Afobe grabs a brace as Yeovil are sunk 1-3

Match Report

Yeovil 1 v 3 AFCB
2nd August 2017

Attendance 3473 (with 1013 AFCB fans)

Pugh and Afobe combined for AFCB's third goal.

The Cherries had to come from behind against Division Two Yeovil Town and by half time they had turned a deficit by Keston Davies into a 1-2 scoreline, with Lys Mousset and Benik Afobe again on the score sheet. There was plenty of breeze and inclement weather at Huish Park, as both teams gave the keepers work to do, but by the end of the first half Bournemouth were firmly in control. The lead was extended further when Afobe finished off a pull back from Pugh, after a super ball in from Surman to Pugh behind Yeovil's back line. 1-3 was perhaps favourable on Yeovil who were run ragged at times, but the Cherries have some wonderful options for the new season looking at this performance.

The team choice was fairly predictable with Federici getting a start again and Afobe having overcome his ill health getting his starting boots on. Brad Smith and Baily Cargill also gained more minutes from the start.

Andrew Surman was the guiding light to AFCB's first half play, directing play and setting up moves for the attackers. Although Bournemouth fell behind to a header from Keston Davies, they kept up the pressure on the Yeovil goal and were rewarded with a superb pass from Ryan Fraser to put Lys Musset through on goal and he finished with great skill around the half hour mark. Having got level it didn't take any time for the Cherries to slip another goal in and Benik Afobe had a simple job to finish off a header from Aké to make it 1-2 by half time.

Advertisement

Broom Hill Garden Buildings

Yeovil started the second half with more intent and Adam Smith was first to feel a heavy foul. Aké is just so calm and controlled on the ball that Arter wanted to give the ball to the centre-back all the time. Surman almost put Afobe in with a clever reverse ball, but Benik was offside.

Surman then picked out Pugh beautifully and the cross from Pugh was met by Afobe running in!! 1-3 - easy as you like, Afobe extends the lead. Mousset then went for a long range effort that is miles over - bit of a waste really!

Arter gave away a cynical foul, pulling back the Yeovil winger, after a signature Cruijff turn from Pugh. Bournemouth's players were looking much more comfortable on the ball in this game to previous summer matches, they had time to pick their passes. Yeovil look a bit bedazzled by the Bournemouth play. It's one surge after another for Bournemouth and a keeper change for Yeovil finally breaks things up.

There is no rest bite, Afobe and Brad Smith use scintillating footwork to keep a move going. This is like torture for Yeovil players. Even when they get the ball, they can't break on the Cherries who swarm all over them.

AFCB make some subs with Ramsdale, Worthington and Butcher coming on for Federici, Brad Smith and Adam Smith. Surman with a delightful ball through to Mousset sees the Frenchman set his sights on goal, but his shot os blocked and Arter is fouled.

AFCB are just too strong for Yeovil, better teams would have struggled against the Cherries tonight. Yeovil get a corner off of Arter. Ramsdale is liking the short goal kicks but there is no margin for error.

Yeovil are getting chased in their own half. That's it 1-3.

Summary
A tantalising taste if just how good AFCB can be. All the players came off that pitch with great endeavour being shown and excellent quality. It was slick and purposeful football and Yeovil had no answer to it. The Cherries will be tough to beat this season if they can keep this kind of standard up. Surman was in his element - a fantastic game from AFCB's vice captain.


Official AFCB Tweets
05: Plenty of early possession. A Smith and Fraser looking lively down the right. No chances so far.
06: Close! Pugh finds space before letting fly from 25 yards. It forces a smart save from the 'keeper.
09: Cross or shot? Brad Smith fires in from the left forcing Krysiak into another smart save.
12: Mousset escapes in the right channel before seeing a shot well saved. All us at the moment!
15: Goal. Yeovil lead, as Keston Davies nods home from a corner kick.
19: Super cross-field pass from Surman finds Pugh, who then tees up Brad Smith. He shoots over.
27: Great pass from Surman. He clips a ball over the defence and into Afobe, who loses his footing.
28: And now Surman strikes first time from distance to force Krysiak in to another clever save!
GOAL! Fraser's clever reverse ball to Mousset, who dinks over the onrushing goalkeeper!
GOAL! Make that two! Ake's header from a corner is fumbled, with Afobe on hand to turn home!35: Fraser sends in corner and Ake rises highest to meet it. The keeper gets down well but Afobe is there to poke home the loose ball.
44: So close again for Mousset! He shrugs off a couple of defenders before smashing against the
post!
Lovely little L1 + circle finish from Lys Mousset
38: It's one-way traffic, with Surman again striking from range. His shot is well saved.
43: Mousset takes on his man and is the only one forward so tries his luck from the edge of the box!
The result? A rebound straight off Krysiak's post!
HALF TIME: YTFC 1-2 afcb. Mousset and Afobe on target in positive first half showing.

Second half
46: We're back underway. Simpson has replaced Cargill at the break.
GOAL! Great team move and it's three! Afobe coverts from Pugh's pull back after an incisive through ball from Surman!

53: A quiet start to this second half but the first action brings a goal with it. A great team move sees Afobe grabs his second of the game after latching on to Pugh's pullback.
55: Mousset takes a shot from range with no-one closing him in but it's fired high over the bar.
65: Artur Krysiak has had a good game between the sticks for Yeovil but he is replaced along with the goalscorer Keston Davies.
66: Great vision Fraser, as he plays in Adam Smith down the right. He fires across the face of goal.
71: It's all us at the moment. Yeovil seeing very little of the ball. Surman and Arter controlling.
72: Federici, Adam Smith and Brad Smith are replaced by Ramsdale, Butcher and Worthington.
73: Afobe nearly has his hat-trick! Yeovil mess up at the back and the striker can latch on to a wayward header. However, the conditions make it difficult to strike well and it's straight at the Glovers' 'keeper. 76: Ok, ok ... we have another contender for pass of the day. Surman plays a delightful 30-yard ball through to Mousset but the defender keeps pace with him and nothing comes of the move. A fantastic piece of play from the midfielder nonetheless.

77: Mousset skips around a couple of challenges before seeing a shot blocked.
81: Another good save from Krysiak, this time denying Fraser from the right channel!
Full time! A dominant performance from the Cherries, with Afobe (2) and Mousset on target. It ends 1-3.

Yeovil Town
Krysiak, Alfei, Davies, N. Smith, Dickson, Gray, Bailey, C. Smith, Khan, Zoko, Olomola.

Yeovil Subs

Maddison, James, Sowunmi, Gyebi, Santos, Browne, Booty, Trialists x4.

AFCB
Federici (Ramsdale), A Smith (Worthington), Cargill, Ake, B Smith (Butcher), Fraser, Arter, Surman, Pugh, Mousset, Afobe

AFCB Subs
Ramsdale, Simpson, Worthington, Butcher, Dobre, Whitfield, Cornick, Taylor, Surridge

AFCB Ratings
Federici 6 (Ramsdale 5), A Smith 6 (Worthington 5), Cargill 6, Ake 8, B Smith 7 (Butcher 5), Fraser 6, Arter 6, Surman 9, Pugh 7, Mousset 7, Afobe 7

Will Yeovil match offer Cherries chance to boost confidence in front of goal?

The team has had to play a lot of games in quick succession this past week, and it will probably be the turn of most of the players who turned out against QPR to have another crack at trying to cement their place in that all important first game of the new season who turn out against Yeovil Town. While the stature of Yeovil's team is down a few pegs from Valencia and Napoli, I think we can safely say, it still might not be a goal fest for AFCB against the league Two side.

AFCB make the short trip to Huish Park.

It was not so long ago that AFCB and Yeovil were playing Championship football and the pathways of both clubs could not have been more different since those days. While AFCB have gone on to have a couple of excellent seasons in the Premier League, Yeovil have been pleased just to stay in the football league. Still Yeovil will not lack ambition when AFCB come down to play them at Huish Park, and AFCB have not really found it easy to get many goals this summer so far.

The likely starters up front for the Cherries will probably be Mousset and King, but if Afobe is back he could well feature having missed out last weekend. Lys Mousset has probably looked the best of AFCB's strikers in front of goal, in terms of sharpness, so there is some pressure on others to step up their game now.

Josh King was only just starting to look a bit more like his old self against QPR and the Cherries might have to wait a bit to see if Howe eventually picks Josh to play in a game next to Defoe. I think Howe sees each as dominant player, but will pick others to pair with them in games and may sub one for another when it comes to the league games at the start of the season. This could be good news for Mousset and Afobe, but both of these strikers need to start finding the net regularly, and Huish Park could be a good place for Mousset to show he is ready now.

It would be great to see if Yeovil's new signing and former Cherry, Stephan Zubar, plays for Yeovil against AFCB. Zubar was always highly adored at AFCB and it will be a good test for him to try and keep the Cherries from scoring. 

Advertisement

Broom Hill Garden Buildings

Like Bournemouth, Yeovil also have a Polish keeper in Artur Kysiak, who has played for Swansea and Motherwell in his time. He will hopefully be very well employed with AFCB trying to rack up some goals against him. A full list of the Yeovil players can be seen on their website and they are playing well having just beaten local Tiverton 4-2.

Yeovil's latest summer signing is Daniel Alfie, who is another former Swansea player and he is their ninth new signing of the summer, so Yeovil are a team with a lot of fresh faces. They will be building team spirit and AFCB should not be take Yeovil too lightly.



Possible AFCB Team
4-4-2 : Federici (GK), Francis (RD), Mings (CD), Cargill (CD), Daniels (LD), Ibe (RM), L Cook (CM), Surman (CM), Gradel (LM), Mousset, (FW), King (FW)

Cherries' backline needs a stern test now

The win against Yeovil Town will have given the starting 11 a pretty good workout. Christian Atsu's injury  aside, the team was made to play to their strengths well into the second half and the attacking prominence of the Cherries was no doubt a delight to watch for those present if you were a red and black supporter. Yet, the back four and keeper didn't really get stretched as much as they might have been and with severe tests to come against Premier League sides I'm hoping that Cardiff City and Hoffenheim offer a sterner examination to the Cherries' backline.

Will Steve Cook get to partner Tommy Elphick on 8th August?

Artur Boruc was back in goal for the Cherries match against Yeovil Town. While he has been absent since the match against Philadelphia Union so he was probably hoping that he would be able to make his way gently back into the action. A few shot-stopping moments would have been good for him, but he'll have to do some more sharpening up on the training field.

At right back Adam Smith was again looking keen to get forward although perhaps not as much as we have seen him do in some other games. He's on good form though and that is great for the team. Cook and Distin might have also had a bit of an easy night, but playing together is still good practise for them so that they get to know each others style a bit better when in a match situation. Meanwhile, Tyrone Mings is shaping up well and starting to get more involved in games and I expect Eddie is really pleased with his big signing.

So what are AFCB's defensive players really in need of? Just a bit more of a threat against them. I am sure that Kenwyne Jones will want to give them something to think about and hopefully Hoffenheim will be on top form. I don't expect the next couple of games to be quite so one-sided.

 I get the feeling that Cook and Elphick will be AFCB's starting centre back pairing come 8th August, but they may not play together in either of the remaining pre-season fixtures. 

Finally, fingers crossed for Christian Atsu. Let's hope for a quick recovery and not to much of an injury. The Bournemouth Echo has been reporting that it is a back injury. If AFCB felt they wanted strengthening with a few more players they certainly will want to hasten that up now. Max Gradel is again being linked with AFCB.

Seagulls, injured Atsu and Stanislas goals - Yeovil beaten 0-3

Match Description

Yeovil Town 0 v 3 AFCB

28 July 2015

Attendance 2442 (687 Cherries)

The late night sunshine at Huish Park saw a string AFCB line up start the game against Yeovil and they were rewarded early on with a goal from the penalty spot taken by Junior Stanislas after Marc Pugh had been tripped in the box. Earlier in the first half Wes Fogden had deflected Josh King's shot on to the post as AFC Bournemouth applied lots of pressure, but Eddie Howe was more concerned with Christian Atsu who hobbled down the tunnel on half an hour after possibly pulling his hamstring. With the score at 0-1 at half time and Rantie on for the injured Atsu it was hoped that the Cherries could extend their lead. Stanisals duly obliged with a tight finish just a couple of minutes into the second half. Players started to slow the pace as they tired, but Josh King made the game safe at 0-3.

Yeovil tweeted the seagull's moment of stardom.

Eddie Howe kept to his promise by mixing up a team to face Yeovil from a selection of U21 Development squad players and some members of the first team. The only surprise for me was that Josh King started rather than Tokelo Rantie. A fee was agreed between Blackburn Rovers and AFCB for Josh King today so he is now an AFCB player for certain next season. Junior Stanislas was playing behind King and Pugh on the left with Atsu on the right wing in a 4-4-1-1 formation. Both terrace at either end were closed and so the fans were in the stands on either side of the pitch - one Bournemouth fan tweeted that the sun was right in the AFCB fan's eyes!

Match Description
The Cherries won much early possession. Marc Pugh had the first shot but dragged it wide. Junior Stanislas then went close. Shaun MacDonlad was in control on midfield, but even he had to stop play when a bird on the pitch stopped the match!

Pugh then won a free kick and the Cherries hit the post! king's shot was deflected onto the post by Wes Fogden. Stanislas then jinks into the box and Pugh is up ended. Penalty! Junior Stanislas to take and it's 0-1 to the Cherries! There was some confusion over the penalty taker but it was definitely Junior Stanislas' goal.

Cook has a bit of a slip but recovers well. Yeovil were really struggling to get into the game. There was a worry that Atsu was going to have to come off. Indeed, he's off down the tunnel. It's a short appearance for Christian Atsu then - hamstring! Tokleo Rantie comes on early- only half an hour gone. New signing today -  Iffy Allen - is on for Yeovil replacing Jordan Gibbons!

Stanislas moves over to the right wing and King plays off Rantie who is up front. Rantie is already looking dangerous and almost gets played through by Pugh. As we near the end of the half  Artur Boruc finally has to make a save as Dolan hits a great volley from 20 yards out.

The second half hardly got started before that man Junior stanislas made his mark again having been put in by O'Kane and scored from an acute angle to make it 0-2. Adam Smith's positive run leads to another Stanislas shot but this one is saved. A promising free kick  opportunity soon  followed for AFCB from 25 yards out dead centre, but it's deflected and goes out for a throw. A rare Yeovil attack gives Artur Boruc a chance to reacquaint himself with the round object.

Rantie looks menacing again after Smith finds him but he overruns the ball. Next Rantie has a go at a volley but the flag goes up. Meanwhile, Yeovil make a double sub. It's still all AFCB though as King wins a corner.

It was King again making his presence felt when he made the game safe at 0-3 just after the hour with Mings providing the assist. Moments later King was replaced by Quigley. The subs are coming thick and fast now with Yeovil bringing on Matty Laird for Dolan and AFCB replaced Mings with new signing Costa at left back. Beck was also replaced by Yeovil for Bird.

Boruc has enough time to wave to the fans - not a lot to do for him tonight or for AFCB's back four. Joe Quigley heads the ball in after a Costa shot is deflected, but it's ruled out for offside! Stanislas is applauded off with 10 minutes to go and is replaced by Mason Walsh. Rantie then goes on a great run and wins a corner after not being able to get his shot away. Meanwhile Yeovil bring on Sowumi.

The game is running out of time but MacDonald wins another free kick. Macca is replaced. A late effort sees Yeovil head over! Josh Wakefield is on. That's it - Cherries win 0-3.


Teams
Cherries XI: Boruc, Smith, Cook (cpt), Distin, Mings, Stanislas, MacDonald, O'Kane, Pugh, Atsu, King

AFCB Substitutes: Holmes, O'Flaherty, Costa, Butcher, Wakefield, Carmichael, Walsh, Quigley, Rantie. 

Yeovil Town: Krysiak, Smith, Dolan, Lacey, Arthurworrey, Sokolik, Allen, Fogden, Dickson, Jeffers, Beck.

Yeovil subs: Weale, Bird, Burrows, Gibbons, Laird, Collins, Sowumni.

AFCB and Yeovil official match tweets

01: The game is underway at Huish Park.

05: First chance for #afcb , who have dominated the ball in the early stages. Pugh drags his shot wide:

Y 5: - Early pressure the visitors sees them force a corner but Town clear away.

05: Stanislas then has a curling effort blocked. #afcb experiencing a lot of joy on the left so far: 

08: Close again for #afcb as King tries to head on a ball into the box. The Cherries are firmly on top:

Y We have a pitch invader. A baby seagull has held up play. Now stewards and ground staff are chasing it.

Y We shall call the seagull Stephen. Stephen Seagull… get it

10: The groundsman has caught the bird! Play resumes at Huish Park

16: Off the post! King's shot is deflected on to the post by ex #afcb man Fogden: 

16: Junior Stanislas jinks his way into the Town area only to be denied by Krysiak.

17: Penalty to #afcb ! 

Y 17: Penalty to Bournemouth after Sokolik upends Pugh. Stanislas sends Krysiak the wrong way to make 0-1

18: Goal to #afcb

18: Pugh is tripped inside the area and Stanislas steps up to hammer home the spot kick. 1-0 to #afcb :

Y 30: Sub for #YTFC as Iffy Allen is replaced by Jordon Gibbons.

30: @ghanafaofficial's Atsu has just put the ball out of play after pulling up with an injury.

31: He goes straight down the tunnel & #bafanastriker Rantie is warming up

33: @afcbournemouth playing with ten men at the moment as Christian Atsu has gone down the tunnel, but hasn’t been replaced yet.

35: #bafana striker Rantie finally enters the pitch, much to the #afcb fans' delight. He replaces Atsu:

41: Superb volley from Dolan from 20 yards is well saved by Boruc low to his right.

45: There will be a minimum of one minute of additional time played here:

HALF TIME: #ytfc 0-1

Y Half time here at Huish Park. Bournemouth lead 1-0 thanks to a Junior Stanislas penalty after 17 minutes

Second Half
46: The second half is underway between #ytfc and#afcb :

47: GOAL to #afcb !

47: O'Kane plays in Stanislas and he finishes coolly from a tight angle. 2-0 to #afcb 

Y 47: Stanislas slots home under Krysiak to make it 2-0 to Bournemouth

51: Stanislas' free kick deflects away from goal.#afcb are still on top here

55: Rantie tries his luck with an acrobatic volley but it goes over, and the flag was up:

Y 55: Double sub for #YTFC. Dickson and Jeffers replaced by Jamie Burrows and trials Roddy Collins.

59: Arthurworrey pokes King's low cross into the side netting. #afcb still lead 2-0

Y 60: Tonight's attendance is 2,422 with 687 from#afcb .

61: GOAL to #afcb !

61: Mings plays the ball into King's path & he shrugs off the defender, & slots the ball beyond Krysiak

62: Bournemouth make it 3-0 as Josh King races clear to slot home past Krysiak.

65: Substitution for #afcb as King is replaced by Quigley

Y 69: Another sub for #YTFC. Marc Laird comes on to replace Matty Dolan.

69: Another substitution for #afcb as Mings is replaced by Costa:

80: The impressive Stanislas is replaced by Walsh for #afcb

80: Quigley has the ball in the back of the net as he meets Costa's cross, but the offside flag is up:

83: Sowumni comes on to replace Sokolik.

90: There will be two minutes of additional time played here. #afcb lead 3-0

90+1: Another substitution for #afcb as MacDonald is replaced by Wakefield

Full time! It finishes 3-0.

Yeovil fans may have reason to feel rejuvenated this season

Down in the West country Yeovil have always been a team that put in 100 per cent effort and have in the passed earned themselves a reputation of being giant killers. Their mascot is perhaps the biggest giant I think about when it comes to Yeovil Town now, but when they take on the Cherries they can hope to set their season up to be a much better one that the last couple that have seen them slip back down the leagues. While they've had a glamorous FA Cup tie against Man Utd last season, I can't help but think it was brilliant when AFCB were playing Yeovil in the Championship and I wish them success in trying to make their way back to that level and perhaps beyond.

Back in the land of green giants.

Why they have dropped back so far is something for Yeovil fans to consider and perhaps their management. Yeovil always seemed to hit above their weight but their performances never picked up after they made such a good attempt in the Championship. Dropping out of League One last season must have been hard for their supporters. AFCB have shown though that from a low position you can build a strong side and the Cherries won't expect an easy game against them.

Wes Fogden played some
great games for AFCB.

Over the summer I see that Yeovil have brought in former Cherry Wes Fogden, 27, on a two-year deal, who was released by Portsmouth. In all, the Glovers were up to some 15 new signings at the start of this week so they are likely to have a very new look team to take on the Cherries. Among their new recruits is former Carlisle striker Mark Beck and Ryan Bird, who signed from Cambridge Utd who you might have seen in the FA Cup tie against Man Utd. Shaun Jeffers has also signed for the Glovers from Newport County.

Paul Sturrock is now the manager at Yeovil after Gary Johnson left the club last April. The most recent friendly that Yeovil had saw them take on Torquay Utd in Devon and come away with a 1-2 away win. The Glovers also beat Truro City 1-0 in July.

What will have got Yeovil fans buzzing is a capital One Cup first leg tie against QPR. AFC Bournemouth's visit will be a good trial ahead of that fixture.



Make sure you have a look at the season preview piece I did with the Guardion Online newspaper - just click on this link to view it.

Macca keen to continue success at AFCB

Shaun MacDonald (Macca) is one of those ideal pros who never lets any one down and that makes him a man in demand for clubs looking to see if AFCB are overweight with players this summer. Gary Johnson at Yeovil Town is having to rebuild his squad for their League One campaign and Shaun has been at the Somerset club before and would be an ideal candidate for their team if they could get him on loan. However, reading the statements that MacDonald made to the Bournemouth Echo it appears that he is more intent on having a good pre-season and getting himself ready to battle for a place in the Cherries' team.

Macca at Yeovil last season.

While it would be familiar for him to go back to Yeovil I wonder if there is a sense of - been there done that about playing in League One again for Shaun. He has been part of the successful Cherries side that worked so hard to gain promotion in 2013 and it is only natural for him to want to continue being a part of a successful team. Whether he is able to get back into the starting line up is something that Eddie Howe will have to decide, but I would hope that everyone starts with a clean sheet. 

Macca has slotted into the central midfield role very comfortably when he has had the opportunity and his passing has been consistent. Whether he offers enough going forward is perhaps the main question mark against him and it is something that Eddie Howe looks to have been keen to support with the signings of Gosling and Stanislas. The friendlies coming up this month will gradually sort out the team for that first fixture on 9 August and I don't dismiss the possibility that Shaun MacDonald could have some involvement in that squad with his attitude to get his head down during pre-season.  

Macca wants to prove he can do a job at AFCB.

Kyle's World Cup Watch features a player profile on Brazil's Fernando Luiz Roza (Fernandinho). Brazil play Colombia on Friday at 9pm. See World Cup Chimes.

New league fixtures just around the corner

I can see some AFCB supporters getting a bot nervous now having purchased their new home kit and sitting in their living room strapped into the World Cup viewing while wondering at the back of their heads just when the new SKYBet Championship kicks off, and which teams the Cherries will be playing in August? You don't have to wait much longer. First of all the Capital One Cup 1st round draw takes place on 17th June and then its all eyes down for the Championship fixture release on 18th June.

Who will the League computer select to play AFCB first up?

The Cherries were at home for the first match last season so I am guessing that it will be an away start this time around. The nearest fixtures is surely Brighton, now that Yeovil have departed from the Championship, although a first day derby fixture against the Seagulls is asking for a lot. It will be a shame for those who can't travel far if that 9th August game is Middlesbrough, but we have to play them on one day. I suppose we should be glad of a few games in the capital. The fixtures will be tough no matter what order they come in, but things will start to become very real when you can start planning which home and away games you are going to attend and when you might be able to squeeze a holiday in.

It is when it comes to the cup draws that I become particularly excited. Let's face it we know the teams that are going to play the Cherries in the league but the cups are any one's guess.

A good site for calculating those distances is found at Sportsmap, although it has not been updated with the new teams in the Championship yet.

World Cup Chimes' story today is 'spray it on' - any ideas what it's about? Find out at World Cup Chimes.

World Cup viewing
De Vere's Urban Village Hotel in Bournemouth are sponsors of Cherry Chimes and are getting ready for England's first game. 

Next Carnival Day Saturday 14th June England v Italy
- Live DJ, Brazilian Carnival Dancers & children’s face painting.
- Entertainment commencing from 19.00, kick off at 23.00

Food service extension
- The Victory will be serving food until 22.00 for the entire duration of the world cup with the exception of England’s first game (Saturday 14th June) which will be until 23.00.

Download the complete game planner for the Victory pub and kitchen.

Are there too many fouls in the Championship?

I remember my playing days fondly as all middle aged men probably do. I used to play on the playground as well as on the school pitches and while we used to tackle pretty hard I don't remember so many poor challenges as we see in the professional game today. One of my friends did have his leg broken during a school game but that was the only major injury that I recall. As boys playing for your school team the aim was never to hurt the opposition or to try and get an advantage by fouling deliberately to break up a move, but today you see shirt pulling and arm pulling all the time at corners and during general play. But I wonder if such tactics are self-defeating?

If referees didn't allow a few infringements to go unnoticed
we would probably have 5 against five on the pitch by half time.

It is good to know that AFCB are top of one table. The Cherries were the best team in not conceding too many penalties (just 3 all season) or suffering many goals from free kicks, but I can think of one or two last season that were costly challenges. The Cherries only committed 390 fouls in total, which was by far the lowest in the Championship with the next cleanest team being Doncaster on 429 - so much for the dirty northern slogan. Bournemouth did collect their fair share of yellow cards though, a healthy 65 and 4 reds, but Watford managed to pick up 102 yellows and Blackpool went to town on 10 red cards with 11 penalties conceded. The chief fouling team of all though were Yeovil Town with a whopping 588 free kicks taken against them. Perhaps Gary Johnson no longer needs to wonder why they let in so many goals from dead ball situations.

The game has changed though and it is such a game of chess that dead ball situations are sought after today, especially with so many free kick specialists. And yet defenders still try and get away with near-like rugby tackles if the referee is not watching and it does not make for great spectator viewing. A full table of the discipline for clubs in the Championship is give on the Football League website.

It makes me think are the yellow and red card punishments really the only way of dealing with persistent foulers? I know sin bins have been considered and even trialed, but I am not a fan of 9 against 11 etc. We want teams to see that ability should win the day and not cheating, but the money involved in the game today is so vast that winning is a must at almost any cost. A foul if you can get away with it is deemed worth the risk nine times out of 10. 

We may like to see a clean game of football but it just isn't so easy anymore. Is it any wonder that the referees are becoming more well known when they have to make decisions on players that are stretching the rules all the time? Sometimes, we don't know how lucky we are at AFCB to see a good game of football most weeks rather than a stop start free kick horror show, but we are not in the playground anymore and Championship teams will be taught such gamesmanship by some coaches that are well learnt in such under hand tactics. Ask yourself though is it football? 

Today, we also have written a small piece on World Cup Chimes about the Brazuca - do you know what that is? 

Does it matter who the Cherries play in pre-season friendlies?

There has been plenty of early talk flying around about just who the Cherries will be lining up against in the summer months before the start of their next Championship campaign. Speculation has at least been heightened after last year's game against Real Madrid and while it might be hard to generate the same kind of surprise excitement there is no doubt that the pulling power of Maxim Demin's Bournemouth side, or perhaps Maxim's purse strings is likely to make it another memorable pre-season.

Any one got any objections to Real Madrid turning up again?

Ozil and Renaldo at the Goldsands stadium last summer.

Already I hear confirmation of Glasgow Rangers - 30 July, and also on the cards is talk of Everton, Portsmouth, FC Copenhagen. Perhaps they will provide the kind of games that will give AFCB players a good competitive work out. But last year, if we put the 0-6 Real Madrid friendly to one side, the other difficult  pre-season games were against teams like Woking and Salisbury, so perhaps the prospect of matches we hear against Dorchester and Yeovil will be tougher games than the likes of Rangers, oh and don't forget the traditional match against Poole Town. Much of these matches are just about fitness and trying players in positions where they may need some extra tuition, but as fans I suppose we all want to see some big named teams with star players if at all possible.

So while Eddie Howe and his team juggle with what the players need there are club considerations for having a few big gates with eminent teams. Personally, I do not mind that much who the Cherries play as I will be more concerned with how the Cherries are shaping up themselves ahead of the new season. That will be made even more exciting if the club can sign a couple of new players early on in the summer months, so that we can see how Eddie will be building on last season's success. I don't know about you, but unlike Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, I'd quite like to see Lewis Grabban running out in an AFCB shirt quite a few more times.

The Championship remains a thrilling league

While AFCB have had a pretty good run since the beginning of the year it has always been difficult to know where they might pick up points and where they would drop them. That is the Championship for you. It's unpredictable right down to the final games. I find it great that even now there are teams that don't know if they will be in the play-offs and others who don't know if they will be relegated and yet the season is almost done and dusted. 

We can cheer the boys on and say goodbye for the summer at Millwall.

At the top of the league it will be a simple battle of who gets the best result for Brighton and Reading and I have a sneaky feeling that Brighton may do it looking at how Forest were dismantled by the Cherries last weekend. I am more intrigued by what could happen at the bottom of the Championship. Birmingham have hardly been in the bottom three all season but find themselves there with a game to go. It really may depend on whether they can get a point at Bolton, because I can't see Leicester taking it easy in their last home game against Doncaster. Yet the final day often brings unthinkable results and if both Donny and Birmingham find themselves winning with 10 minutes to go I met start feeling a bit nervous in the away end at Millwall. Of course if Doncaster do fall then both them and Yeovil who came up with the Cherries last season will have just lasted the one season which shows you how difficult it is for a club coming up from League One in this division.

I must admit that I like to often be at home on the sofa for the last game of the season as you can watch the TV and that thrill of the cameras going from one ground to another as the scores change. I'll have to rely on the radio and the mobile phone if I can get a signal and I am not even a fan of one of those teams that are in danger or looking to get into the play-offs. We still want to know what is happening though and where the axe is going to fall. If I had to put money on it in the Championship I would sadly say that Birmingham may be the team to lose out, but what gives me hope for them is that they are playing away. So I am going to predict that they cling on to a point with Doncaster losing out on goal difference. Something about having a more southern may have led me to come up with that romantic forecast. Still we will have a party at the Den where both teams I hope can celebrate after the match and look forward to the next season.

For those of you who are brave enough to bet on the outcome of such games you are invited to use Free Bet Negotiator which sponsors Cherry Chimes. Free Bet Negotiator is giving Free Bets to all the fans!

If you have not had a visit to their site you can click on this special Cherry Chimes' Free Bet Negotiator link and the video below shows you how simple it is to place a bet and then get your free bet.  

Cherry Chimes asks Following Millwall FC will you stay up?

Match Preview

Millwall v AFCB
Blogger Interview - Following Millwall FC

I have had many a good chat with OZ (Mark Austin) of the  Following Millwall FC blog in the last few months via emails and it is good to know that he is upbeat ahead of the crucial game in his calendar this weekend - Millwall v AFCB. When we looked at the fixtures at the start of the season we both prayed that both teams would be safe by 3 May, but sadly for OZ and Millwall fans they need at least a good result or for other games to go their way to ensure survival. So how well is OZ keeping his cool this week?

CC: Do you think it has taken Ian Holloway a little while to get his style of play across to the players and do you look more of a team now?

FMB: It can be said that Ian Holloway's style is somewhat different along with his personality. There was questions regarding his state of mind after his stint at Crystal Palace and all sorts of reported reasons why he left. Whatever happened there, Crystal Palace that is, I don't care, it's what he does here and how he helps us stay up and push on next season. It has took us a while to "adjust" Playing five strikers was confusing for us so I can imagine what it was like for the players. I think in the early games he was more on tactics than playing his best team. He didn't know what his best team was but he thought he did and when he got them playing against the B-side and they got done 6-0 the B-side became the A-side and we haven't looked back. Ian Holloway basically started from scratch and his first mission was to find who is best players were and who wanted to play for him. There was a problem with doing this and I think the problem was that his best players wasn't his best team and I think this didn't come to light to the training ground game.His best team is not the fancy Dan's who he has now in the side as he has now let them go he has the grafters who will sweat blood for the team and Millwall FC. The team is enjoying their football once again.

Is it the Holloway factor? I think it is because it's not just the players enjoying their football once again, Ian Holloway is as well. There is no doubt he loves it, managing Millwall that is and he thrives in the fact that he has a blank canvas and he can do what he likes.

CC: Which game do you think was your best game in the last few weeks that gave your players most hope of beating the drop?

FMB: We have had good and very good results in the last undefeated seven games such as, a win at Forest, a win at Wigan, a win at Middlesbrough and draws against QPR, Blackburn, Watford and Doncaster. If I would have to vote I would say that the win at Boro was perhaps the best. This win took us out of the bottom three and the whole club was buzzing that perhaps we can get out of this mess. The recent draw with Doncaster was disappointing but on the day most results went our way and the recent draw at QPR was massive, it felt like a win and it's set us nicely for our last game at home against Bournemouth. Championship for another year? who knows at this moment in time but I think we have "found our self" and right now we have the third best form in the division. The team playing at the moment I would like to see next year in the Championship and Holloway and the team I'm sure would like to see what they can do from scratch.

CC: Stefan Maierhofer is making a name for himself up front as a big forward. Why do you think it has been working for him in recent games and is Martyn Woolford combining well with him?

FMB: Big is correct, 6' 8" and he can play a bit. The "Hof" has got skill and although he compared up against Peter Crouch I think he is a better player and has more control of his body parts. He can play the ball on the floor has decent close control ball skills and I would be happy if we signed him on a permanent contract.

CC: Is your team up to full strength or have you a few key players out at this stage of the season?

FMB: The squad is is not quite up to full strength with Danny Shittu our team captain out to next season with a heel injury and Richard Chaplow just back in training Ian Holloway will have a couple more options for next season. Nicky Bailey who was out for a good few games is now back in the side playing well and he has been a major factor in grinding out results that have hyped us achieve our recent good form.

CC: Our fans will want to know if there is any danger of Millwall going down should they stay away or do you think it is safe now for away fans visiting the Den?

FMB: I'll let you into a little secret; It is perfectly safe for Bournemouth supporters to come and see us and support their team at the Den. You will have your own end completely separate to any other part of the ground and we will even let your smokers go outside for a cigarette at half time. I will admit that you will have to listen to us non-stop roaring on the Lions mixed in with "friendly banter" as we welcome you to the Den in our own special way. You will leave the ground with your ears ringing and it will be a away day that you won't forget. Hopefully you will leaving with your tails between your legs and promising yourself that you will never come back here again. It will be rowdy and that's the Millwall way. Please Bournemouth fans, do come and support your team as we support ours.

If at the very worse the result from this game meant that we are going down the Den this would only be known near the end of the game and gloom would follow but no worries for the Bournemouth fans as we trudged off home feeling miserable and didn't even give you lot a thought. If we go down honestly and are beaten fairly we will take it on the chin, what we don't like is incompetent referee's and cheats.

CC: What do you think the atmosphere will be like for this game?

FMB: I think that my reply regarding Bournemouth supporters and their safety gives a overview of what I know the Den atmosphere can be. Hopefully the Den atmosphere will be rockin and the hairs on your neck will be standing to attention. I can imagine the home section of 16000 will be sold out or thereabouts. There is room for three thousand fans and if you fetch a thousand or more it will add to the atmosphere. We need to be sure of safety and the three points and stake we will be up for this one. Health and Safety would advise ear defenders for those of a delicate nature.

CC: Which three teams do you think will go down with Yeovil and Barnsley?

FMB: Three teams to go down, easy! Barnsley and Yeovil plus Blackpool or Birmingham. It would be nice to add Charlton to that!

CC: Hang on you can't have them all going down and sorry but since I asked the question Charlton are now safe, but Doncaster could still go down to keep Millwall up.

CC: If the unthinkable happened and Millwall did go down is the club in a good enough position to do a Wolves and come straight back up?

FMB: Millwall going down? We are not going down "but if we do" it all depends on the players we retain. Ian Holloway will carry on in League 1 and set abut a mission of getting us out and back in the Championship. We will do alright in League 1 because the back bone of the team have played in league 1 and won promotion from it. These players have been at Millwall for a long time and it will be these that Ian Holloway will need to build around as they as they will be the last the leave if we drop a division and most importantly they know the Millwall way.

CC: Millwall have let in the highest number of goals in the Championship this season so are new defenders a priority over the summer and do you feel that some of your back four are not good enough?

FMB: We have conceded a lot but that all seems a long time ago, We are a lot tighter at the back with a stronger midfield and we can be flexible and fluid in what we do. We don't give up and we will work to the final whistle. One of our big discoveries this year is long serving Alan Dunne moved from a full back position to a centre back and given the captains armband is doing that job really well and for a player who's been with Millwall since he was eight and is now one of senior pro's he has had a new lease of life and is working is "*uts off" He is enjoying the football like a teenager again but with a wise old head. He is Mr Millwall.

CC: The Millwall visit to Dean Court was one of the most memorable games of our season coming back from two down, but do you expect a much tighter game at the Den?

FMB: I don't expect us or you to get hammered so in that respect yes it will be a tighter game, maybe a odd goal. Carry on with our unbeaten run is paramount and I know we can do that, end of.

All the best for next season and I wish you all well down on the south coast and especially those that follow Bournemouth FC. Please enjoy your holidays and please start them now!

My best wishes starting Sunday!!

CC: Well it will be good to hear the Lions roar on Saturday and I am sure the game is going to be a great occasion. It is of course a lot easier for AFCB fans to enjoy with just pride at stake for the Cherries, but I hope that both sets of supporters can have a party at the end of the game. We are all football fans and come in expectation of being entertained. Whatever the result let's hope for plenty of goal mouth action.

Make sure you visit OZ's blog at Following Millwall FC.

The Cherries could be playing just for a top 10 finish

With Brighton playing Yeovil at home tonight and already sitting three points ahead of the Cherries and with a goal difference of +12 you can see that the Cherries may have already lost the chance to gain a play-off spot. While it would be great if Brighton slip up I am not that confident that Yeovil can do enough to save their skins and cause an upset at the Amex. That means that Nottingham Forest will come to Dean Court still full of optimism for the last play-off spot and the Cherries could just be looking to finish as high as they can.

I hope it does not play on the players minds too much if it is over for them before they have even kicked a ball on Saturday. While it is a very big long shot now of reaching that sixth spot it would make Saturday's game far more exciting if both teams know that a win would possibly give then a chance still of making the play-offs. Even then though there are many teams in better positions that Forest and Bournemouth, but we can blame SKY TV for the Friday kick off and taking some excitement away from what should still be a great game between AFCB and Forest.

Here's hoping that the Cherries are playing for more than
 just having to stop Nottingham Forest reaching the play-offs.

Of course it will be the game where all the end of season awards are handed out and there will be a fair few smiles and applause for the team's efforts since last August. It is quite amazing how the time has slipped passed. Now we have a team that has almost completed its first season back in the Championship and the object now must be to try and build on such a magnificent campaign. That will only be achieved by keeping as much of the first team squad together as is possible and by adding a couple of more quality players over the summer. While we enjoy the World Cup I am sure that preparations will be in full swing to ensure that the Cherries are well equipped for next season.

Perhaps then AFCB will be in an even better position in the table with two games to go than they are now. Not for the first time this season I am asking Yeovil Town to do the Cherries a favour. UTCIAD!