Connell and Pitman keep Cherries top (From Bournemouth Echo)

Connell and Pitman keep Cherries top

5:05pm Saturday 24th October 2009 in

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ALAN Connell hit his first league goal since rejoining Cherries as Eddie Howe’s men kept hold of the League Two top spot in style this afternoon.

The cultured forward, replacing the rested Steve Fletcher in the starting line-up, rewarded manager Howe’s faith by scoring an excellent opener as Cherries saw off lowly Grimsby Town at Dean Court.

After Connell had opened the scoring, Paul Linwood’s own goal doubled the advantage, the unfortunate Grimsby defender enduring a birthday to forget.

Linwood atoned for his error by pulling a goal back on 50 minutes, but Cherries had the final say as Brett Pitman, who had a hand in all three Cherries goals, struck a spectacular overhead kick to secure maximum points.

Cherries boss Howe made one change to the team which beat Accrington Stanley last week, with Connell’s start giving veteran frontman Fletcher a well-deserved rest.

Grimsby, led by caretaker manager Neil Woods following Mick Newell’s recent exit, went into the game in terrible form, having lost four successive league matches.

They could have taken a big step towards enhancing that record after just seven minutes as the first good opportunity of the game fell to the visitors.

Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro was the man who found himself clear on goal, but he fired wide under pressure from the onrushing Shwan Jalal.

Cherries soon settled and quickly began to enjoy the lion’s share of the possession, although Grimsby were proving far from easy to break down.

With Saints loan defender Olly Lancashire performing strongly at the heart of the Mariners’ defence, Cherries failed to carve out any clear-cut chances until the 27th minute.

Howe’s decision to shift Liam Feeney and Mark Molesley to opposite flanks almost paid dividends when Feeney beat his man and delivered an excellent cross to the near post. Top scorer Pitman met the ball perfectly, only to see Nick Colgan produce an excellent save to palm his header to safety.

But Cherries only had to wait seconds for a deserved opener when Connell demonstrated perfectly why he was handed a starting berth.

Receiving the ball from strike partner Pitman, Connell turned sharply and curled a quite majestic right-foot shot high to Colgan’s left from 15 yards, leaving the Grimsby skipper with no chance.

Cherries sensed the opportunity to extend their advantage and they seized it by doubling the lead on 34 minutes.

Captain Danny Hollands sent Pitman racing down the right and, when the forward sent over a low cross, Linwood clumsily turned the ball into his own net, with Hollands closing in.

As the action continued at great pace, Cherries were given a warning not to get complacent, with Jalal forced into a brave block as a loose ball broke to the lively Peter Bore.

Jalal produced an excellent save four minutes after the break to deny Adrian Forbes, but he was powerless to stop Grimsby when they successfully pulled a goal back on 50 minutes.

With Cherries failing to clear a corner, Linwood atoned for his earlier mistake by heading home, with the ball appearing to hit Ryan Garry on its way past the diving Jalal.

An edgy period followed, with Grimsby upping their efforts in the hope of securing a positive result.

Jalal continued his impressive afternoon by holding on to Akpa Akpro’s 67th-minute lob as Cherries struggled to gain the sort of control they enjoyed during the opening period.

Pitman was presented with an opportunity to settle the nerves and seal the points on 70 minutes, but Colgan got down sharply to hold the striker’s low effort.

Peter Sweeney’s sweet strike gave Cherries and the nervous home support a scare as it flew narrowly over from long range.

Howe called on Fletcher with 13 minutes remaining as Cherries looked to defend their slender lead and the giant targetman didn’t disappoint, as he provided the assist as the hosts put the result beyond doubt.

The 37-year-old flicked the ball on perfectly and Pitman did the rest, his overhead kick capping a good afternoon for the Dean Court outfit.

Cherries: (4-4-2) Jalal; Bradbury, Pearce, Garry, Cummings; Feeney (McQuoid, 90), Robinson, Hollands, Molesley (Edgar, 70); Pitman, Connell (Fletcher, 77). Unused subs: Goulding, Bartley, Thomas.

Grimsby Town: (4-4-2) Colgan; Wood, Linwood, Lancashire, Widdowson; Bore, Boshell, Sweeney, Shahin (Hegarty, 65); Akpa Akpro (Jones, 87), Forbes (Magennis, 75). Unused subs: Overton, Leary, Clarke, Gray.

Booked: Bore, Magennis

Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands)

Attendance: 5,270