DEFENDER Simon Francis admitted Huddersfield’s deficiencies had been too “obvious” to ignore after clinical Cherries had mercilessly ripped apart their Yorkshire rivals.

The marauding full-back revealed that Cherries’ studious homework on the hosts’ 3-5-2 formation had played a significant part in opening their Championship campaign with a thumping 4-0 victory on Saturday.

But it was the amount of opportunities in the final third that took Francis by surprise as two-goal debutant Callum Wilson ran riot as the spearhead of Cherries’ perfectly-executed game plan.

Francis told the Daily Echo: “We worked on playing against 3-5-2 all week long so we knew how to stop them and where to show them.

“Their strengths were out wide but we managed to nullify most of the threat and when they took off their best player Adam Hammill at half-time that was a good sign for us.

“By no means are we the kind of team to play long balls or put it into the channels but it was so obvious that it was on for Callum to get down the sides. It was too good an opportunity to turn down because he got in almost every time.

“Both their wing-backs were drawn high up the pitch and it left a lot of space for Cal to use his pace and he was a real threat every time he peeled away.

“He proved straight away that he can be a real handful at this level. It was the perfect start for Callum and the group as a whole.”