CHERRIES winger Matt Ritchie admitted opening his goal account for the season had come as “a massive relief”.

Ritchie, one of the leading assist men in the Championship, broke his seasonal duck with a delightful chip to make it 3-0 to Cherries at Birmingham on Saturday.

The 25-year-old, who also netted at St Andrew’s last season, played his part as Cherries went on to add five more goals during a rampant second-half showing.

Ritchie told the Daily Echo: “Most of all, I was absolutely delighted to get three points but it was a great performance, a lot of goals and a great game to play in.

“It was a massive relief to score and I think people could see from my celebration that I was a little excited and didn’t really know what to do.

“I feel like I have been playing well but I have always scored goals in my career. Wingers are expected to score goals so it was playing on my mind a bit. I was delighted and, hopefully, it can be one of many.

“It was a great result for everyone involved. All the hard work that goes into training and preparation paid off and, hopefully, we can continue that sort of performance level throughout the season.

“We didn’t move the ball quickly enough in the first half and our movement wasn’t quite how it can be. But we played really well in the second and made the most of the gaps they left us.”