SHAUN MacDonald insists Cherries will reap the rewards of their creativity in the long run – despite seeing his comeback spoiled by defeat at Brentford.

The Welsh international made his first league start in more than 14 months as Cherries saw their promotion hopes dented with a 3-1 defeat at Griffin Park.

MacDonald, 25, admitted the reverse had been difficult to swallow after so long without a taste of Championship action but called on his colleagues not to be downbeat having posed a threat throughout the second half against the Bees.

Discussing his long-awaited league comeback, MacDonald told the Daily Echo: “I felt a little bit rusty here and there. It is difficult to come straight back in and do as well as you want to.

“I had been looking forward to the game and more than anything wanted a positive result.

“It is hard to think too much about my own performance because it is about the team. I would not say I enjoyed it because we lost but it was nice to play.

“When you play you want to win. That cannot be the case every time but after being out for a little while it was not the best result to come back with.”

On the match, MacDonald added: “The goal before half-time was a bit of a blow but I thought we created enough chances in the second half to pull it back.

“We did not get the luck we deserved and had to go for it at the end which was when we got caught on the counter-attack. Once it went to 3-1 that late in the day, it was game over.

“It was not all bad, though. The only time to worry is when you are not creating the chances.

“On another day we might have scored a few more but we as long as we stick together, stay positive and keep willing each other on I am sure we will be alright.”

On Brentford's attacking approach, MacDonald added: “We always knew they would pose a threat after playing so well at Dean Court. I think they are a good, organised team who counter-attack very well.

“When you go into a game, you cannot tell how it is going to pan out. You have to deal with the situation at the time.

“They started well and got the first goal but we got ourselves back into it and were probably the better team when the game was at 1-1."