DAN Gosling insists Cherries must halt highwayman James Vaughan in order to stop Huddersfield pilfering the points at Dean Court tomorrow (3pm).

Vaughan, currently playing with a protective face mask after fracturing his cheekbone and eye socket against Middlesbrough in December, was a team-mate of Gosling’s at Everton.

The 26-year-old striker has been blighted by injury during his two-and-a-half years with the Terriers but needs no introduction to Cherries having notched a hat-trick in their 5-1 thumping at Huddersfield in August 2013.

Vaughan has only four goals to show for what has been another disrupted campaign but Gosling warned Cherries to ignore his talent at their peril.

Gosling told the Daily Echo: “Like me he was one of the younger lads at Everton and we used to knock about together a little bit.

"He had already made the step up to the first team and integrated with the senior professionals by the time I got there but ended up on loan and left Everton the year after I did.

“Sometimes it can be difficult for players once they leave a club. You can go to places where it just does not work out for whatever reason.

"That was the case for him at a few places but he seems settled at Huddersfield now.

“He has had his injury problems but reminded everybody what he is about by scoring in their past two matches.

“His record at Huddersfield speaks for itself and he will be a really big threat to us.

“Over the past couple of years he has established himself as a top marksman with a good record in the Championship.

“It will be good to have a chat with him. He is a likeable lad, a family man and a good professional but hopefully we can keep him quiet on the pitch.”

Meanwhile, Gosling reports he is making good progress with the ankle injury picked up in training last month.

The sidelined star missed out on a start at Aston Villa in the FA Cup and has not featured for Cherries since.

“I feel like I am getting closer all the time,” said Gosling. “The injury is improving day by day but we will have to wait and see. Hopefully it will not be too long.

“The injury came at a bad time. I have had to miss a couple of big games but it was just one of those unfortunate things and you have to get on with it.

“I would probably have played against Aston Villa and who knows, if I had done well then I could have earned myself a run in the side.

“But that is behind me now. I have to move on, get myself fit and stake a claim to play again as soon as possible.”