Sept 14 AFC Bournemouth 1-2 Bury Att: 4851

Everything was set fair for a victory against a team that we usually beat. The mood was further enhanced by the acquisition on loan of former DC favourite Neil Moss from Southampton and Peter Philips' announcement just before kick-off that the Sale&Leaseback idea had been scrapped. However, I was sticking to my pre-match prediction of one-nil to the Shakers. Why? Do you really need to ask…..

The first half has already faded from my memory even though barely 24 hours have elapsed. The visitors packed the midfield in the way most teams do away from home and tried to deny us any width. They soon settled comfortably into this pattern while we hoofed balls up from the back to little avail. I don't remember us having a shot on goal in the first half, and Moss didn't have a great deal to do at the other end. The "highlight" was a run by Shaun Maher from inside his own half to the edge of the Bury penalty area, but nothing came of it.

It was very hot in the East Stand and I could easily have dozed off. Unfortunately that's what happened to the team just before half-time. I sensed it a couple of minutes earlier. Instead of booting it into touch, the defence tried to play the ball around at the back and gave away an unnecessary corner. As the ball came over, Moss hesitated, flapped and a goal-bound header was "saved" by Wade Elliott at the far post. Red card, penalty (Forrest sending Moss the wrong way). Virtually the last kick of the half.


In the forced reorganisation, Carl Fletcher moved to right-back with Tindall in the middle, Maher on the left and Purches pushed up into midfield. However, barely 10 minutes into the second period, Bury went further ahead when a well-worked move down the left flank produced a low cross which Unsworth headed in from close range. I've heard that Moss was to blame once again, but I couldn't vouch for that.

Two down with ten men - game over, really. Browning was then replaced by Stock and O'Connor came on for Young. And to be fair we now began to look as if we meant business. The introduction of O'Connor's trickery in particular started causing the Shakers' defence a few problems, and the Irishman thoroughly deserved a slice of luck when his shot took a wicked deflection to beat Garner in the 71st minute.

Bury were now holding on grimly as we went all out for the equaliser, with Hayter replacing the tiring Connell. Another surging run from Mayer on the left, another shot from O'Connor that Garner did well to save. However, the visitors' defence held out and their fans went home happy with 3 points without their team playing particularly well.

We still haven't turned the corner and the management still have a lot of work to do to save their jobs. Unlucky, yes. A spirited fight-back, yes. But why do we always allow visiting teams to settle into their game plan so easily? Why do we never seem to get amongst them early on? No doubt Sean will draw his usual positives from the match - there were some good individual performances - but if we can't put teams under more pressure at Dean Court before we're up against it like today, we're going to finish mid-table at best.

Shared between Maher for defending well and making some good forays into enemy territory, and O'Connor for making a difference when he came on.




AFCB: Moss, Purches, Maher, Tindall, Young, Elliott, C Fletcher, Browning, Thomas, Holmes, Connell
Subs: Eribenne, Narada, Hayter (for Connell on 72), Stock (for Browning on 58), O'Connor (for Young on 58)

Ellis Griffin, Chertsey