CAPTAIN Tommy Elphick praised resilient Cherries for quickly banishing the ghost of their League Cup exit with a rip-roaring display at Blackpool.

Cherries’ club-record run to the last eight ended with a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday as an imperious 12-match unbeaten streak was brought to a halt.

But having hit straight back with a 6-1 trouncing of the Tangerines on a testing surface, Elphick felt Cherries had fired a clear signal of intent to their Championship rivals.

“It was all about mentality,” said Elphick. “We took a big hit in midweek by going out of the League Cup and had to prove a point.

"We had to show we were far superior to the bottom team and why we are top of the league and I felt we did that on all fronts.

“The Liverpool defeat was a hard blow. We went into the game thinking we had a chance and we were maybe a bit naive at times.

“This was probably not the most ideal game so to put six past them on a horrendous pitch was really encouraging.

Elphick added: “We looked at the surface before the game and thought it might change our style a little bit but it did not at all.

“Some of the football, movement and phases of play we put together were frightening and some of our best so far this season.”

Meanwhile, the skipper publicly expressed his thanks to the army of Cherries fans who made the 580-mile round trip to Bloomfield Road.

“It was a huge effort for them to travel up in numbers before Christmas but hopefully we repaid them with a good performance,” he added.

“They are the ones who make the football club tick. At this time of year it is an expensive day out so the least we can do is show them how much we appreciate their support.”