A FIRST home win of the season continued to elude Cherries after they were held to a 2-2 draw against Brentford at Goldsands Stadium last night.

Despite some early promise from Paul Groves’s side, Simon Francis’s own goal handed the visitors an ill-deserved lead after just 10 minutes.

But Matt Tubbs’s second goal in as many games and Charlie Daniels’s 25th-minute penalty ensured Cherries would go into half-time in front.

A poor second-half display from the hosts, though, allowed Uwe Rosler’s men back into the clash and substitute Harry Forrester was on hand to drill home the Bees’ second goal on 68 minutes.

Boss Groves made four changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Hartlepool on Saturday, with Josh McQuoid , Wes Fogden and Steve Cook dropping to the bench. Shaun MacDonald was ruled out through injury.

Tubbs was rewarded with a first league start following his late equaliser on Saturday, while Eunan O’Kane, Marc Pugh and Daniels were restored to the starting line-up.

Cherries started brightly, with Tubbs twice drilling dangerous balls across the face of Simon Moore’s goal following good link-up play between Francis and Harry Arter down the right flank.

It was a far cry from the attack-shy nature of Cherries’ performance against Hartlepool, which had left many supporters questioning Groves’s tactics.

A defensive mix-up between Francis and Shwan Jalal after five minutes, though, almost let in Farid El Alagui, but the Bees striker fired well wide.

That was the warning before the calamity, however, as Francis seemingly failed to hear Jalal’s call moments later and headed Adam Forshaw’s floating free kick beyond his on-rushing goalkeeper to gift the visitors the lead.

As Cherries attempted to gather some composure, Clayton Donaldson should have doubled his side’s advantage on 12 minutes, but failed to connect at the back post after Forshaw’s set-piece had been nodded back across goal.

At the other end, Lewis Grabban’s thunderous drive flew narrowly over the bar on 14 minutes, before Tubbs bagged a deserved equaliser three minutes later.

A patient build-up between O’Kane and Grabban was followed by a pin-point cross from Francis, before Tubbs confidently nodded past Moore from all of 15 yards.

Grabban should have given Cherries the lead five minutes later, but the former Rotherham man fired wide when well placed just inside the box.

But the industrious 24-year-old was rewarded for his endeavour when Moore blatantly sent him sprawling deep inside his penalty area and Daniels duly despatched the spot kick low to the keeper’s left to make it 2-1.

As Cherries continued to dominate, Pugh’s right-foot effort seven minutes before the break had Moore beaten, but was marginally off target, while Grabban again fluffed his lines right at the end of the first half when he blasted wide from inside the box following O’Kane’s neat through ball.

Moore was called into action immediately after the restart when the Isle of Wight-born keeper spectacularly beat away Francis’s powerful header from 15 yards after Pugh had creatively engineered some space and whipped in a stunning cross from the left.

And Francis was on hand at the other end shortly afterwards with some last-gasp defending to prevent El Alagui from testing Jalal from inside the six-yard box after the Bees man had weaved his way clear.

Tubbs forced another save from Moore on the hour after turning on a sixpence inside the Bees penalty area and unleashing a rasping right-foot drive, but Groves’s men had to constantly remain on their toes as the visitors threatened to get back into the clash.

Donaldson’s 60th-minute shot failed to trouble Jalal, while El Alagui’s right-foot effort from distance two minutes later flew past the upright.

In truth, though, Cherries were never 100 per cent comfortable in defence throughout the opening 20 minutes of the second period and the inevitable equaliser came on 68 minutes.

Substitute Forrester ghosted unchallenged into the Cherries box from the left flank and unleashed an unstoppable curling drive into the far corner of Jalal’s net.

It could have been worse for Groves’s men moments later, too, but Tom Adeyemi’s far post header trickled narrowly wide as Cherries struggled to organise themselves following the goal.

And having been galvanised by Forrester’s sublime effort, the visitors continued to push for a winner.

Tubbs, however, missed a gilt-edged chance to make the score 3-2 15 minutes from time as Cherries broke against the run of play.

The striker latched on to the loose ball just inside the Bees’ half and burst into the box, but after Moore had got the faintest of touches to Tubbs’s effort on goal, Shaleum Logan managed to scramble the ball off the line.

And as Cherries’ luck appeared to desert them, Joe Partington ’s fearsome effort from distance six minutes from time came back off the post following Tubbs’s delightful cut-back.

Cherries: (4-4-2) Jalal; Francis, Addison, Elphick, Daniels; O’Kane, Partington, Arter (Fogden, 70), Pugh; Tubbs, Grabban (McQuoid, 75). Unused subs: Zubar, Cook, McDermott, Thomas, Collins.

Brentford: Moore, Logan, Dean, Craig, Bidwell, Douglas, Diagouraga (Forrester, 56), Adyemi (O’Connor, 85), Forshaw, Donaldson, El Alagui (Hayes, 77). Unused subs: Barron, Saunders, Fredericks, Legge.

Booked: Craig.

Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands).

Attendance: 5,117.