over the years. The club I am sure will make a big effort next match to tribute to Mick in the best way they feel is appropriate. Our thoughts are with his family.

Back to Saturday's game

On the playing field, most of the thoughts this week have been connected with the team losing its star striker. It is the obvious big news and yet the injury disguises some facts that AFCB fans might not be so happy to think about. However well AFCB played last Saturday they again let in two goals from open play. They were not the kind of typical goals that the Cherries have been conceding. It is not often that you see our players getting sucked into the ball to stop a player on the byline and to be outstretched on the wing and have to face an incoming cross while running towards your own goal is not a defensive position that AFCB ever try to find themselves in. Still it happened.

Hopefully not running in totally different directions
- Sylvain Distin and Steve Cook.

For the first goal Simon Francis clearly lost out to Arnautovic's skill and found himself slipping and sliding but ultimately not able to block him which opened up the whole goal for Walters who had the simplest of tasks to put Stoke ahead. Arnautovic was the main villain all afternoon for the Cherries as he had several raids that were very effective and he carried the ball well. had he been shackled a bit earlier in the match it might not have been such a good day for the Potteries club. I don't think Artur Boruc had much choice but to cover his near post and with Steve Cook already sucked in to the byline there was only Surman and Daniels trying to make things difficult for Walters, but they couldn't beat him to the cross.

Stoke's second goal was equally disappointing from an AFCB defensive point of view. A quick free kick and an alert Glen Johnson ultimately did for the Cherries resistance. The space that Johnson found himself in was huge as Daniels was out of position and when the low cross was perfectly slung in the bounce caught out the stretching Distin who missed the ball and it was superbly finished by Diouf's stooping header in between the defenders. Whether Boruc might have anticipated where the ball would be crossed to is hard to say but it can't be easy when you see three players hurtling towards you and the ball still out in front of the six yard box as the players come rushing in.

The quality of both goals from a Stoke point of view would be considered quite high. There was not much AFCB could do once Arnautovic had weaved his way around the back and  Johnson's cross was pinpoint for the second. Two quality moments and two goals conceded. keeping a clean sheet is far from easy in the Premier league and yet AFCB looked comfortable for most of the game. I just hope it is not a pattern that keeps repeating itself.

All Departments has released its podcast to review the Stoke game. Just visit All Departments' website to listen in. It will be posted on Cherry Chimes later today.

Stoke snatch first win as Cherries lose Wilson 2-1

Match Report

Stoke City 2 v 1 AFCB

26 September 2015

Attendance: 27,742 (including 1635 Cherries) 
This was a record attendance 
at the Britannia stadium

Stoke City v AFCB - the teams are led out.

There are really small margins that determine whether a team wins or loses in this league. Stoke City know that well enough having not won a game before this match, but when the Cherries lost their golden goal scorer after nine minutes it was an upward battle for AFCB and Stoke won a lot of the personal battles in the first half. That dominance was reinforced with a tap in goal for Walters after half an hour once Marho Arnautovic had got to the byline and got the better of Simon Francis. A more galvanised Bournemouth side attacked with persistence in the second half and there fightback really came alive the faultless Jack Butland was finally beaten by a well struck low shot from Dan Gosling with 14 minutes to go. Perhaps AFCB scored too early as with just five minutes to go a Stoke move up the right by Glen Johnson saw Mame Diouf head in from six yards to earn Stoke their first home win of the season.

AFCB kept the same starting 11 from the Sunderland match and welcomed Josh King back onto the subs bench. Meanwhile, Stoke could bring in  Wollscheid and Charlie Adam to their line up.

Stoke City fans John, Nick and Mack talk about the 
form of Mark Hughes' team. I must admit the Stoke fans were a pleasure
 to talk to and made AFCB fans very welcome.

AFCB fan Barren wanted to see Glenn Murray start. 
The tannoy system got us today but AFCB fans were in optimistic mood.

There are more images on Match Day Gallery.

The initial exchanges were fairly often broken up with free kicks and both teams struggled to get their passing going with much consistency and accuracy. Steve Cook did not do much to settle nerves when he sliced a ball out of play. Any such initial problems suddenly seemed very minor compared to the injury that Callum Wilson then sustained on 8 minutes. His knee gave way after a challenge from Wollscheid and he managed to get up and tried to jog it off on the side line. While he did not look at ease he did come back on but broke down again almost immediately and we had nine minutes of him being attended to until he was stretchered off and the game resumed.

Glenn Murray was now thrust into the action and the match continued with Wollscheid making a mess of his clearance. AFCB fans were wondering if they would have many players left the way things ere going as Pugh went down next and then Tomlin started to hobble. Where the protection was from referee Lee Mason was I have no idea, but he was not the Cherries favourite man on the pitch. 

Stoke's first bit of quality play came on 23 minutes when Walters found Bojan who saw his shot deflect off Steve Cook and Boruc made a save. Keeping the ball was troublesome for AFCB as Ritchie was next to lose it. Sylvain Distin was looking more assured and was winning the aerial battles. Yet, Francis soon knew he would have a difficult day with Arnautovic forcing a corner down Stoke's left wing. Then a shot from distance from Glenn Whelan moved viciously through the players and Boruc just got enough of himself to keep the shot out for a corner.

Stoke were well in control and were winning the centre midfield battle and using the wings well. Pressure was finally released with Whelan's foul on Tomlin. But the annoying pattern that seemed to happen more than a few times is that Glenn Murray would find himself offside and merely hand back possession to Stoke City who were growing in confidence. When Murray was clipped from 30 yards out, we prayed for a Matt Ritchie special strike but he hit it straight at Jack Butland.

Stoke's reply was to get the ball to Arnautovic down the left and he had the beating of Francis who slipped in the box. Once Arnautovic had reached the byline, Boruc guarded his post but the cross found Johnathan Walters who simply stabbed the ball home from six yards. It was 1-0 to Stoke and AFCB were up against it with 32 minutes gone.

While the Cherries responded with some strong play it was costly to see Lee Tomlin not shoot again when given room on the edge of the box, instead choosing to pass to Ritchie who was wide on the right, but he only found Murray at the far post who managed a looping header with no power. Tomlin was making runs though and being positive. Distin as well was carrying the fight and Daniels managed to win the Cherries first corner on 42 minutes.

A few moments later and AFCB should have been celebrating a goal. Daniels and then Pugh made inroads through Stoke's defence by lifting the ball over his shoulder and past Johnson. The ball came to Murray who heeled it on to Tomlin in the box, and rather than shoot himself, he passed to Matt Ritchie who was free to strike his shot, with just Butland to beat, but the young keeper saw Erik Pieters get back in time  to make a lunging block that saved a certain goal.  

Gosling was the next Bournemouth player to have a chance at shooting but he decided cross instead and the ball was cleared. The corners that the Cherries took as well were not passing the first man when Pugh took them and so Tomlin took the next one when Ritchie had a shot deflected for another corner. From the cross though stoke broke through the middle, then to the left and Arnautovic luckily put the chance wide from the centre of the box right on half time. It was a huge let off. Meanwhile, Shaqiri had pulled up clutching his hamstring and had to go off. So Afellay came on just as the whistle went for half time.

The big screen.

The Match day ball.

Half time.

Second Half
The second half saw a more determined AFCB side go on the attack. Stoke had probably had the best of the first half in terms of possession but they would be tested in the second 45 minutes. The Cherries were still making mistakes though and Tomlin was robbed in midfield and almost set Stoke up through the middle. Charlie Adam was also still breaking up AFCB's attacks from the middle.

Again Tomlin would lose the ball this time to Wollscheid, but Arnautovic was caught offside. When AFCB did get the ball in the box and Murray challenged Butland it was the Cherries who saw the flag go up for offside rather than an infringement on the keeper.

The quality of the game seemed to be lacking as AFCB could not get a real hold of the game and Stoke probably were unsure if to twist or stick in their position. Glenn Murray then had a tame shot from the edge of the box that did not trouble Butland on 54 minutes. Bournemouth's pressure was starting to tell as the passing sequences got longer. 

Bojan was withdrawn for Mame Diouf to come on with 62 minutes gone.

AFCB were having their best part of the game and Pugh almost danced his way through three played in the box, but was blocked by Whelan. That was followed by another offside for Glenn Murray as the Cherries looked like they might be running out of ideas. Eddie Howe decided Lee Tomlin should be replaced on 71 minutes for Josh King as the southerners went in search of the equaliser.

More pleasingly for the Cherries we saw the back of Charlie Adam on 75 minutes as he was replaced by van Ginkel. The break in play did AFCB some good as Ritchie got on the ball and then Pugh had a shot blocked, but the ball broke to Gosling who thundered in a low shot right past Butland's outstretched left arm and into the bottom corner of the net 1-1.

AFCB were coming at Stoke now with real intent. Ritchie played the ball to Pugh who did a back heel for Gosling to run on to just outside the box. Gosling thought he might have scored again but Butland showed what a fine shot stopper he is by saving it on 79 minutes. That was as good as it would get though for AFCB as a move on the right wing, following a free kick against Glenn Murray, with the ever strong Glen Johnson saw his deep cross met by the on rushing Diouf who headed the ball down and the ball swept past Brouc in a flash! It was 2-1 to Stoke and all the Cherries' hard work had been undone. 

Adam Smith came on for Pugh with three minutes of normal time left. there were still chances to come. Distin hooked the ball onto Glenn Murray on the right of the box and he hit his shot well across the goal but Butland threw out his right arm and pulled off another brilliant save. The more cheeky attempt was that of Matt Ritchie from about 40 yards out on the wing. He drifted the ball in the air the full distance and Butland was caught well off his line and it was to his relief that the ball just landed a metre wide of his left upright! Whelan then managed to remind lee mason that he had a yellow card and he issued it for a foul on Smith in the 88th minute - better late than never!

With four minutes of extra time being played it was Stoke that might have extended the lead but somehow Afellay shot wide. The game was going to end 2-1 and Arnautovic was trying to make sure of it by throwing the ball back off the pitch whenever Jason Tindall tried to pass the ball to a Stoke player to take  the throw. How Lee Mason did not give Arnautovic a yellow card for time wasting is beyond me. Still, Stoke did enough on the day to get their first home win while AFCB will need to study this game carefully as they had chances to win it. 

The Cherries narrowly lose out.

Eddie has to reflect on a period now without Callum Wilson.

Summary
A bad day for AFCB, not so much for the result or the way that the team played but for the loss of Callum Wilson. The injury will have an impact on the team and I already feel it did in this game. But putting that aside Arnautovic and Pieters were able to have a big influence on the game for Stoke, while Butland made some great saves. The experience of Charlie Adam was also a problem for AFCB and the Cherries need their own ball winner back in the middle of the park as soon as possible. Still it was a strong second half performance and the Cherries have to try and build on that. What can't be hidden though is the fact that if the Cherries keep conceding two goals a game they will struggle to win many matches unless their strikers are on top form and put away all their chances.

AFCB:
Boruc, Francis, Cook, Distin, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh (Smith 86), Tomlin (King 71), Wilson (Murray 17).

AFCB subs:

Federici, Cargill, Smith, Bennett, MacDonald, King, Murray.

AFCB Ratings: 

Boruc 6, Francis 6, Cook 6, Distin 8, Daniels 6, Ritchie 7, Gosling 7, Surman 6, Pugh 7, Tomlin 7, Wilson (Murray 6).

Stoke City: Butland, Johnson, Cameron, Wollscheid, Pieters, Whelan, Adam (van Ginkel 75), Shaqiri (Afellay 45), Bojan (Diouf 62), Arnautovic, Walters.

Stoke subs: Given, Muniesa, Joselu, Afellay, van Ginkel, Diouf, Crouch. 

Ref Watch: Lee Mason 3/10 - not a lot of protection for AFCB players and he might have forgotten he had a yellow card.

I am sorry to hear about the loss of Mick Cunningham this morning who I am sure many of you knew very well.