Hat-trick King steers Cherries to important home win over Hammers 3-2

Match Report

11 March 2017

AFCB 3 v 2 West Ham

Attendance: 11,369

Josh King celebrates with the match ball.

Eddie Howe, the players and all the AFCB fans knew how significant this game was and when the Cherries missed a penalty in the eighth minute, it was an even bigger nightmare when Michail Antonio put West Ham 0-1 up just 48 seconds later. Yet, the Cherries are nothing if not resilient and Josh King netted his first goal just after half an hour and everything was set up for Afobe to put the Cherries ahead from he spot, when Marc Pugh was tripped in the box. But Afobe saw his penalty saved and the Cherries went in all square at half time. There was some discussion over whether King's second goal should stand or not, but Mike Botto, the stadium announcer was quick to call the scorer's name out and referee Robert Madley spoke to the assistant referee, all was good and he let the goal stand. Far from being job done, West Ham fashioned an equaliser with André Ayew scoring in the 85th minute. But AFCB needed more than a point and the running power of Jack Wilshere broke through West Ham's defence, before Pugh put in a cross that almost saw Wilshere get on the score sheet, before Randolph's save fell perfectly to King to complete his hat-trick - the Cherries could celebrate their first win of 2017.

Francis returns to lead the team out.

West Ham fans sing for their team.

There were some enforced changes for Eddie Howe's team with the suspensions to Andrew Surman and Tyrone Mings. This gave chances to Dan Gosling and the returning Simon Francis to put the Cherries on a safer footing in the league table and they wouldn't disappoint.

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West Ham just made one change with Antonio coming in for Robert Snodgrass. 

There are more pictures on Match Day Gallery.

West Ham get ready to start the game.

The match began with West Ham making the play as Creswell sped down the left and put a cross in that flashed right across the box. Bournemouth's early attacks swiftly followed with Pugh making a cross from the left that Afobe headed wide.

Simon Francis and Andy Carroll were getting to know each other with Francis usually winning the header and Carroll looking beleaguered with his backside rooted to the ground. AFCB were having to keep their heads as West Ham pressed forward. Lanzini, Feghouli and Antonio were pushing up high and Adam Smith was doing well to block their advances.

When one of these attacks broke down though, Daniels, Pugh and Gosling made good progress up the left until Daniels was brought down in the box by 'octopus arms' Feghouli – penalty! Josh King resumed the responsibility with AFCB not missing a penalty all season to this point. It was a long delay while Mark Noble received a yellow card. Then it was disbelief as King slotted his kick wide of the right post!

Before that had sunk in, West Ham pounced on a slack pass from Harry Arter. Feghouli then played a ball in centrally to Antonio. A quick turn gave Antonio room to shoot and while he did not hit his shot cleanly, it still slipped past Boruc's outstretched left arm and right into the bottom left corner of AFCB's goal on 10 minutes.

It was hard to believe being so against the run of play, but West Ham were leading. There was a definite ploy for AFCB to get Afobe in over the top and Arter played an early ball in such a manner, but Randolph read it well to beat Afobe just in time.

AFCB kept up the pace with Pugh putting in Daniels up the left and he buzzed his shot/cross right across the goal.

West Ham were not putting many passes together, but Antonio was looking to add to his goals and had a long shot that just went wide on 20 minutes. Feghouli was less tidy and smashed his volley well over.

Bournemouth's reply came from Ryan Fraser who let go a sharp drive from just outside the D that had Randolph having to make a full stretch to his right to keep the ball out for a corner. Steve Cook then saw his headed effort tipped over by the Hammer's keeper.

AFCB kept up the pressure and, after good work from Dan Gosling the ball come out to Fraser to cross from the right. Afobe got a header on and Josh King seemed to flick the ball superbly over Jose Fonté and swiftly got a shot away on his left foot that flew past Randolph to equalise on 31 minutes.

Mark Noble was lucky not to get a second booking when he caught Gosling. West Ham were being forced back. Josh King was really on the gas and burned past three Hammer's players like they weren't there in an amazingly forceful run up the right. 

Minutes later it was Pugh putting West Ham defenders to the test - Jose Fonté brought him down – and after a few moments hesitation the referee pointed to the spot again. Benik Afobe too the ball this time and he hit a tame shot to the left side of the goal that Randolph saved. It was a big anti-climax for the Cherries - no goals from two penalties.

Antonio almost made matters worse when he was in a race with Francis and Boruc, but the Iron's winger just overran his chance. Feghouli had the last chance of the half but Boruc made a good save with his legs.

All square at half time.

Four of AFCB's subs.

Second Half

There were no changes at half time. AFCB started quickly though and Fraser won a free kick from a challenge from Obiang who was carded. The ball in met a group of heads with Steve Cook and Afobe going for the ball. It fell kindly for King, who just swept the ball into the goal. West Ham's players protested that the knockdown had been off an arm but having consulted the assistant linesman, who had seen nothing, referee Madley awarded the goal.

While Afobe and Simon Francis went down with injuries they were soon up and Josh King put another shot wide, after a good run from Adam Smith. Afobe also went close but Randolph made a save.

West Ham were reduced to shots from distance and Feghouli just didn't have his shooting boots on. So Slaven Bilic subbed Feghouli and Noble on 58 minutes and brought on Ayew and Snodgrass. Snodgrass was injured almost immediately but managed to get back into the game.

Pugh picked up a card for a foul on Kouyaté as the game moved on. Afobe had a shot saved before Boruc had to move to his left to keep a shot from Antonio out. Afobe made a big effort then to win the ball against Randolph after a short back pass and went in hard, but fairly for the ball from what I saw, but the referee gave him a yellow card.

Another move from the Cherries led Adam Smith to make a good cross that Afobe headed onto the roof of the net - it just wasn't going in for the ex-Wolves man. Soon after Andy Carroll hit a shot that caught Daniels on the arm, but no penalty was awarded.

Byram replaced Kouyaté with 12 minutes to go. Dan Gosling then entered the referees book for a foul he needed to make on Antonio. West Ham were pushing AFCB back and making them defend deep. Obiang was driving the Hammers up the pitch and he linked well with Byram who played in Ayew from the right, and the striker found it easy to level the scores with just five minutes to go 2-2.

AFCB replied by bringing on  Jack Wilshere and Lys Mousset for Benik Afobe and Ryan Fraser. The Cherries were not done yet and Arter gave a warning with a low drive that just scraped past Randolph's right post. Wilshere was making run after run down the middle of the pitch on breaks, and on one of these he passed the ball out wide to Pugh. A first time cross from Pugh brought the goal back in sight for Wilshere, and while his shot was parried out the ball fell again for King to lift the ball into the roof of the net - it was 3-2 to the Cherries on 90 minutes.

Five minutes of extra time would make the nervous fans start wondering if the ref had lost his whistle. Steve Cook was given a yellow for a foul on Carroll who had faded during the game as had West Ham's hopes.

Boruc had a fairly quite game for once.

Relief for the Cherries.

All over - the Cherries have their win. 

Summary

This was a pleasing result for the Cherries and they made it much harder for themselves than it need have been. Two penalties that didn't go in is a lot to give an opponent in such a tight game, but AFCB got away with it. The energy and sheer explosive power of Josh King is spectacular to watch and now that he has added goals to his game, he looks a quality Premier League player. But don't forget how Jack Wilshere came on and made those great runs bringing the Cherries out from defence and on to the attack - without those strong runs late on this could easily have ended up a draw as the Cherries are still giving two or three clear chances for opponents to score in games.

AFCB
Boruc, A Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Arter, Gosling, Fraser (Mousset 85), King, Pugh, Afobe (Wilshere 85)

AFCB Subs
Allsop, Cargill, B Smith, Gradel, Mousset, Wilshere, Ibe

AFCB Ratings

Boruc 6, A Smith 6, Francis 8, Cook 7, Daniels 7, Arter 7, Gosling 6, Fraser 7, King 9,
Pugh 7, Afobe 6

West Ham Utd
Randolph, Kouyaté (Byram 78), Fonte, Reid, Cresswell, Feghouli (Ayew 58), Noble (Snodgrass 58), Obiang, Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll

Hammer's Subs
Adrián, Collins, Byram, Fernandes, Snodgrass, Ayew, Masuaku

Referee Watch: Robert Madley - impressed that he gave both penalty decisions to AFCB but the card for Afobe was wrong and for that I can only give him 5/10 - still a big improvement on last week's ref!

Eddie has got to be pleased with that.

West Ham pinch a win from 10-man AFCB 1-0

Match Report

21 August 2016

West Ham 1-0 AFCB

Attendance: 56,977

AFCB and West Ham are led out at London Stadium.

Eddie Howe will be desperately disappointed that AFCB came away with nothing from this game. West Ham were well below par with star players like Payet and Lanzini missing from their starting line ups and AFCB had chances to win this game. Instead it was the second half sending off of Harry Arter for his second yellow card offence that ultimately cost the Cherries all the points. West Ham got their London stadium home win in the Premier League when Töre crossed the ball back across the box and Michail Anotino headed in on the far post with just four minutes to go. This was a game where AFCB could easily got off the mark but they are left still searching for their first points.

The team selection was fairly consistent with the last game with Ryan Fraser making his Premier League debut on the left wing the only change, while Lewis Cook was left out of the squad having suffered a knee injury in midweek. AFCB would play in their more favoured 4-4-1-1 formation.

West Ham fans Ben, Paul and Joe give their pre-match thoughts.

More pictures are on Match Day Gallery. 

Getting ready for kick off.

The first half was tight and well contested with the Cherries pressing high up early on and Wilson might have got them off to a flyer had he not slipped in the box as he was about to shoot. Simon Francis was kept busy early though with a foot sprint with Antonio which he just about won.

West Ham soon started to have more of the ball and Töre shot over after beating Daniels on AFCB's left. Mark Noble was controlling midfield with Antonio and Töre his main outlets. It was Sam Byram though, on the right, that put on a strong cross that Boruc had to catch cleanly early on.

AFCB were looking for Wilson but he still could not find a clear shot on goal. Worse still Fraser's foul on Noble gave West Ham a free kick just 30 yards out on the right on 20 minutes. Töre put the kick into the wall but the Hammers were gathering momentum. Kouyaté made a good run to the right wing and had Arter for company, cutting inside and then coming back, the ball rose up on Arter and the referee gave a free kick, although Arter patted his chest in frustration. It was enough for the yellow card to be given to him which would be important later on. 

West Ham were coming froward more now, encouraged by their minor victories - Kouyaté though fired over and Antonio wide. Steve Cook must have said something to Craig Pawson as he also picked up a yellow card.

Then Simon Francis inexplicably intercepted a ball from Surman to Boruc and made a mess of his pass out wide as he only found Mark Noble. But there was no lasting damage this time. A strong tackle on Fraser from Byram had AFCB fans asking for the yellow card and it was soon shown seconds later to Byram when he then clattered into Wilson.

Boruc then had to make a good save to his left as Valencia hit a good shot to his left. AFCB finally won their first corner as the half faded, but Fraser kicked it straight out! A second corner taken by Francis was better but it was 0-0 at half time.

No goals first half.

Second Half

AFCB won a corner straight away in the second half. Adam Smith then went on one of his runs but shot weakly for Adrian to save easily to his left. This was AFCB's best spell. Jason Ibe was put in on Adrian by Josh King, but he squared a pass at the last moment looking for Wilson. The ball was cleared and the chance disappeared when Ibe would have done better to have shot himself. The Cherries then tried their luck from distance when Josh King brought a great save out of Adrian, who tipped the Bournemouth striker's shot over.

West Ham fans then thought Töre had scored on the hour but it was just the side netting. At the other end Wilson battled for a header with Reid but could not out jump the defender.

On 62 minutes Valencia slowly trudged off and was subbed for Calleri. It did not slow AFCB down as Ibe flashed a shot that was deflected for Adrian to save down low. Calleri linked well with Antonio but Boruc saved well at the far post.

While Grabban replaced Callum Wilson on 73 minutes, the plan had to change quickly when Harry Arter was red carded for a second yellow card offence this time for chopping down Kouyaté who was breaking from half way. Howe immediately took off Ibe and put on Nathan Aké. Collins objected to the slow pace of Ibe walking off which was no slower than Valencia, and he tried to give Ibe a helping push!

Bilic took of Nordveit and brought on Fletcher, another attacker, as they went for the win. Calleri had the next attempt that went over. But AFCB got caught with a few minutes to go a cross from Touré saw Daniels struggling to get back and Anonio headed in at the far post.

Gosling came on for Fraser with time running out and West Ham replaced Touré for Obiango who immediately received a yellow card for fouling Adam Smith.

Added on time could have brought an equaliser as a goalmouth scramble saw Adrian make a great save from Josh King and then the rebound from Simon Francis was cleared off the line by Reid. Then West Ham could have made the margin of victory bigger as Noble sent Calleri on his way, but the number 28 shot wide with just Boruc to beat.

Aké is first to come over to the fans.

No win in two this season.

Summary

Harry Arter was going to lose his rag at some point this season, but the second game - it's not good enough. He now misses the next game. The defence looked better but Francis is still making individual mistakes. It is Steve Cook who is doing much of the good blocking work and keeping his head well. Up front, the ball is still not sticking for Callum Wilson and AFCB need goals if they are going to get points - roll on Morecambe and some more shooting practise!

AFCB
Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels Ibe (Aké 79), Arter, Surman, Fraser (Gosling 83), King, Wilson (Grabban 75)

AFCB Subs
Federici, Smith, Gosling, Aké, Afobe, Gradel, Grabban

Ratings 

Boruc 6, Smith 7, Francis 5, Cook 8, Daniels 5, Ibe 6, Arter 4, Surman 6, Fraser 6, King 6, Wilson 6 

West Ham

Adrián, Byram, Collins, Reid, Masuaku, Kouyaté, Nordtveit (Fletcher 80), Töre (Obiang89)
Noble, Antonio, Valencia (Calleri 63)

West Ham Subs
Randolph, Obiang, Ogbonna, Fletcher, Calleri, Burke, Oxford

Eddie has lots to ponder about.

Francis may need to do more to be a winning captain. 

Smith has to stop hauling opposition players down

I can't quite understand why Adam Smith is being caught out of position quite so many times during matches at the moment. I know he likes to push on, as does Daniels, but he is risking getting sent off when he chases back only to use his strength in his arms to stop an opponent from getting a shot away. It happened again at Crystal Palace when he hauled back Wilfred Zaha and on another day he could have seen red.

Adam Smith (Smudge). 

Sadly, Smith has a habit of giving away needless free kicks in his attempts to 'take one for the team'. He did it against West Ham's Michail Antonio and the consequences of that were clearly seen when the Hammers were able to level with some precision free kick taking from Mr Payet. Luckily Palace were not so accurate in front of goal and Artur Boruc put in one of his outstanding games, so AFCB got away with Adam Smith's frantic attempts to thwart Palace strikers this time. In Smith's defence though he is the only player who played a full 90 minutes at Portsmouth before doing the same at Crystal Palace, so that was likely to have caught up with him at the end of the game.

It is always a difficult decision on whether to take down a player or not and in the rules of the game it is not supposed to enter your head, but it does when you can see them about to take aim. I though Harry Arter was much more controlled in his weighing up of the situation in the first half when a Palace player did battle with him for some 20 yards but, when Arter was behind him in the box, he refrained from making a lunge from behind which would have led to a penalty and probably a sending off.

I might be being over sensitive, but AFCB's record at defending set pieces is the worst in the league so it does not help when the team gives so many opportunities away for the free kick specialists to win the game. This was a game that AFCB can smile about, but they can't afford to do that against Arsenal - I' watching you Smudge!

Odds shorten on Bakary Sako coming to Dean Court

While the Cherries have been linked with Max Gradel all summer there does not seem to be an end game in that possible transfer and there are whispers that the Cherries may have turned their attention to ex-Wolves player and free agent Bakary Sako instead. The winger scored 11 times for the Championship outfit last season including four from the spot,  but his £20,000 a week contract expired in the summer and he is looking for a new employer.

Such wage demands though are pretty high and if AFCB wanted Sako, I am still not sure they would be keen to meet personal terms if they are in that region. While WBA, Leicester and Everton have also expressed and interest some news reports say Sako is after an even bigger whopping salary. He is certainly a great player on the ball and was good at beating his man last season, and if Eddie Howe is seeking another powerful winger the Mali international certainly fits the bill. Oddschecker puts AFCB are second favourites to land Sako behind Leicester at 2/1 as opposed to Leicesters' 11/10 on. At 27 Sako is just heading into what he'd expect to be his most promising years and he is very keen on a Premier League move.

There is no further news about any approach for Michail Antonio at Forest and it is possible that AFCB are deciding between the two to see which they can work with. Looking at the squad that Howe has though it is does appear that another winger is high on the agenda since the season-long loan move to Ipswich Town for Fraser. 

The pressure is really on now to get the final signings sorted as we head towards August and it appears that AFCB are still looking to do some business.

Howe to move Ritchie to the No 10 role?

There has been no escape from the summer signings and wingers have been high in the pecking order for the Cherries. While we still await news on Max Gradel, and there's news from the Daily Star on Sunday this morning that Michail Anotino could be on AFCB's target list, there has still been a steady flow of wide men on tap with Josh King and Christian Atsu now joining the likes of Juinor Stanislas, Adam Smith and Marc Pugh. However, the winger that really lit the scene up for the Cherries last season was Matt Ritchie and the ability that he has with both feet just may give Eddie Howe the option to bring him infield more if he decides to rejig the team a little.

Ritchie is good enough to be adaptable.

I'll be as keen as any AFCB supporter to see what the starting line up is against Philadelphia Union. While absentees through injury won't give the full picture of an AFCB line up it is likely that some of the things that have been worked on already will have a chance to feature in this game. It might not be the first 11 that take to the pitch against Aston Villa, but it will provide an indication perhaps of where Eddie Howe sees the new signings of Christian Atsu and Josh King fitting into the team.

If Atsu is not played up front but is found on his more customary right wing that does free up Matt Ritchie either to be a sub or to play of the left or more interestingly to play through the middle. I wouldn't mind seeing that as an experiment. Whether Ritchie is seen as being tough enough to play through the middle is my only query. He is naturally such a well-balanced player that I am sure his game would be well-suited to a more central role where his passing and vision could be quite a revelation.

Howe also has the option of trying one of his new signings behind Callum Wilson or indeed instead of the 23 goal striker from last season. The options are many but AFCB have enough strikers to play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 - like many Premier League sides. The patterns are likely to be fluent in any case so that what appears like a 4-4-2 will evolve as games progress into a much more dynamic formation. Howe is good at that and his teams don't lack for pace going forward so with better players now in the squad there is room for some experiment and now is surely the time to do that if players are going to be tried in different positions.

Breaking News: Italian club Chievo Verona are claiming that Filippo Costa will be on loan at AFC Bournemouth until 30 June 2016.

Pearce should have been given more time, says Forest fan Seat Pitch

Rival Lines

Match preview
Nottingham Forest v AFCB
Blogger Interview: Seat Pitch

I had the pleasure of asking Seat Pitch blogger Pat what he thought about Dougie Freedman's appointment and how Nottingham Forest might go about the match with AFCB. Seeing how the team played against Wigan and Bolton at home it looks like AFCB have a big job on their hands.

CC: Do you think Stuart Pearce had run out of ideas and were you sad to see him go?

SP: Injuries to key players, like last season, have hurt us. But, of course, we shouldn’t - and can’t - be dependent on the likes of Andy Reid, Chris Cohen and Jack Hobbs. That said, Pearce seemed to struggle with a Plan B and, ultimately, that seemed to be his downfall.

Many Forest fans, myself included, had hoped it would work - and the club would finally have some stability. Any manager should have a whole season before being judged and I think Pearce deserved that. The man is a live, breathing City Ground legend - this article on Seat Pitch pretty much sums it up:

CC: Forest have not had the best of luck in picking their managers of late. Does Dougie Freedman stand a good chance of getting it right or is there a more deep routed reason why the team has not been challenging at the top of the Championship?

SP: There is something deep-routed at Forest that seems to have hampered our chances for years… maybe it’s the expectation, maybe it’s the history, maybe it’s just the lack of a real plan for progress. Actually, it’s largely that - at the moment we’re just chucking money around and changing managers and hoping we’ll get lucky. Freedman could be the man we need, or it could be another false dawn - we’ll find out if he lasts beyond the summer.

CC: You have had your fair share of injuries this season do you think that has hampered Forest's progress much?

SP: As I said, losing Reid, Cohen and Hobbs early in the season halted our impressive start - without them it became apparent we had no leaders on the pitch, no creativity without Reid, no energy without Cohen and no defensive resolve without Hobbs. And now we’ve lost Britt Assombalonga for a year as well.

CC: Are you disappointed about the way the club has been handling its finances that resulted in an embargo (now lifted) and failure to meet FIFA's Financial Fair Play rules?

SP: We’ve basically ignored FFP for the past three seasons thinking we’d somehow get promoted and pretend it didn’t exist. Except it’s caught up with us now and we’re under a transfer embargo until (at least) January 2016. As you can imagine this a little bit inconvenient for a club desperate to get promoted. The financial results due this week won't be pretty.

CC: Can you see some positive things about the team that you like since Dougie Freedman has been brought in - the Wigan game was a good home win wasn't it?

SP: The Wigan game, albeit against poor opposition, showed what we can do over 90 minutes - something we’ve struggled to do all season. Likewise, the 4-1 win against Bolton on Saturday was one of our most complete performances of this campaign. Players have responded positively and there’s definitely been a lift (new manager bounce?). Ten points from 12 so far is obviously an impressive start, as is 14 goals from four games.

CC: How about the Blackpool match. A 4-4 draw highlighted some of the problems in the team didn't it?

SP: Losing Jack Hobbs injury (again) highlighted our defensive weakness - Freedman brought Danny Collins back in from the cold, seemingly a good move as we’re also missing Wilson and Mancienne at centre-back. But conceding an injury-time equaliser against nine men shows our lack of concentration at times.

CC: Forest have only got a goal difference of +1, so is the defence the main reason for Forest's slip down the league?

SP: Until mid-October we were conceding fewer than a goal per game. Obviously that changed after Hobbs’ injury and our midfield’s inability to track attacking players. But after scoring for fun, we seemed to forget where the net was - so it’s a combination of both really.

CC: Can you still make the play-offs?

SP: Fawaz thinks we have a ‘big chance’. I think we have a remote chance; one that involves us gaining close to 30 points from our last 14 games - some of the other teams are going to have to slip up.

CC: Do you think the selling of Karl Darlow and Jaamal Lascelles to Newcastle last summer was in the best interests of the club or a big mistake?

SP: In reality, it’s what Championship clubs need to do - bring though academy players and sell for big money. At the time it was claimed it would help with FFP, but then we spent the money on Michail Antonio and Assombalonga. So it was both in the best interests and a big mistake - if that’s possible.

CC: Do you expect a big exodus of players in this summer?

SP: I hope not! We are still allowed to sign players but there’s tight restrictions which make it very difficult to bring quality in, unless they’re on a free transfer. Burnley and West Brom bid for Henri Lansbury and Antonio respectively on deadline day but if we lose them we’ll struggle to replace them.

CC: Forest raised their game when they last played AFC Bournemouth and got a win. So is it a game that you think the Forest fans particularly look forward to when they play the Cherries?

SP: Given your position, and our need for points, I’m not sure it’s a game most are looking forward to. Although we often raise our game against teams above us in the table so who knows?

CC: Which player do AFCB have to look out for in Forest's team when they play?

SP: Given Assombalong’s injury, Antonio is the obvious answer - ungainly at times, he’s also fast, direct and exceptionally strong on the ball and responsible for eight assists and 10 goals this season.

CC: What is your score prediction for the game?
SP: I’ll be optimistic and go for 2-1 to Forest.

CC: It was good to hear from Pat at Seat Pitch, although on recent results I think AFCB are more worried about finding ways to get three points than Forest these days and I make Forest big favourites for this game. I saw Michail Antonio's goal against Bolton at the weekend - strength, power and a controlled finish - incredible! I might be wrong but maybe Jack Hobbs is Pat's favourite player by the amount of references to him. But Forest will be a good team even without him and, Reid, Lansbury and Assombalonga. 

Eddie Howe needs a reaction from the stupor that has fallen on the Cherries and while the atmosphere at the City ground will be great another defeat for the Cherries now would be very damaging, but something we might just have to cope with. While I hope for an AFCB win, I believe a draw would be a good result in this fixture.

A good time to play Forest?

Bournemouth fans have singled out Nottingham Forest as one of those teams that we really don't like losing to. It didn't happen last season as four points came our way from the two fixtures, but they will be out for revenge this time around. How well AFCB players deal with that we will be keen to see but with so many of the Forest players changing, and a new manager for them, it is a fresh sheet and both teams are likely to go for the win to make a statement of their Championship ambitions.

All square again but neither side is likely to be content
with a draw in this early season clash.

Forest have had a pretty good start with a first day home win against a Blackpool side who are perhaps the most hand-tied in the league at the moment and an away score draw with Bolton last weekend. So Forest are getting goals and the away performance against Bolton surely came under close scrutiny from Eddie Howe and his staff. Britt Assombalonga has been quick to make an impact since his summer signing from Peterborough and while one of his goals was from the penalty spot, he got both of Forest goals against Bolton. In that game Forest also came from behind, perhaps indicating that they are not always the best of starters. Yet, by the end of 90 minutes they had had 20 shots at goal and dominated most of the play. I would think that Bournemouth's defence will also be mindful of new signing Michail Antonio who has also been in the goals since moving from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.

Just like Brentford, Forest are likely to have a real go at the Bournemouth back four that have not conceded yet in 180 minutes of league games as well as the Capital One match. AFCB have to prevent Forest from getting on the front foot and must boss this match if they are to keep ahead of such teams. A big win against Forest would give Howe's team a strong platform and will start to make others wonder about AFCB's aspirations this season. Eddie Howe will demand a better performance than we saw against Brentford and in the past this has been a a match when AFCB have raised their game. Therefore, I think this match comes at a great time for AFCB and being an evening game the atmosphere should be very special.

I home win would really set the team up well for the Balckburn away match. I am going 2-1 how about you? UTCIAD!

If you fancy a bet, why not have a visit to Free Bet Negotiator to get a free bet voucher for next time even if you lose.

Forest have a point to prove

In my mind Nottingham Forest are the most difficult side for Eddie Howe's men to take on so far this season. That is not any disrespect to Huddersfield or Brentford, but Forest are an established Championship side with deep pockets and a new manager who is out to restore the belief and footballing heritage of a club that has some how not been able to get back to the Premier League. What is more, even with a new squad and Stuart Pearce now at the helm they will still be smarting from the fact that they only get a single point from the two league games against the Cherries last season.

Nottingham Forest warm up at the Goldsands stadium last April.

Stuart Pearce has been busier than most in the transfer market and even last week he was adding to the squad with Robert Tesche who was released by Hamburg. I was most impressed with Britt Assombalonga last season at Peterborough as he had a powerful menace about him as he went about his work in the forward line and he will not give defenders a moments rest. Still £5.5m is a hefty price-tag and a club record which he will have to handle. Pearce has also brought in some season professionals such as Matty Fryatt who was signed from Hull City on a free transfer and Chris Burke who was one of Birmingham's better players last season. Another winger on the club's books now is Michail Antonio who moved from Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday in August, Lars Veldwijk from Dutch side SBV Excelsior and defender Michael Mancienne signed from Hamburg SV should be back in the side this week, so Pearce has added depth to the squad. 

Other signings include the loan moves of Jack Hunt from Palace, and more free transfers - Luis Laing, Danny Fox and David Vaughan. Meanwhile, Pearce was unhappy about Jammal Lascelles and keeper Karl Darlow being sold to Newcastle even if they are loaned back for the season. 

But the talk this summer has been on whether the club can hang on to Henri Lansbury who struck a wonder goal against AFCB at the City ground last year. Burnley have had one bid turned down but they could come back for the 23-year-old who currently has a knee injury. The list of players that have left the club over the summer though is pretty long and it may take Pearce a while to get the new players to click. For that reason it might be a good time for the Cherries to play Forest who did win their first game against a Blackpool side that was pretty much conjured up on the day.

The player that I still believe is a diamond for them is Jamie Paterson who showed just how good he was around the December time when he hit a rich vein of form and basically tore West Ham apart in the FA Cup. Still he was only an unsused sub against Blackpool and played 57 minutes mid-week against Tranmere Rovers, and again was an unused sub for the Bolton draw. Pearce has lots of choice but perhaps that will be his weakness in who to play if he does not know his best team yet.

Look out for my contribution to Seat Pitch's website where I answer a few questions about the Cherries and fan's hopes for the season and AFCB's prospects against Nottingham Forest.