MANAGER Eddie Howe felt Lewis Grabban had been pivotal to Cherries’ slick first-half showing against Sheffield Wednesday yesterday.

Grabban led the line superbly and bagged his ninth goal of the season as Cherries recorded a 2-1 victory over the struggling Owls at Hillsborough.

The striker added to Matt Ritchie’s opener as Howe’s men claimed back-to-back away wins, with Jacques Maghoma notching a late consolation for the hosts.

Howe said: “I was delighted in the first half because I thought it was a very good display. We counter-attacked with real quality and pace and Lewis led the line really well. He was a constant nuisance with his pace and mobility.

“I wouldn’t set him any goal targets because my main concern is the team, not individual records. I hope he continues to score because he needs to as the main striker, especially in this system. His all-round play has been a real threat and I am just pleased he is performing as well as he is. Hope-fully, it will give him the confidence to go on to do better.”

Howe added: “We got the first goal, which we always thought was going to be important. The second half was not pretty to watch for either manager and I didn’t think we played very well. But we dug in and got the win.

“We built on the Reading victory in terms of our performance. I have been really pleased with how we have played recently but you do need wins to back it up. You can’t keep coming off saying you have played well when you have been beaten.

“We would like to back it up with a long overdue home win and our priority now is to try to make Dean Court a fortress. We were in good form at home earlier in the season but have struggled to turn our dominant performances into victories recently.

“Hopefully, we can build on our performance against Birmingham when we meet Yeovil on Boxing Day and get an all-important win at home because then everyone would feel good about themselves.”