On a cracking afternoon at Dean Court, it wasn't quite fireworks, but we did see a little cracker of a game to warm the cockles, and to *finally* suggest that all isn't quite lost on the home front!
Cherries intentions were clear from the very first minute as a Pugh cross probably caught Thomas slightly unawares as he could only glance the ball wide of the post. That said, we've seen similar bright starts at home, which haven't come to much.
Some defensive questions marks were still present ...... a Pugh slip allowed a cross to be floated over. Thankfully Barrett was in the right place to head to safety. Another similar cross found Dagnall in acres of space. Uncharacteristically he managed to blast over when it might have been easier to slide the ball home.
The break through came in the 20th minute when Fogden fed the ball to Malone who was allowed the time and space to run at the Irons defence. With Cummings as foil for an overlap to his left, he opted to shoot, finding the space between the keepers outstretched left glove and the far post to open the scoring.
One player I have to mention, given his involvement throughout, is Wes Fogden. He was simply everywhere on the pitch ...... chasing down, tackling back, thwarting the opposition at every turn while also being heavily clattered on several occassions throughout the match. he may not the tallest player on the pitch, but his tenacity was a joy to watch. I believe (and hope) that he could be the next midfield spoiler we've been missing so badly since the departure of Anton Robinson.
Back to the match, apart from some catching practice for Flahavan, he wasn't severely tested, and certainly didn't have to make what I'd call a meaningful save at any stage during the match.
The second period saw Scunny come out with a greater sense of urgency about them. Despite this, they didn't really threaten the Cherries goal. The only time Falahavn had to *do* something came when he had to get down smartish when the ball could have been poked in at the far post. Just as well Flahavan was alert to what was going on because the Cherries back-line certainly wasn't! Thankfully our full backs (Peters and Cummings) were more than a match to any threat Scunny might have posed. In fact the busiest people around the Cherries goal were the ball boys when they had to fetch the match ball from the car park. Whether the Scunthorpe front line had a bet to see who could kick it the furthest in to the car park is open to speculation.
The Cherries could have easily extended their advantage in the 53rd minute when a lovely ball from Pugh fed the lively Thomas, who went to the by-line producing a cross which was heading towards Malone who was beaten to the ball by a defender chasing back. So close, but so far!
The win was all but sealed when Pugh fed the ball through to Thomas who turned his man to rifle the ball in to the back of the net in front of the North Stand, who went mad as Wes celebrated his first home goal. Just as well there is a net attached to the goal frame, otherwise the force of the shot would have seen the ball travel to Wimborne without any problems!
After the goal, Scunny managed to find the side netting. Thankfully a couple of their own players getting in each others way ensured that a more meaningful chance was wasted.
All in all this was a very encouraging performance, with the Cherries playing more like a cohesive team for the first time (at home) for ages! As for man of the match, there are many candidates that spring to mind this afternoon .......
Jamie Peters was outstanding at right back this afternoon. Not much was going to get past him with his pace and tackling.
Scott Malone for his contribution down the left wing, rewarded with the opening goal.
Marc Pugh for his trickery. Clearly he's full of confidence again.
But my man of the match has got to Wes Fogden for all of his determination, chasing, tackling, blocking and the sheer amount of work.
These individual performances do not detract from a decent team performance.
AFCB: Flahavan, Peters, Cooke, Barrett, Cummings, Purches, Pugh, Fogden, Arter, Malone, Thomas
Subs: Jalal, Zubar, Symes (for Thomas, 86 mins), Sheringham (for Fogden, 86 mins), Molesley (for Purches, 89 mins)
Andy Burton, Portsmouth