Pompey have strengthened over the summer

Having just got off the plane, AFCB are walking into another game - this time it's the Alan McLouglin benefit fund match. So what have Pompey been up to since their play-off defeat to Plymouth earlier this year. Signings have been coming in and a few names have departed but Portsmouth will be up for the contest having given AFCB a close call in last year's FA Cup match at Fratton Park.

Pompey's latest signing is striker Curtis Main who was bought from Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal. The 24-year-old was on loan at Oldham last season and scored just four goals and 18 games. Fellow striker Michael Smith has also signed from Swindon Town having been on loan at Pompey. They have also strengthened their back line with the signing of Tom Davies who was released by Accrington Stanley. Drew Talbot has been picked up as well having been released by Chesterfield. He is a 29-year-old full back.

The Pompey line up against AFCB when they met in the FA cup last season.

Like AFCB, Portsmouth have also been looking at wingers and they have brought in 23-year-old Milan Lalkovic from Walsall. Experience in midfield will also be given by new signing Carl Baker who has transferred from Milton Keynes Dons and Danny Rose who was the first summer signing and was bought from newly promoted Northampton Town. Matt Clarke who was on loan at Pompey lat season from Ipswich also agreed to join Pompey over the summer. 

Those who won't be available include Gareth Evans who has a knee and ankle ligament injury and is not due back in pre-season. Pompey's player of the season midfielder Ben Davies has also moved on to Grimsby. Defender Adam Webster has left for Ipswich Town. Meanwhile, AFCB favourite Danny Hollands is currently out of contract but may agree terms with Pompey on a new contract.

That all said, AFCB will be playing a very different team to the side that it played in the fourth round of last season's FA Cup. Ryan Allsop also kept goal for Pompey in the play-offs and I'm not sure they were that impressed with him having been rather at fault for one of Plymouth's goals in the play-offs.

Injury and team news
The Echo has given an update on injuries - Andrew Surman and Ryan Fraser should feature for AFCB v Pompey today. Benik Afobe will train next week after he received the all clear on his knee scan and Steve Cook's thigh strain is only expect to keep him out two weeks. Bailey Cargill has a groin strain and Junior Stanislas is not expected to feature either. Nathan Aké is being rested and Emerson Hyndman and Adam Smith, Tyrone Mings are also not available on the longer injury list. Shaun MacDonald might have to come in at centre-half for this game. It may be a case of who is still standing! It's pay on the door at Fratton Park.

What will Allsop's future be?

I was surprised and yet eager to see how Ryan Allsop would do when he stepped out on a Portsmouth kit for the play-off game at Fratton Park last Friday. The game did not start off that well for him when he failed to come for and make a cross that led to the Argyle equaliser. He is out of contract this June so what a shop window he has in this second leg of the semi-final and a possible further game after that.

Ryan Allsop can gain big match experience if he can help Pompey get to Wembley.

Having been on loan at Wycombe and Coventry in the last couple of seasons AFCB have not seen too much of Ryan. Keepers are a funny mad lot and you wonder what posses them to take up the challenge. They have to be a confident person in my book and perhaps even feel self important and I wonder whether Ryan has that in his locker? Rocky as his nickname would suggest that he is made of something more solid than his performances in an AFCB shirt, but keepers mature with age they say and I wonder how much time is required before a goalie really feels comfortable with the job he carries out every week. 

For me Ryan still has a long way to go and how long he is kept in the wings at AFCB is something that the staff will be monitoring all the time. I would expect another long loan-spell for him next season and while he has played a few minutes in the Everton home match to open his Premier League record you can't see any easy way for him to jump many places with international keepers ahead of him. 

To get a move to another club may not be on his wish list but if he could play regularly he would be more in line to up his profile. It can't be easy though belonging to a club that has you going out on loan for long periods and yet it is the only way he'll learn the game and gain in confidence. It's sink or swim I guess and putting together a series of consistent performances is what everyone wants to see. So when I saw the first match that Ryan played for Pompey I felt a bit sad for him that he came in at the last moment and didn't have the best of matches. I hoped he'd put that right in the next game which is this Sunday to become a hero and get himself and Portsmouth to Wembley. Such chances don't come along often. It's these chances that players just have to grab.

Old Plymouth v AFCB programme is another for the collection

I can see I have started something here with old programmes. When everyone in the family knows that you are an AFCB fan, they kind of know that the addiction needs feeding now and again. So when my brother-in-law and partner went down to Plymouth for a weekend and they visited a car boot sale, it was rather lucky for me that they saw a guy selling old football programmes, and among them just happened to be one AFCB v Plymouth Argyle match programme from Friday 12 April 1974.

The front cover artwork does not carry a name,
but I imagine a graphics company
such as Peter Grainey was involved. Perhaps
one of you knows?

I am told that it did cost my brother-in-law more than the cover price of 10p to buy, but whatever he paid I am pleased that he picked it up for me.

The mid-1970 covers are some of the most iconic that AFCB have ever had. The back cover of Cosy Coaches was drawn by Mr Peter Grainey and I believe the business is still going in Castle Lane West. Apparently Martin Grainey of Peter Grainey Graphics did the artwork for Led Zepplin's 1975 concerts at Earls Court, London.

While spotting a youthful Harry Redknapp on page two I was soon drawn to the players who took part in this match which include Paul Mariner who had been signed from non-league Chorley and was in his first league season. He who went on to become an England international and league winner with Ipswich Town. 

By complete coincidence, the programme has a From the Chair lead column in which assistant Cherries manager, Reg Tyrrell had been dismayed by the low turnout of of 2839 for a testimonial match for Arthur Cunliffe, Tommy Mitchinson and John Meredith, and he implored Bournemouth supporters to come to the next testimonial that would see the late Sir Bobby Robson bring his Ipswich Town side to Dean Court on 30 April 1974.  Paul Mariner was to join Ipswich Town just two years later in 1976.

Harry Redknapp in his prime at AFCB.

Another Plymouth player who must have been well-known to the crowd was their goal keeper Jim Furnell. Jim Furnell had played for Arsenal in goal in the 1968 League Cup final against Leeds Utd. The Plymouth team were managed by Tony Waiters at the time.

Plymouth Argyle team in 1974.

Bournemouth's side included a Bobby Howe as well as Harry Redknapp but it was all a bit before my time as a supporter. What I was interested to see was that Bournemouth were top of the Football Combination League at the time, while in division 3 they were lying in a healthy sixth place compared to Plymouth's 19th position. Bournemouth had lost the earlier November fixture between the two sides at Hope Park by 2-0, and in this match they drew 0-0. Bournemouth ended the season in 11th place and Plymouth finished 17th. Trevor Hartley was managing the Cherries and he had a brief spell in 1987 at Spur's caretaker manager.

Beauty pagants were all the rave!

AFCB Team in April 1974 - looks like there is still a place for one of us to be the sub.

Some of the advertising in the programme was a bit risque in that Alan Dee was suggesting that you beat the cold with one of his sweaters but used a nude lady cuddling up to a fire to prove the benefits of his sweaters, while on page three it was that period in history when Miss AFC Bournemouth was a prized competition with a cash prize (no figure given), and the chance to be a guest at the Maison Royale or the Dormy Hotel - but just for an evening out!

Not sure about the lady on the beat the cold advert.

Well that's the end of my review for this programme, but keep looking our for the past match programmes in the MatchDay programmes this season and see what you can find out about past players and our club. If you have a copy of the Rotherham home programme from this season you'll find the 1973 AFCB v Rotherham programme inside and it is interesting to compare it to the Plymouth programme here just one year later. If you did not pick up that programme AFCB has put it free online today. In 1973, it seems that the Bay City Rollers were the band to follow as the AFCB programme covers then bare a resemblance to the Scottish band's look, even if it took another year before they started getting hits.

AFCB covers from 1973 went a bit logo mad with the
the then fairly new crest. This programme can be
 found in the Rotherham MatchDay programme from
 this season and AFCB has put that programme online today free.

Is Maxim Demin getting serious on a Premiership assault?

There are rumours of AFCB being interested in Georgios Samaras the Greek international and Celtic striker who used to play for Man City. While such a player would add far more aggression to the Cherries front line, I don't see him as anything like a like-for-like striker for the possibly out-going Lewis Grabban. Samaras is strong in the air at 6ft 4in and uses his power and weight with great strength to dominate defences. Such a front man would make a pretty fearsome strike force with Yann Kermorgant and really would make Championship club sit up and take notice of what AFC Bournemouth are doing.

The Greek star has been at Celtic for six years now and he just might be up for a new challenge. How far Maxim Demin is wiling to flash the cash is not clear but such a player would command a large salary having been at the top tier of British football. Samaras certainly has experience and that know how could be crucial in getting AFCB further up the table. With big earners set to come to the club one does speculate how much of a gamble is being taken to reach the Premiership? One of my friends is a Plymouth fan and he has often warned me to enjoy the good times but be worried of the club seems to be spending beyond its means. Argyle now languish in league Two with many of their former players now littering the Premiership and Championship, while they club they used to play for is looking for funds to improve Home Park.

Looking at the top six that made the Championship play-offs this season though, only Derby and Burnley could be said not to have a spattering of big named former Premiership stars in their line ups. With the signing of Dan Gosling already it indicates to me that Maxim Demin could be getting serious about his assault on the Premiership. The likelihood of potential moves for Samaros or Coventry's Callum Wilson are far from clear though and we still don't even know if Lewis Grabban will make personal terms with Cardiff City yet. Mind you, Middlesbrough or Brighton, to name two other interested parties, will probably come in with offers if Lewis does turn Cardiff down.

Joe Mason deal would be good for AFCB, says Plymouth fan

Joe Mason who current plays at Cardiff City was formerly at Plymouth Argyle, between 2009-11 where he was spotted early. I spoke to a Plymouth fan, Colin my friend, about his early games in the football league and the views were very positive.

"He's a fantastic player. He should be playing at the very highest level but a series of injuries has really hindered his progress," Colin said. "I was lucky enough to be there when he made his debut, replacing captain Paul Wotton. He was 17 years old then I think, and he looked the part immediately. He's a great player with a good attitude."

Eddie Howe wanted to bring Joe into the club during the summer and there was much speculation about the move but Cardiff were then reluctant to let the young Republic of Ireland striker go. Now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come in at Cardiff he is looking to make changes to the squad and Mason could be seen as being surplus the the Welsh club's needs. Mason has been on loan at Bolton already this season and will know exactly what playing in the Championship is all about.

With the national press signalling that Bournemouth were about to bid for the Irish striker, the Bournemouth Echo reported this week that the club has said there has been no official approach for Joe Mason. It remains to be seen if Howe really is going to add to his squad having kept Lewis Grabban and let Matt Tubbs go on loan, while Wes Thomas has left AFCB altogether. Wolves are said to be interested in Covernty's Leon Clarke so some of our fans may be disappointed that Eddie Howe does not look to be making an approach for him.

Many AFCB fans wanted a big and tall figure head striker, but it looks like that is simply not the way Eddie Howe wants to play. He is building a footballing side with fast movement and controlled passing, the big bustling forward has been left out of plans. While I agree that it is handy to have a plan B, if Eddie Howe can get nippy forwards to bang in the goals that are pleasing on the eye I don't see what there is to complain about. Arsenal and Barcelona don't play with hulking big forwards and small strikers can be successful in the Championship.