Cherries: Howe's men claim derby spoils (with video)

SECOND-half goals from Lewis Grabban and Marc Pugh helped Cherries see off struggling Portsmouth at Dean Court today.

Grabban bagged his 13th goal of the season to settle any nerves among an expectant home crowd midway through the second period.

And Pugh broke Pompey’s brave resistance with a second 13 minutes from time as Cherries moved to within a point of the League One summit.

Matt Ritchie was drafted in for his full Cherries debut as boss Eddie Howe made one enforced change to his starting line-up.

Ritchie replaced injury victim Tommy Elphick and was deployed at left-back with Dan Seaborne moving across to partner Steve Cook in the centre of defence.

Pompey made no fewer than six changes with Therry Racon, Patrick Agyemang and John Akinde all handed debuts after joining the club this week.

Although Cherries made most of the running during the opening period, they found chances hard to come by as Pompey defended in numbers.

Lewis Grabban headed wide after being picked out by a Marc Pugh cross, the Cherries winger poking the ball through the legs of Yassin Moutaoakil to set up the opportunity.

A scissors kick from Agyemang trickled harmlessly wide before Harry Arter’s thunderous drive from 25 yards was charged down by a defender.

The paucity of the finishing was highlighted when Therry Racon wriggled free down the left, only to balloon his shot high over the crossbar.

Although Brett Pitman’s lofted pass over the Pompey defence found Grabban, he was unable to convert from the tightest of angles.

Shwan Jalal helped Adam Reed’s effort around the post before Cherries carved out the clearest opportunity on the stroke of half-time.

Simon Francis centred after working an opening down the right flank and Pitman saw his glancing header come back off the underside of the crossbar.

Pitman flicked another Francis cross past the post at the start of the second half before Jalal raced off his line to beat Agyemang to a Johnny Ertl through ball.

Pompey goalkeeper Simon Eastwood saved unconvincingly after Pitman had taken aim with a free-kick from 25 yards, the stopper scooping the ball away.

A swift break from the visitors ended with Agyemang heading wide with the goal at his mercy after Moutaoakil had crossed from the right.

Jalal was forced to tip over a rising drive from Dan Butler before Cherries finally made the breakthrough midway through the second half.

Grabban, picked out by Josh McQuoid’s cross, took a touch to control the ball before firing low into the bottom right-hand corner after 65 minutes.

Cherries doubled their lead after 77 minutes when Pugh slipped the ball past Eastwood following good work by Pitman to provide the assist.

Substitute Matt Tubbs went close to adding a third in stoppage time, with Eastwood sticking out his right leg to keep out the striker’s effort.

Cherries: Jalal, Francis, Cook, Seaborne, Ritchie, McQuoid, Arter (Hughes, 83), O’Kane, Pugh, Pitman (MacDonald, 90), Grabban (Tubbs, 82).

Unused subs: Fletcher, Fogden, Partington, Allsop (g/k).

Pompey: Eastwood, Moutaoakil, Gyepes, Rocha, Butler, Reed, Cooper (Walker, 82), Ertl, Racon (Wallace, 69), Agyemang (Keene, 65), Akinde.

Unused subs: Sodje, Harris, Webster, Smith (g/k).

Booked: Butler, Reed.

Attendance: 9,135 (including 1,338 visiting supporters).

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).

Comments(72)

smhinto says...
6:00pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Excellent result well done to all. I am over the moon !!!

AFCBRichyRich says...
6:03pm Sat 9 Feb 13

smhinto wrote:
Excellent result well done to all. I am over the moon !!!
Happy your prediction didn't ring true then?! Tidy performance today though the first half was frustrating!

lymicherry says...
6:05pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Solid, patient and professional performance against a well organised Pompey side who were by no means the worst to visit DC this season. Thought Ritchie looked very tidy and assured in an unfamiliar role. Credit also to Jalal for that crucial fingertip save in the 2nd half - a pivotal point in an absorbing and ultimately rewarding game.

Mike Oxbig says...
6:06pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Fair play to the Portsmouth inbreds. They certainly made themselves heard all the way to the final whistle and beyond. I wonder if they will find the migration to Havant & Waterlooville easy next season... Probably not if Bradders is still at the helm. We could be top on Tuesday night... Fancy that!

Court Side says...
6:07pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Not at our free flowing best but Pompey were quite resolute in defence so happy to take the 3 points and move on.I'm sure we'll be a lot sharper and quicker in thought when Sheff Utd and Cov come down but first 2 tough away games against Crewe and Preston!
Now 1 point off the top,a monumental effort from Eddie,Jason and the boys!!
Good luck to Pompey in their fight to stay alive,enjoy the banter when a few waifs and strays drift on to here but would never like to see any fans club go to the wall.

lockandload says...
6:18pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Tonight , I am living the dream...............
.......Yes it really could happen, we could win League 1 .
Has anyone seen Eddie howe's score rate since he took over as manager? Second only to Fergie.
After all the pain and tears , this is our season!
Believe it

abc100 says...
6:22pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Not at our best but didn't need to be, Eddie has got a really tough selection dilemma coming up, good 3 points today

RedhillPete says...
6:22pm Sat 9 Feb 13

A solid result against a potential banana skin, as they have to put out a different team each week! However we now have players with experience & belief plus goals around the front line. A great formula.

Can't believe so many results went our way again this week, its a bit of a dream!

DorsetBlues says...
6:30pm Sat 9 Feb 13

My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP

Eddie's dog says...
6:33pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Solent - a plucky resistance from Pompey, with Bournemouth only taking charge in the last part of the game.............
Hmmm..... just a frustrating game against a well organised defence, with the Cherries on top all the game.

Eddie's dog says...
6:33pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Solent - a plucky resistance from Pompey, with Bournemouth only taking charge in the last part of the game.............
Hmmm..... just a frustrating game against a well organised defence, with the Cherries on top all the game.

MarkS1973 says...
6:34pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Great result. Fair play to Pompey they made themselves difficult to breakdown and their support was top draw. I wish them well in their attempt to survive. Was not that long ago -17 in Div 2. I can hardly believe the table 1 point off the top. Unbelievable job Eddie H, the staff and the players. And to Maxim for putting the money in and assembling this squad. It's up there with the best I have seen in the 25 years I have been watching. UTC

STEADY EDDIE 1 for the road says...
6:35pm Sat 9 Feb 13

What was it that d1ck LeGob from Swindle was saying about banana skins the other day.???. Whoops, mind you dont slip on that sunshine.!!!!.
Fair play to Pompey, they had a go but just weren't good enough against a somewhat subdued Bournemouth. Ah well, 3 points, that will do nicely.UTCIAD

STEADY EDDIE 1 for the road says...
6:43pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
What a retard you are. Against the run of play????. What was it you had 1 shot o target in 90 mins.????. As for your amazing support, enjoy L2 next season.
You were lucky you caught us on an off day or it would have been a cricket score. Pmsl

abc100 says...
6:46pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
I assumed that the famous Pompey fans that make all the noise couldn't get tickets today,

nicoAFCB says...
6:50pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Can some one tell Dorset blues its not the best fans that win football matches and as my girlfriend said "is that the amazing Pompey support, I can barely hear them"
Not the best we've played but enough to beat poor old Pompey. Enjoy league two......if you have a club to support that is!
EHBA! UTC!

BackOfTheNet says...
6:59pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Not even a tinkle from that t055er with the bell until near half time, such was our dominance in possession. Bert's header against the bar had me thinking it might not be our day, but even against desperate10-behind-t
he-ball defending we won through comfortably in the end.

Good luck in division 4 next season Pompey, although I doubt the league will continue letting you sign numerous players every week for much longer without deducting the points that every other club would have lost months ago.

poolepaul says...
7:11pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
Enjoy league two next season. If you still have a club that is. Muppet.

Talkingheadera says...
7:23pm Sat 9 Feb 13

I thought it was a training match against 11 defenders.
It was that easy to keep the ball.
Pompey were dire up front, clueless in midfield and not bad at the back considering they parked the bus.
Why would you do that when you got nothing to lose by having a go.
It was just a matter of time before we opened them up.

TedMacsCherryPants says...
7:32pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
I must be getting deaf in my old age but I couldn't hear too much of the "amazing support" you are claiming, well drowned out by the North Stand. Against the run of play??????? Was you there muppet? Doesn't sound like you were to me, may your bubble be burst and you get your desrreved points deduction this season AND next season!! Hope puberty is cruel to you when you get there!!!

boyerboy says...
7:35pm Sat 9 Feb 13

I must have been at a different match, it was one of our off days,although Ritchie was outstanding, O`kane could not pass a ball forwards and we looked tired.
Still another three points and a clean sheet with a make shift defence...winning the hard way !

CherryHammer says...
7:43pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
****. Your lot had one shot on target that I can remember - from distance and well saved by Jalal, who could have gone to sleep as he had that little to do. Pompey defended well but with ten men behind the ball they would really.

So no need for sour grapes Dorset Blue - you're not famous any more and we dont give a flyingf""k about you or your lot. We have more pressing matters like promotion to think about.

lymicherry says...
7:48pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Interesting to note that Skybet are now quoting AFCB as 7/4 favourites for the Div 1 title, with Doncaster and Swindon pushed out to 5/1 and Tranmere and Sheffield Utd both at sevens...

mattbo says...
7:49pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Agree with posts about off day any other team to play against us would have punished us very frustrating stuff as for u Dorset blue u only seemed to sing when u went 1-0 and 2-0 down great time to be a cherry utciad

Bosskom says...
7:51pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
Ha ha ha. See if you can make some atmosphere next season at Morecambe, presuming the league dont boot you out for cheating yourway up the league for the last few seasons. Inbred

apm1954 says...
7:55pm Sat 9 Feb 13

poor old pompey at least the smell of fish has gone

Strawbs_78 says...
8:08pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Strange game today. Portsmouth came with a very negative game plan, which is odd considering only wins will do for them now. We weren't anywhere near our best but always thought we'd score eventually. Thought we looked very solid at the back considering how make shift our back 4 is at the moment. Given how much Cook must have on his mind right now, he was superb again today. Richie caught the eye at left back. One disappointment for me was mcquoid, just not good enough on based on todays showing. utciad

cherrygood says...
8:35pm Sat 9 Feb 13

100 points still on.

cheeriedriteup says...
8:36pm Sat 9 Feb 13

abc100 wrote:
Not at our best but didn't need to be, Eddie has got a really tough selection dilemma coming up, good 3 points today
Why not at our best?

afcb-mark says...
8:42pm Sat 9 Feb 13

mattbo wrote:
Agree with posts about off day any other team to play against us would have punished us very frustrating stuff as for u Dorset blue u only seemed to sing when u went 1-0 and 2-0 down great time to be a cherry utciad
We had no choice but to play the way we did, they parked all 11 players in front of the goal. What a boring way for them to play football especially when they are so desperate for points. They started their time wasting early as well, after about five minutes. We are at our best when we play teams who also like to play football and Portsmouth weren't one of those teams. Very negative from them.

white 147 says...
8:51pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Portsmouth were poor and played as a team in trouble. Not the best today but a good win and now 1 point from the top. There was more action on kings park after the game today as there was fighting in the road the other side of the park.

Afcbpete says...
8:52pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Strawbs_78 wrote:
Strange game today. Portsmouth came with a very negative game plan, which is odd considering only wins will do for them now. We weren't anywhere near our best but always thought we'd score eventually. Thought we looked very solid at the back considering how make shift our back 4 is at the moment. Given how much Cook must have on his mind right now, he was superb again today. Richie caught the eye at left back. One disappointment for me was mcquoid, just not good enough on based on todays showing. utciad
Having read most of the posts, I pretty much agree with you. The back 4 for us were outstanding, Ritchie was excellent, he even popped up on the left wing at one point. Pompey never had a sniff all afternoon really, I think Jalal had a couple of saves to make. Arter, O'Kane, Pitman, McQuoid , all had off days for me, but sooner they had off day's today and we win, rather than against another team and we lose. Both sets of fans were quiet at times, but hardly surprising it as difficult to shout in between shivering. You only have to look at other results, we overcame a banana skin and came out with the 3 points and now we move on to Crewe and zero in on top spot... UTCIAD

abc100 says...
9:32pm Sat 9 Feb 13

cheeriedriteup wrote:
abc100 wrote:
Not at our best but didn't need to be, Eddie has got a really tough selection dilemma coming up, good 3 points today
Why not at our best?
We can obviously play a lot better than we did today, something was missing but you can only beat what is in front if you, our attacking players just had an off day, I look forward to seeing Matt Ritchie play on the right side, we controlled the game without really threatening their goalie,always a good sign when you can win comfortably without playing great

afcb72 says...
9:41pm Sat 9 Feb 13

DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
Talking about rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic!!!

Yes keep singing, in the mean time 9 defeats in a row and you will probably be bottom of the table on Tuesday night...keep singing lol

Good news is you will be playing Salisbury, Winchester, Poole and Dorchester soon.

mossy 1 says...
9:49pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Well that was hard work today, not only for the team but for us sat in the stands.Pompey had a gameplan and it may well have worked.I now fear other teams coming to DC may well try to copy but having said that ,do other teams need to adopt the tactics that Pompey used given that they are in a rather unique position.One thing in their gameplan they hadn`t taken into account is that changing ends before the match doesn`t affect us,we will still win attacking,in the second half, the King`s Park View End(sounds better than the empty fourth stand).
I was particularly frustrated with the interaction of Josh Mq and Simon F,especially first half,and not the first time this season,how many times did SF make an overlap down the right only for JM to ignore him,cut back in on his left and found nowhere to go except sideways or back.
The table now makes interesting reading,a few weeks ago (xmas,new year)we were playing catch-up on tranmere,donny,swind
on,sheff.u,brentford
,mk,not only have we caught up with some, we have overtaken the others;how long before we take over those now(just)above us.

bluewhiteandred says...
9:55pm Sat 9 Feb 13

dorsetblues

It was on the cards for a cherries win i for one want Bournemouth to win div 1 better than the paint trophy up the road.
if you go on pompey news site most of fans in pompey wish cherries well so why are you embarrsing us with your comments save them for Saints ! .

rogthedodge123 says...
9:57pm Sat 9 Feb 13

lockandload wrote:
Tonight , I am living the dream...............

.......Yes it really could happen, we could win League 1 .
Has anyone seen Eddie howe's score rate since he took over as manager? Second only to Fergie.
After all the pain and tears , this is our season!
Believe it
It will happen and all the pessimists who keep saying the play-offs are realistic are living in a dream because this team will win this league by a country mile and since Eddie came back I have never stopped believing especially after we outclassed the leaders Tranmere- Happy days

bluewhiteandred says...
10:00pm Sat 9 Feb 13

afcb72 wrote:
DorsetBlues wrote:
My god what a atmosphere at Dean Court absolute amazing support,oh sorry that was from the away following, as for the match totally expected against the run of play for the first goal where Pompey had enjoyed much of the play after the interval after a great save from the goalkeeper.Well I hope you enjoyed your premature promotion party and may your bubble be burst next week PUP
Talking about rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic!!!

Yes keep singing, in the mean time 9 defeats in a row and you will probably be bottom of the table on Tuesday night...keep singing lol

Good news is you will be playing Salisbury, Winchester, Poole and Dorchester soon.
well done cherries
not all pompey fans agree with dorsetblues dont take the bate i asume he is a pompey fan ?

rogthedodge123 says...
10:00pm Sat 9 Feb 13

RedhillPete wrote:
A solid result against a potential banana skin, as they have to put out a different team each week! However we now have players with experience & belief plus goals around the front line. A great formula.

Can't believe so many results went our way again this week, its a bit of a dream!
This was never a potential banana skin and it was always gonna be the cherry on top.

rogthedodge123 says...
10:05pm Sat 9 Feb 13

lymicherry wrote:
Interesting to note that Skybet are now quoting AFCB as 7/4 favourites for the Div 1 title, with Doncaster and Swindon pushed out to 5/1 and Tranmere and Sheffield Utd both at sevens...
Get £400 on now to pay for the season ticket next season and how sweet that would be.

golfer33 says...
10:06pm Sat 9 Feb 13

lymicherry wrote:
Interesting to note that Skybet are now quoting AFCB as 7/4 favourites for the Div 1 title, with Doncaster and Swindon pushed out to 5/1 and Tranmere and Sheffield Utd both at sevens...
Yes very interesting, we are also 4/7 just to get promoted. I told you before christmas to get on at 9/1, then it was also 6/1 to get promoted. 4 hard matches now thou, should really tell us where we stand. 10pts out of 12 would be nice.

hedge end bob says...
10:19pm Sat 9 Feb 13

bluewhiteandred wrote:
dorsetblues

It was on the cards for a cherries win i for one want Bournemouth to win div 1 better than the paint trophy up the road.
if you go on pompey news site most of fans in pompey wish cherries well so why are you embarrsing us with your comments save them for Saints ! .
I thought you knew bluewhiteandred, youre on our site with your abuse enough. We won't or cant win div 1 this year , we are in the premiership lol. How did your club get on in the paint tin trophy this year??
Throw all your insults our way if it makes you happy , do you think they really hurt us??.
I see from one of the posts above there was fighting outside the ground after the game today. Don't suppose it would be your lot would it.
Is it true that the F A have stated that if your club have not sorted itself out by the end of the season you will be expelled from the football leagues?? I dont want to see that happen to any club but you have been warned.

Sorry to all you BOURNEMOUTH FANS for taking up your space to answer this pompey fan. But he is such a joke on our site.

bluewhiteandred says...
10:35pm Sat 9 Feb 13

fighting out side the ground i did not say that get your facts right and i will say well done cherries and ignore the saint trolls on here i was commenting on cherries v pompey game relevent i think being on a cherries forum i have no malice or hatred to bournmouth fans and hope they win div 1 un like your paint trophy not worth bragging about div 1 title for cherries now that is worth polishing that trophy .

jontee says...
10:41pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Yes it was a game of patience. Yes Pompey were negative. Yes they made it difficult. BUT, this would have been a defeat against most other teams.
.
As I have said on several occasions, we have no-one to lead the line any more, and you need that to break down stubborn defences.
.
Talk of winning the league playing like that is just plain nonsense. BIG BIG test coming up Tuesday !

nicoAFCB says...
10:50pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Jontee you make me laugh you say we have no one to lead the line and that you need that to break stubborn defences.......yet we've scored two goals therefore breaking there stubborn defence down twice? We won two nil and are now a point from the top just enjoy that fact!

hedge end bob says...
11:05pm Sat 9 Feb 13

bluewhiteandred wrote:
fighting out side the ground i did not say that get your facts right and i will say well done cherries and ignore the saint trolls on here i was commenting on cherries v pompey game relevent i think being on a cherries forum i have no malice or hatred to bournmouth fans and hope they win div 1 un like your paint trophy not worth bragging about div 1 title for cherries now that is worth polishing that trophy .
Read my post again , then make your statements.

bluewhiteandred says...
11:41pm Sat 9 Feb 13

The paint pot trophy is nothing it took your eye well if cherries win div 1 they have achieved , with us and brighton more honours than saints since 1976 .
sorry i did miss read about fighting but did not find the post you where talking about. your win against Man city good win but you yet again another season over and Saints no honours again !

deanmatthews1966 says...
12:05am Sun 10 Feb 13

Great result against a team that only ever wanted one point.
Ok everyone, keep focused, don't slack on or off the pitch, the title is there for the taking, on current form we'll win the league, just keep it all going.
UTCIAD

Fanfor45 says...
2:50am Sun 10 Feb 13

Fascinating how different people see a different game. I was certain that Eddie's game plan was to constantly play the ball across the back four then shift it to the midfield to do the same and wait for one of THEM to deliver an incisive cutting ball to the front two; a similar style to that employed by Brighton when they came down here in their promotion season. I certainly felt that if we'd have wanted to we could have cut Portsmouth open at anytime. The reason that we didn't lent itself to the fact that the entire midfield seemed to have forgotten their part in the whole plan. Not comfortable to watch but hey ho three more points.

oxoncherry2 says...
7:30am Sun 10 Feb 13

The crowd at Bristol City were singing Theres only one Sean ODriscoll yesterday - the Derby supporters that is!!!

oxoncherry2 says...
7:35am Sun 10 Feb 13

Swindon is a corruption of Swine Down, a place where pigs were reared.

tricky1007 says...
7:36am Sun 10 Feb 13

Bournemouth

Possession 55%
Corners 3
Goal attempts 14
On target 6

Pompey Possession 45%
Corners 7
Goal Attempts 7
On Target 2


NUFF SAID!

Chish and Fips says...
8:52am Sun 10 Feb 13

oxoncherry2 wrote:
Swindon is a corruption of Swine Down, a place where pigs were reared.
Yes and your point is ....other than trying to be clever but crashing and burning.

Wilkie says...
8:52am Sun 10 Feb 13

For my two penny's worth, I thought Portsmouth came here with a game plan that worked very well for an hour in which we barely troubled their keeper and indeed it was as likely that they could have scored as us. Just before we scored Pompey had a 5 minute spell when they turned a little more positive, which might have been their undoing. Pitman again frusatrated with his lack of athleticism and just as I started a moan about him he produced a moment of incision in the box and came within a whisker of scoring, but that's Brett for you. Thought Grabban was a little down on his usual energy levels, and see him and McQuoid interchanging in that position once Ritchie is installed on the right. Francis' crossing was poor today. Final note on the Pompey fans; I thought they were tremendous today and sincerley wish them the best over what is going to be a tough couple of years and I am sure this sentiment is shared by 95% of Cherries fans.

Wilkie says...
8:52am Sun 10 Feb 13

For my two penny's worth, I thought Portsmouth came here with a game plan that worked very well for an hour in which we barely troubled their keeper and indeed it was as likely that they could have scored as us. Just before we scored Pompey had a 5 minute spell when they turned a little more positive, which might have been their undoing. Pitman again frusatrated with his lack of athleticism and just as I started a moan about him he produced a moment of incision in the box and came within a whisker of scoring, but that's Brett for you. Thought Grabban was a little down on his usual energy levels, and see him and McQuoid interchanging in that position once Ritchie is installed on the right. Francis' crossing was poor today. Final note on the Pompey fans; I thought they were tremendous today and sincerley wish them the best over what is going to be a tough couple of years and I am sure this sentiment is shared by 95% of Cherries fans.

big_afcb_fan says...
8:58am Sun 10 Feb 13

Wow one point of top!! We must be dreaming, was slightly fearful before the match that Pompey wouldn't be as easy as we all thought. So very pleased to grind out a 2-0 and move on to a tricky fixture at the Alex on Tuesday night. I will be there :)

Ps My win predictions have all be right so far :)

EHBA!

cheeriedriteup says...
9:01am Sun 10 Feb 13

abc100 wrote:
cheeriedriteup wrote:
abc100 wrote:
Not at our best but didn't need to be, Eddie has got a really tough selection dilemma coming up, good 3 points today
Why not at our best?
We can obviously play a lot better than we did today, something was missing but you can only beat what is in front if you, our attacking players just had an off day, I look forward to seeing Matt Ritchie play on the right side, we controlled the game without really threatening their goalie,always a good sign when you can win comfortably without playing great
If we were losing possession en I would have agreed with you, our attacking players were prevented from doing so purely because of the defensive role hat Pompey played - all options apart from our back four was man marked, this is why Arter and o, Kane played the ball back so many times which was the right thing to do to keep possession and start all over again. The only chance of scoring today was by playing the patient game and provide the defence splitting through ball on the ground at a diagonal angle. That yourself and others have said we won this and had 60. - 70% of the game so we should fear any defence that we meet, our defenders won't have an easier game for the rest of the season . My concern is Tubbs, he is only getting minutes but when he does he often finds himself one on one with the keeper - and misses, we will go to the Championship but I think we will be leaving him behind, but until then we can all enjoy the ride

jontee says...
10:02am Sun 10 Feb 13

nicoAFCB wrote:
Jontee you make me laugh you say we have no one to lead the line and that you need that to break stubborn defences.......yet we've scored two goals therefore breaking there stubborn defence down twice? We won two nil and are now a point from the top just enjoy that fact!
Yes nico, but it took an hour to do it and the frustration was mounting. Until then, we lacked that final quality ball into the box. And the defence looked very nervous at times.
.
Whenever a team cannot break down their opponents it seems they must have 10 men behind the ball. It may look that way, but the truth is lack of attacking ideas. Every team will defend if they can't get the ball and Pompey weren't good enough to win and keep the ball. We simply made very very hard work of it.
.
When possible, I would want to see Ritchie on the left wing. He is left footed and the worst ball to defend is the one pulled back from the goal line, away from the defence and towards the forwards.
.
On a different tack, has anyone seen on the FL show the dreadful state of the pitches, compared to Dean Court where the surface still looks superb.

I would like to see

JHC2 says...
11:19am Sun 10 Feb 13

Apparently the Draw is ..AFC Totton v
AFC Bournemouth for early March.
Please could you let the Echo know.
Thanks.

Local fan says...
11:23am Sun 10 Feb 13

The result was superb, the game was difficult for us with a great defensive performance from Pompey. We were the better team so it was the right result. It was all played in good spirit on and off the pitch. I wish Pompey all the best, they are a team with a great history like us. Now its on to Crewe with confidence. What an incredible time its been this season with Eddie. UTCIAD!

bigfatsteve says...
11:27am Sun 10 Feb 13

On a post from yesterday, I said 'don't be surprised if it is 0-0 at half time'. Though Pompey have not won in what is now nineteen games, they have taken points off a couple of the top teams and only lost by one goal to others. It was a great result yesterday, without the game being spectacular. We will have that penultimate game where we totally take a team apart. It will most likely be towards the end of the season, when teams will need to come to Dean Court and attack us in an attempt get all three points. There are so many teams in this league that are in a position to get promoted, either through the play-offs or automatically. It's gonna be a great run in, and I can see a trip to Merseyside is on the cards for the last day of the season. IAD.

big_afcb_fan says...
1:00pm Sun 10 Feb 13

Never seen so many old bill at DC!

Afcbpete says...
1:07pm Sun 10 Feb 13

big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
You should of been there when that scummy lot from Leeds ransacked the place!!

Afcbpete says...
1:07pm Sun 10 Feb 13

big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
You should of been there when that scummy lot from Leeds ransacked the place!!

stevobath says...
1:26pm Sun 10 Feb 13

jontee wrote:
nicoAFCB wrote:
Jontee you make me laugh you say we have no one to lead the line and that you need that to break stubborn defences.......yet we've scored two goals therefore breaking there stubborn defence down twice? We won two nil and are now a point from the top just enjoy that fact!
Yes nico, but it took an hour to do it and the frustration was mounting. Until then, we lacked that final quality ball into the box. And the defence looked very nervous at times.
.
Whenever a team cannot break down their opponents it seems they must have 10 men behind the ball. It may look that way, but the truth is lack of attacking ideas. Every team will defend if they can't get the ball and Pompey weren't good enough to win and keep the ball. We simply made very very hard work of it.
.
When possible, I would want to see Ritchie on the left wing. He is left footed and the worst ball to defend is the one pulled back from the goal line, away from the defence and towards the forwards.
.
On a different tack, has anyone seen on the FL show the dreadful state of the pitches, compared to Dean Court where the surface still looks superb.

I would like to see
AFCB have always had one of the best playing surfaces.

Great groundstaff & these guys are often never given credit or a mention.


Well done Cherries, winning even on an off day.Thought it could well be a dodgy game for us!

Think its still too early to start sayoing we'll defo be Champs.Very close & I'm sure there will be a few worrying moments.In the end as long as we go up I'm happy.In a way a day out at Wembley would be great too!

UTC

big_afcb_fan says...
4:01pm Sun 10 Feb 13

Afcbpete wrote:
big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
You should of been there when that scummy lot from Leeds ransacked the place!!
The way it's going we will see their mob down here next season....that would be interesting!

bluewhiteandred says...
5:08pm Sun 10 Feb 13

big_afcb_fan wrote:
Afcbpete wrote:
big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
You should of been there when that scummy lot from Leeds ransacked the place!!
The way it's going we will see their mob down here next season....that would be interesting!
oh yes the price of promotion in Calm quiet peaceful Bournmouth and Boscombe area is Leeds , Millwall, cardiff ,SAINTS and the rest of the championship mobs glad im on IOW

big_afcb_fan says...
6:48pm Sun 10 Feb 13

bluewhiteandred wrote:
big_afcb_fan wrote:
Afcbpete wrote:
big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
You should of been there when that scummy lot from Leeds ransacked the place!!
The way it's going we will see their mob down here next season....that would be interesting!
oh yes the price of promotion in Calm quiet peaceful Bournmouth and Boscombe area is Leeds , Millwall, cardiff ,SAINTS and the rest of the championship mobs glad im on IOW
Take it you havn't seen that Cardiff are cruising to the NPC title! thicko.

PS enjoy the Northern League 2 next season (thats if they accept you) pmsl.

STEADY EDDIE 1 for the road says...
8:43pm Sun 10 Feb 13

big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
They must have sent some of the local plod down from Pompey. Saw 3 meat wagons full of em in Rownhams services on way down.

Dont have short memorys says...
9:30pm Sun 10 Feb 13

bluewhiteandred wrote:
dorsetblues

It was on the cards for a cherries win i for one want Bournemouth to win div 1 better than the paint trophy up the road.
if you go on pompey news site most of fans in pompey wish cherries well so why are you embarrsing us with your comments save them for Saints ! .
Well said I dont know where all this we hate each other garbage as come from People need to remember the help Pompey have given us over the Years . I sincerely hope Pompey get ot of the mess they are in as we did and come back in a much better position and I am sure they will Sure they came down here to grind a result and who can blame them Its our time but dont forget where we were so dont rise to dorselues who is only disrespecting his own Clubs supporters who on the whole are a decent lot

big_afcb_fan says...
10:56pm Sun 10 Feb 13

STEADY EDDIE 1 for the road wrote:
big_afcb_fan wrote:
Never seen so many old bill at DC!
They must have sent some of the local plod down from Pompey. Saw 3 meat wagons full of em in Rownhams services on way down.
A mate of mine said he saw loads of pompey getting marched out of the Christopher Creeke about 8PM.

SUFFERINGBJ says...
12:43pm Mon 11 Feb 13

Pitman isnt quick enough, our build up play was great and with Ritchie,especially a superb crosser of the ball into the box ......but who was there.
Everything stopped 18 yards out.
But we won and 3 points is three points!
We have lots of big games coming up,lets hope wecan go up a gear when needed.

click2find

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