CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe hailed the potential of strikers Glenn Murray and Joshua King and insisted the duo could foster a fruitful partnership.

With top scorer Callum Wilson sidelined for at least six months, Murray and King started together for the first time in Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Watford.

Former Crystal Palace hitman Murray registered his first goal for Cherries in the first half before missing a late penalty, while Norway international King, a lively presence in the opening 45 minutes, was substituted due to fatigue midway through the second period.

And the pair earned praise from Howe for their exploits, the boss keen to emphasise that building a solid understanding would be key in the coming weeks and months.

He told the Daily Echo: "I thought they did very well in the first half. You could see their different attributes working well together as a partnership and I thought there were good signs for them both.

"I thought Joshua tired due to his lack of football towards the end so that's something we can work on with him but all in all, when you analyse it, I was pleased with them both.

"For me, it's all about partnerships. When you are playing with two players in those positions – although we don't play them as two strikers, we play them slightly differently – they still have to work together.

"Callum Wilson had pace, Lee Tomlin has cleverness, Joshua King has pace and Glenn Murray has the ability to score goals, so to get the best out of each individual will be our challenge going forward."

Howe stated prior to the clash with the Hornets that the absence of Wilson would result in a shift in Cherries' approach.

And despite his disappointment at the 1-1 draw, in which Odion Ighalo equalised before Murray's spot-kick was saved, Howe felt his team's overall style had worked well.

He continued: "I was pleased that although we tweaked things slightly, we were still very effective, still dominated the ball and still should have won.

"We are going to have to mould ourselves around Glenn slightly, as we did with Callum. To get the best out of any player you have is the key thing to do.

"Glenn is a totally different player to Callum. We're not comparing the two in terms of what they bring, they have totally different strengths."

While Murray got off the mark for his new club with a pinpoint header against Watford, King is still awaiting his first Cherries goal.

The 23-year-old's last competitive goals came when he bagged a hat-trick in former club Blackburn's 4-1 FA Cup win over Stoke in February.