MANAGER Eddie Howe singled out substitute Brett Pitman for special praise after his crucial goal-line clearance preserved Cherries’ lead against QPR.

Pitman, whose arrival deep into stoppage time had been delayed by the officials, raced on to the pitch to help Cherries defend a corner.

Pitman was in the right place at the right time to keep out Richard Dunne’s header, the striker performing heroics to nod the ball away from the top corner.

Howe said: “You ask someone to do a job for you. He had one thing to do in the game and, for me, he was as much of a hero as the players who played a lot longer than him.

“He didn’t have to drop back on the line and could easily have stayed where he was and watched the ball fly in.

"That is the detail that is so important and Brett deserves a lot of credit for what he did in that one minute.”