NEWLY-appointed skipper Tommy Elphick hailed Cherries’ demolition of Shrewsbury as the "stand-out performance of the season”.

Elphick, who has replaced Miles Addison as club captain, led Cherries to a resounding 3-0 victory at Shrews’ Greenhous Meadow yesterday.

Brett Pitman netted twice – his 17th and 18th goals of the season – as Eddie Howe’s men registered a club record-equalling seventh league win in succession.

Pitman opened the scoring with a fifth-minute penalty after Marc Pugh had been tripped and doubled Cherries’ lead with a stunning strike early in the second half.

The Jerseyman, who was on target for the seventh game on the trot, also tried to claim a hat-trick after his header had been helped over the line by Shrews defender Jermaine Grandison for Cherries’ third.

Victory saw Cherries maintain a two-point cushion in the second automatic promotion place and was crucial as rivals Doncaster, Yeovil, Brentford and Sheffield United also won.

Elphick said: “It wasn’t just the stand-out performance of the season due to the clean sheet and the scoreline. The pressure was on and we knew we had to get a positive result. We saw out the game really professionally, we kept the ball superbly and it was an excellent all-round display.

“We are just trying to control what we can. If we can win our next two games, it could be enough so that is all we are concentrating on. With nine games to go, we wanted to win them all and knew we would be up there if we did.

“Any successful team is going to match and break records so it just shows the work we have put in and how good the squad is. These are really exciting times for the club. With the age of the players and the manager, the club is geared for the next level. We are so close and have to do it now.”

Cherries boss Howe said: “The early goal helped and, when you have got a striker in the form of Brett Pitman, it certainly makes things easier but it was a good all-round team performance. We kept the ball well on a really difficult surface and played very well so I was delighted.

“We had seen the pitch on video and DVD and didn’t think it looked too bad. But it was really crusty in the middle where we wanted to play and it was difficult. But we don’t change our game-plan depending on pitches.

“You have to be aware of it and have to make sure the players don’t take unnecessary risks, which they didn’t. Some of our passing and movement was excellent and, occasionally, it would break down due to the surface. But the result was the important thing.”