KEVIN Bond was hoping to see a familiar face as he entered the room to conduct his post-match press conference.

Having seen his charges make light work of Boston to register his first victory as Cherries manager and set up a second-round away clash with Bristol Rovers, Bond was understandably in good spirits.

"I thought Garth Crooks might be here!" he joked, in reference to the former Spurs star whose interview style for the BBC has earned him the nickname Paxman'.

Not surprisingly, there was no sign of Crooks, while highlights of this low-key clash were conspicuous by their absence on Match of the Day.

Instead, the viewing public were treated to wall-to-wall coverage of the Premiership with in-depth analysis from Mark Lawrenson.

Sadly, not even Danny Hollands's goal of the round merited a mention, the midfielder's audacious effort arguably one of the best seen at Dean Court.

This meeting between League One strugglers and League Two whipping boys also produced few column inches in the national press.

So with media interest at a premium, Bond was left to convey his thoughts to the Daily Echo, BBC Radio Solent and the official club website.

"It was a great performance and a great win. We've had our bottoms kicked a couple of times since I've been here so we needed the result."

With Cherries on the back of an 11-match winless run and beaten five times since Bond took over, some Boston followers could probably scent an upset.

But the Pilgrims' chances of a shock were as good as over inside the opening five minutes when the curtain came up on the Steve Fletcher show.

The talismanic targetman marked his 31st FA Cup appearance by netting his eighth goal in the competition to settle any nerves among home supporters.

Fletcher soared above two defenders to meet Steven Foley's delicately-flighted cross with a finely-taken header.

"It gave us the perfect start," said Bond. "The trouble was that there were still 85 minutes to hang on!"

Bond added: "It was a good goal and I was pleased with Fletch. He found a yard from somewhere. He's a target and very difficult to handle in the air."

Fletcher was also in a jovial mood as he recalled his opening goal: "For a change, I sprinted to get into the box! I got on top of my marker, headed it down and it was nice to see it buried in the bottom corner."

James Hayter, whose earlier penalty appeal had fallen on deaf ears, went close to adding a second following a slick move involving the impressive Jack Cork and the omnipresent Foley.

But after being picked out by Foley's clever pass, Hayter's fierce left-footed drive was turned behind by Pilgrims goalkeeper Andy Marriott.

Impoverished Boston failed to trouble recalled Cherries goalkeeper Neil Moss throughout the first period, with efforts by Dany N'Guessan and Drewe Broughton both clearing the woodwork.

It was a different story, however, at the opposite end where Marriott managed to parry Fletcher's bullet header from point-blank range after Darren Anderton had supplied the ammunition.

Bond described the opportunity as "probably easier than the two he scored from", while Fletcher said: "The goalkeeper pulled off a great save and if I had headed it anywhere else, it would have gone in."

Fletcher, who doubled Cherries' lead in the 43rd minute, later admitted he "could have had five" but was not complaining about the interval scoreline.

A weighted cross from Steve Purches, who provided an abundance of assists, presented Fletcher with the easy task of nonchalantly heading home past the stationary Marriott.

It was game over and chairman Abdul Jaffer could have been forgiven for heading to the payout counter to collect the club's £16,000 prize money.

Numbering fewer than 100, the hardy Boston followers had little to cheer and eventually took out their frustrations on underfire manager Steve Evans.

A wild snapshot from Mark Albrighton and a blocked effort from Mark Greaves failed to threaten the Cherries goal before Hayter added salt to the visitors' gaping wounds.

The marksman bagged his sixth of the season and his first for seven games with an adept finish from just inside the box after fastening on to Hollands's neat pass.

Moss was finally called upon to make a save in the 65th minute when he stood up well and smothered from Broughton after the big striker had got in behind the Cherries defence.

Marriott was then forced to beat away Hayter's stinging drive before Fletcher skied another Purches centre over the top as his chances of a second hat-trick disappeared into the North Stand.

Hollands, a model of commitment in midfield, capped his diligent display with a breathtaking fourth goal in stoppage time, his second in as many games.

As Cherries prepared to counter, the youngster collected the ball on the halfway line and headed towards goal with the Boston defence retreating.

And ignoring other options, he dispatched a sumptuous effort from around 45 yards which dropped over Marriott's head and left his former Torquay team-mate red faced as it sailed into the net.

"It was a cracking goal from Danny," said Bond "I was just about to give him a telling off for not passing the ball and then it went into the net!"

Hollands said: "I just saw him off his line. There was nothing else on so I thought I might as well have a go and was lucky enough to see it go in.

"I don't really know how far out I was but I think there might have been a few people wanting to wring my neck if it hadn't gone in!"