This is a fan’s personal view of AFC Bournemouth from the outside looking in. It reports on the daily official activities reported by the club and comments made by individual fans on social media and fanbase websites. Life as an AFCB fan is never dull. As a life-long supporter of the Cherries, it is the friendliness of the staff, fans and my enthusiasm for the club that inspired me to write this blog.
I remember watching Lee Tomlin when Middlesbrough came to Dean Court towards the end of last season. There was much talk about Patrick Bamford's striking ability but it was Lee Tomlin, 26, that was trying to run the show for the Boro with his technical skill on the ball and his vision for spotting passes. Lee didn't get the better of the Cherries on that day as AFCB romped away to a 3-0 win in front of the TV cameras, which was a massive boost in their race to the title. While Lee has been a top player for Peterborough and Middlesbrough he has not played in the Premier League and he will be desperate to get a chance to move up if he can leave Boro. The way Lee plays I can see him being a good link player to Wilson, helping out Surman and Kermorgant who don't have similar type competitors in the squad.
Tomlin and Bamford leading Boro's attack at Dean Court.
It's the forward penetrative passes of Tomlin that excite me. He has got a decent goal scoring record (11 in 2014-15 for Boro) as well and as we have seen in the big occasions like last year's FA Cup he scored at Man City. He also won player of the month last January. The other asset that Tomlin has is that he always looks like he is not doing anything special at times, but then will suddenly get the better of his man and find space or create something for himself. It's this clever quickness of thought that night endear him to Eddie Howe who has several fast athletic strikers and needs to add something a little different at a reasonable price.
Could Lee Tomlin be walking off at the Vitality stadium in red and black soon?
Listen to the BBC Solent Fans' Forum tonight on this link.
The pre-match hype for the AFCB v Middlesbrough game was all about Patrick Bamford and Callum Wilson. Which U21 striker would prevail in one of the games of the season? Bamford had been in sparkling form before this fixture having scored four in his last four games and all AFCB fans were being told is that you have to keep Bamford quiet if you are to get anything from this match.
Patrick Bamford couldn't escape the clutches of Elphick and Cook last Saturday.
When the final whistle went though AFCB fans were saying Bamford who? That is the job that Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook did, it was magnificent. They managed a complete shut out against a team that was said to be riding high having just beaten Derby and Ipswich. I was expecting to see the power of Albert Adomah and trickery lee Tomlin cause the Cherries problems at the back, but they were stopped from creating and with Bamford starved of service it never looked like the striker on Chelsea's books was going to add to his 16 goals of the season. It was a match when the best attack would go up against the best defence and AFCB's attack was far superior on the day. Still Middlesbrough had not suffered such a defeat all season and to not manage a shot on target says all you need to know about how Steve Cook and Tommy Elphick did on the day.
Another good shut out for Steve and Tommy.
When we reach the end of the season and you are looking at who should be player of the season, don't forget that AFCB's central defenders have been incredible in what has only been their second season in the Championship.
Meanwhile, Matt Ritchie made his Scotland debut at Hampden Park last night wearing No8 and he started the game and made the assist for Scotland's goal that Christophe Berra scored from Matt Ritchie's corner in the 85th minute - Scotland 1 v 0 N Ireland. Ritchie might now play against Gibraltar on Sunday in the Euro 2016 qualifier. The official AFCB site has a fill AFCB international player fixture list. Finally, the Independent was reporting last night that Arsenal and England U20 striker Chuba Akpom could be on his way to signing on loan with AFCB today, although Norwich and Forest are also in the running for his signature.
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 have hung in well in the Championship race, but this week just might see them just start to struggle to hold on with Watford. It is not that AFCB are ratcheting up their title bid by improving their home performances, Boro have four home games left which is a help but they have Watford and Norwich still to face on their travels. Having fought a hard match against Derby in midweek and Ipswich just three days before that, it has been a very testing period for Middlesbrough which they have come through well, but perhaps this next hurdle will be too high for them. AFCB will go into the match with plenty of confidence having picked up their home performances after a difficult February and they can see the finishing line getting closer if they can win this match and get a positive result at Ipswich. Middlesbrough and other teams might then be hoping for other teams to do them a favour. It is important that the Cherries do make it a hard match against Boro as they have been under the most intense pressure with so many top of the table clashes in a row.
AFCB v Boro last season.
Boro are a very strong team and we have seen their key players like Patrick Bamford, Grant Leadbitter and Albert Adomah come to the fore in recent weeks. Now their supporters will be wondering if they can sustain it. That has been the one thing that has kept them from forging ahead in this league. The odd defeat to Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds in recent weeks has just clipped their wings and while they fought back with a terrific performances against Ipswich and Derby, a defeat to AFCB might be harder for them to recover from with the international break coming before the next match. As always the crowd will be important for this home match and AFCB fans have to raise the roof if they want the team to deliver a result that can take them closer to their dream. There is no place for nervous quietness or silent expectancy. The Cherries will need every supporter to get right behind them to help them get the points. Boro are a very talented team and we saw how well they played against AFCB at the Riverside and it is important that they are not allowed to get their noses further in front. This is the match that can push AFCB much further towards the automatic places and AFCB fans need to shake the rafters and bring the passion to this early starting match - today is the day! Let's give the team the support they need to put this Championship rival on the floor. UTCIAD!
All through this season Middlesbrough have been in and around the play-off zone and yet they have only been top of the division for one week between 9-16 February. Whether they have enough about them to win the league I guess will be shown this weekend. They have by far the best defence, but scoring goals has not been so easy for them and yet they have beaten Derby, Ipswich and Norwich well at home. Away from home it is a little different though and it probably tells us why they have not been top for more weeks.
How will Middlesbrough play it against the Cherries?
On the road Boro have taken 10 points from their last six away games. It's good but not amazing and it was only six points from the previous five away games before that. Boro like to keep it tight and are very good at keeping clean sheets though and they are capable of pinching games with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Albert Adomah and Lee Tomlin - Derby County found that out recently. It is really not an easy game for the Cherries, but it's the kind of game the players should be looking forward to. You should want to play against the best players and Boro have a team that is well managed and strong in virtually all areas. But would Boro be happy to take a point from this game and move on? I think they might and that may have a bearing on how Aitor Karanka sets his team up. I hope they come to play with the cameras at Dean Court and that the game is open, but everything tells me that Boro's best chance maybe to try and slow the game down and simply aim to stay in the game, before an opportunity might fall to them. AFCB have not been beaten at home since 10 January when Norwich beat them 1-2. AFCB are getting better though at home and playing in front of the cameras, and if they can go into the international break in the automatic promotion places the break will have come at a good time. Middlesbrough Away Form WDLLW AFCB Home Form DDDWW
When Cherry Chimes asked Anthony Vickers to answer some questions ahead of the Middlesbrough v AFCB match neither of us expected the clubs to be placed one and two in the Championship, but the form of both teams has seen them position themselves above the pundits' more favoured teams. Anthony Vickers' Untypical Boro blog has been busy making the headlines, but what does he think about whether Boro have the long term credentials to challenge for the Championship title? CC: Do you feel Aitor Karanka is a much better manager than a year ago? AVUB: He's always been a good manager. He adapted to the relentless grind of the Championship very quickly and got to grips with the strengths and weaknesses of his squad quickly too. After a shaky start of one win in five, Boro have made progress by the month, although it has been steady rather than spectacular. The first thing was to shore up a defence that was leaking goals - two in the first 12 minutes up here against Bournemouth last year. Two stupid self-inflicted penalties was pretty much the norm before he arrived - and he managed that quickly by changing the shape. The cost of that was an eight game run without scoring and that became "the story" for a spell, but that run also included six clean sheets which was part of laying down the foundations. Boro finished last season with six wins out of eight, then over the summer Karanka had the chance to bring in the players he wanted, players with the skill set that suited his system. So I don't think he is a better manager but he now has the tools to do the job. CC: Grant Leadbitter and Garcia Martinez have been doing well, do you always feel confident about them sticking away their chances? AVUB: Boro fans would say that Kike (Garcia) misses too many chances but that is an occupational hazard, while five of Leadbitter's goals have been penalties. But they all count. Taking the goals out of the equation, both of those players have been very effective: Leadbitter is a determined driving force who can grab a game by the throat while Kike is a technically superb player with deft touches and perhaps does his best work deeper, linking up and bringing people into play. Boro struggled to score at the start of the season, but as the new players gel they are creating and taking more chances with the goals being shared around. Which is nice. CC: Was the League Cup match against Liverpool an indication of how far the team has progressed under Karanka? AVUB: Looking at Liverpool's current stifling mediocrity it is hard to say. But at the time it was a fantastic ego boost to go to a Champions League side with £30m worth of strikers up front and only lose over 120 minutes by the odd goal in 31. It was more a sign of the mentality of what is a relatively young and inexperienced squad that they weren't in the slightest bit overawed at Anfield. They got stuck in, they did themselves proud and came away buzzing from the experience. It was a good day out for the fans too. CC: Would it be good for your players to experience being top of the league or do you think it would put too much pressure on them at this stage? AVUB: The public party line is that "it is nice just to be in touch at this stage" but I think the manager would like to be able to lead from the front. I don't think the pressure would be an issue. At Boro there is more pressure in not being up there and challenging. A lot of fans who grew up with Premier League superstars demand that. Being top would certainly help reignite the lapsed loyalists who have drifted away disillusioned by five fruitless years in the Championship. CC: Is the team more suited to playing away at the moment on the break? AVUB: I think they probably are. They have the pace to really hurt teams on the counter and means they need the opposition to push forward a bit to create space. Away the onus is on the opposition to attack and Boro have exploited that. Boro have only lost twice away (Leeds and Wolves) and only conceded more one goals once (at Wolves.) At home when sides have come to park the bus they have struggled to find space, get behind them and create chances and early on found that frustrating. In more recent games they have had more joy, especially when the visitors tried to play football - Brentford, Watford and Norwich - and have managed to impose their own styles. CC: Who has been the best player for you so far? AVUB: It's hard to pick out individuals because that the team has been so effective no matter who plays. Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter have been excellent in midfield and the full-backs George Friend and Ryan Fredericks have been potent outlets too. Adam Reach has improved dramatically In recent weeks while Patrick Bamford has been superb in the last few. CC: Albert Adomah and Adam Reach have come in from a lot of praise on the wings so has Middlesbrough become a better crossing team? AVUB: Yes, I think so. Reach has matured in the past year and is far more productive while Adomah seems to have upped his work-rate and while he is not scoring so freely, arguably he is far more effective for the team. The full-backs have also over-lapped and put good crosses in too. Plus, more importantly, Boro are getting more bodies into the box onto the end of crosses. CC: How impressive has Konstantopoulis been in goal? AVUB: He's no world-beater but golden oldie Dimi is solid and dependable, has plenty of experience and seems to organise his defence well. At the back end of last season and from when he stepped in this term after five games, he has an impressive clean sheet record. He complements a hard working defence. CC: Karanka said Boro should have beaten Watford as you had the chances, so do you think you will buy a striker in January and who do you think could be a good buy? AVUB: No, I don't think Boro will add a striker. With Kike, Bamford and Vossen (yet to really show what he can do) Boro are well equipped up front. There are plenty of wide men and midfielders too. Possibly they may think about a central defender (although Veljkovic has arrived on loan from Spurs and we haven't seen him yet) and if Dimi were to get injured they may be forced to bring in a first choice keeper. The squad is strong enough I think. CC: Are you at all surprised with where Boro is in the league this season? AVUB: No, personally I expected them to be top six and challenging. They finished very well last season and added strength in depth so I think there was an expectation within the club that they would be among the leaders from the off. Once bitten, twice shy - fans may not all have shared that view but certainly inside the camp that was always the target. CC: What is your score prediction for the Bournemouth match? AVUB: I'd take a draw right now. This season Boro have played better against "footballing" sides so I'd hope for a good performance and an entertaining game but low scoring. 1-1? Thank you Anthony for some very detailed answers on how the Middlesbrough team is playing and lots of views on their strengths and weaknesses (not too many of those). I am hopeful that this early season top of the table clash does not disappoint in terms of entertainment. AFCB do go at teams away from home and will play their fast breaking football so if Boro also go looking for goals it could be a real thriller. There is not a harder place for the Cherries to go this season and even though the team has been on a fantastic winning run I don't think a draw would be a bad result. Even if the Cherries were to lose they would still be in the top six which is a great place to be in having been 11th at the last international break. For more of Anthony's views take a gander at his Anthony Vickers' Untypical Boro blog.
Steve McClaren has probably not had the best of press in England because of his term as England manager and yet you can't say that his record as a coach is anything other than excellent. He arrived at Derby County in September with them looking no more than a mid-table team and yet he has given them the confidence and tactical ability to be a real force in the Championship.
Jamie Ward warms up with Will Hughes.
I did not think he would do any better than Nigel Clough, but he has proved me and many others wrong. What's more, I like the way his team plays. When they came down to Dean Court they did not play long balls or use physical strength to over turn AFCB. It was a real tactical battle with both teams playing a fluid passing game. Eddie Howe said at the time that they were the best team the Cherries had faced in the Championship, even though some other teams had beaten AFCB far more convincingly. But I know what he means. Derby play a complete kind of football with everyone working for each other. They have one or two special individuals as well like Will Hughes and Jamie Ward who are capable of dominating games. Ward felt his hamstring on Tuesday night and came off at half time so may not play against AFCB on Saturday. Their lead scorer is Chris Martin the former Norwich striker who has really hit form compared to last season when he was on loan at Swindon and Derby. Derby also brought in a couple of players on loan in January such as George Thorne from West Brom and the Chealsea players Patrick Bamford who was on loan at Milton Keynes. Bamford has been scoring regularly on the wing and got the winning in their last match.
For all Derby's fire power thought they do not always keep clean sheets even at home. Yeovil recently hit two against them even though they lost, while Wigan also got a result against them this year at the iPro stadium. Derby still lead the goals scored column in the Championship on 59 after the mid-week win against Sheffield Wednesday. But that goals against total of 40 indicates that they are not yet the tightest in defence, which offers me some hope that the Cherries might get something if they play well. Derby also had to change formation to 4-2-4 in their last game which gave them more going forward when they were finding it tough going against Wednesday, but it was also leaving them exposed on the break. The sign of a good team though is not playing well and still winning and that's what Derby did last Tuesday night.
Hughes is one of the conductors that sets Derby's tempo.
The push for promotion is really on now. Steve McClaren will have his team raring to go and the crowd of some 23,000 is going to be right behind the Rams. The confidence the team must have got from beating QPR recently at home tells me that they are serious promotion candidates and they rarely slip up at home. While Leicester City and Burnley were difficult games at home for the Cherries, this will be a harder examination of AFCB's resolve and Lee Camp and his back line need to be extremely well organised if they are to keep a clean sheet, but I think that has to be the Cherries main aim and anything else would be a bonus. Those away wins for AFCB against Reading and Sheffield Wednesday seem a long time ago so it would be fabulous to reacquaint the fans with an away win.
I hope Adam Smith along with Lee Camp knows which side to warm up with on Saturday.
Match Preview Derby County v AFCB Blogger Interview - Derby County Blog Cherry Chimes talks to Ollie Wright the author of Derby County Blog ahead of the clash at the iPro stadium on Saturday with the Cherries. Now that the Rams have closed up to third place in the table their players can see an automatic promotion place tantalisingly just in front of them, but is it Derby's season to make it up to the Premiership? CC: Can Derby go onto to get a top two finish having seen how you played against QPR? DCB: Possibly. We don't have the deepest squad in the division, so we need to avoid injuries to key players, but when you look at the amount of points we have picked up under Steve McClaren, you realise that we have been running at automatic promotion form over the past 20 matches. CC: Have you already started to look at how many points you might need to get an automatic promotion place and are you worried about any fixtures to come in particular? DCB: A friend of mine worked out that the average number of points required for automatic promotion over the past 20 seasons has been 86. Predictions are a mug's game, obviously, but every way I've looked at it, we do look to be on course to get over 80 points. The away game at Burnley and the home game against Forest are probably the ones that stand out to the neutral, but I strongly believe that they won't decide our fate. I just hope that the lads can keep going and don't run out of steam in the final straight. We've only lost twice in our last 17 league games - if we only lose two of the next 15, we will go very, very close. CC: Are you surprised that there has not been too much gossip about Chris Martin who keeps sticking the goals away for you? DCB: Chris goes under the radar while other strikers take the headlines. At the time of writing, he has scored the same amount of league goals as Charlie Austin - 14. He's extremely important to the team, not just with his goals, but with the way he leads the line and links in with the midfielders. He is a good technician as well as a powerful presence and is one of our key players. CC: The defeat against Leicester in January did not knock the teams confidence you must have been pleased with that kind of response? DCB: I said at the time that as chastening as that result was, it couldn't be allowed to define our season. The next game was a tough test - Brighton at home - but we won 1-0 and haven't lost since. That says a lot for the confidence and belief the players have, especially when you consider that we recovered from 2-0 down to beat Yeovil, scored a late equaliser at Blackburn and also beat one of our direct rivals, QPR, 1-0. The only disappointment was letting a 3-1 lead against Birmingham slip away, which has to be put down to youthful over-exuberance - they got caught out trying to bomb on and score another one when they didn't need to. However, beating Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at Hillsborough on Tuesday night was more evidence that we are capable of going the distance. CC: What have you made of Lee Grant's form this season? DCB: He's a fine shot-stopper with excellent reflexes and also makes some important punches. CC: How good a prospect do you think is your loan striker from Chelsea - Patrick Bamford - has he been playing well? DCB: Bamford is a flair player who doesn't give you much until the moment when suddenly, out of nothing, he scores. He's not the quickest and has a languid air, but technically, he is very good and has an incredible eye for goal. Five goals in four starts and three sub appearances tells its own story - three of them have been lovely strikes from outside the box. He's been an inspired loan signing and I'm sure McClaren will be desperate to keep him, if at all possible. CC: You have had some high scoring games at home of late so are Derby risking playing a more open game under McClaren? DCB: In a word, yes. Nigel Clough's mantra was always 'don't lose', whereas McClaren's style is about winning first. I guess the way he sees it is that one win and one defeat gets you more points than two draws. Defensively, we're far from being the best in the division, as was ruthlessly exposed by Leicester City not so long ago, but we're the divisions top goalscorers. CC: Are there any Bournemouth players you are looking forward to seeing play? DCB: I'll be interested to see Lewis Grabban, who should keep our defenders on their toes. CC: What is the atmosphere like in the iPro stadium and are their places to eat and drink nearby? DCB: It's at the heart of the Pride Park business park, so there are all sorts of watering holes and eateries in the vicinity, plus burger vans for the unwary, of course. If you walk back down towards the railway station, you'll find some fine real ale pubs, especially The Brunswick. Thanks for the answers Ollie. I think the Championship may well go to Leicester but Derby have as good a chance as any of getting an automatic spot and I was one of those in agreement with Eddie Howe that Derby were the best team I have seen at the Goldsands this season. AFCB have been credited with being a good passing side, but Derby out passed us that day away from home. So the task for the Cherries is a difficult one this weekend but the team continues to improve and I hope that some Derby fans are surprised by what a good game our players can give Steve McClaren's side on Saturday. For more great gossip on the Rams and to spy on what they may do against the Cherries, take a look at Ollie's Derby County Blog for a good read.
