McDermott contrived to miss the team coach (between him and Tubbs that transfer window cash is not looking too well spent so far) and Bournemouth opted to start with the combination of Cooper and Partington in central midfield, not an experiment that anyone will be in a hurry to repeat on this evidence, as both players instinctively adopted a holding role leaving us lacking in penetration from midfield.
Bury scored with the first chance of the game, the goal down to an individual error by Addison, whose poor first touch was compounded by a comically bad second, leaving Grella (Bournemouth’s nemesis from the AWS game at Brentford) a clear run on goal, and he finished with ease. Grella has scored more goals in two games against us than most of our strikers have managed all season.
Bournemouth’s best effort of the half came after some good work from Pugh on the left, his cross was narrowly missed by Hines and Fogden could only hit his shot back across goal from a narrow angle at the far post.
Bournemouth switched to a diamond formation in midfield for the second half with Fogden operating behind the front two. When an untypically composed passing move ended with Partington getting caught in possession on the edge of the box Groves had seen enough and Daniels replaced the young midfielder, surprisingly at first being asked to operate on the right side of the midfield diamond before gradually migrating to a more natural left side role.
Fogden came closest to securing an equaliser, his volley bringing an excellent tip-over from Bond after Thomas knocked down Pugh’s cross. At the other end Flahavan produced a good save to deny Coke from a chance created by Grella. Addison was pushed up for his now customary cameo as centre forward, a role in which he appears rather more accomplished than most of the players we actually employ to do that job, but this forgettable game petered out tamely.
Wes Fogden was a notable exception to the general lethargy.
AFCB: Flahavan, Francis, Addison, Cook, Malone, Fogden, Cooper, Partington, Pugh, Thomas, Hines
Subs: Jalal, Zubar, Moth, Daniels (for Partington, 59 mins), Taylor (for Hines, 78 mins)